Components of a Patio Umbrella

Umbrella Base The umbrella base is one of the most important components of your patio umbrella set up because it anchors your patio umbrella. Free standing bases have a stem to insert the pole of your outdoor umbrella into. Typically, bolts are used to tighten the pole for strength once it is inserted into the stem of the base. A free standing base then has a larger, relatively flat bottom piece that holds your patio umbrellas down when force is exerted on them. The windier your area the more weight you need in your patio umbrella base. Also, the size of your market umbrella causes its weight to change so more weight in your umbrella base is needed to anchor it. Wind and other forces still may be able to cause your patio umbrella to move but it is less likely. Ground insert unbrella bases are used to cement your patio umbrella into the ground. Deck umbrella bases are used to secure a patio umbrella to a deck or dock.

Crank Umbrellas
The Crank is a mechanism you rotate to open your crank patio umbrella. This is an add-on feature to the basic patio umbrella that has either a manual push open lift or a pulley system (rope) lift. In some patio umbrellas the functionality of the crank has been improved to have a tilt feature. This way the tilting mechanism for the shade does not require a lot of extra effort.

Finial
The finial is a decorative and functional component of your patio umbrella. It gives a nice rounded look to an outdoor umbrella and a touch of frame color at the top of the patio umbrella. It is also another anchor piece for the fabric of your shade cover.

Pole
The pole of the patio umbrella commonly comes in two pieces for ease of storage, shipping, and set up. Patio umbrella poles are most commonly made of wood or aluminum. Some aluminum umbrella poles come as a solid pole making them much stronger and better able to withstand pressure from wind. Wood umbrella poles that are 2 inches thick and a solid piece of wood are considered the best option for a standard market umbrella being used in windier areas.

Ribs
Ribs are the metal or wood bones of your umbrella frame. The ribs spread the shade cover into the open position and support them. The more ribs on your patio umbrella the more stability it has, the stronger it is.

Shade Cover
The Shade Cover is the fabric portion of your outdoor umbrella. Most commonly the shade cover is made from polyester, PVC weave, olefin, or acrylic. The price of the outdoor umbrella increases as you increase the fabric quality since it is a large portion of the patio umbrella. Some shade covers are removable for cleaning.

Wind Vent
Not all patio umbrellas have a wind vent. For the patio umbrellas that do there is a change in the design of the shade cover. A small space is left between the primary shade cover and the pole while a second piece of fabric tops the primary shade cover. The result is that the sun stays out but wind can enter through the vent and under the patio umbrella to increase the breeze you receive on hot days. Single wind vents have one extra flap of fabric and one space. Double wind vents have two extra flaps of fabric and two spaces to further increase the air flow.