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The Fence Post

The Basics of Sand Fencing

June 25, 2019 | by Joe Morrell

Restoring Your Beach

Here's a helpful video from the folks at The Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation.

 

Sand dunes create an important buffer between sea and land; maintaining the dunes is central to counteracting coastal erosion. Not only do properly placed sand fences protect the dunes, but they can also redirect pedestrians away from beneficial dune-preserving plants such as cape beachgrass. 

Louis Page has a wonderful catalog that includes our state of the art sand fence.

Check out our sand fence blog, too.

The sea, dunes, and beachgrass at sunset

 Sand and Beach Preservation Fence

 

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Topics: snow fence, sand fence

Sand and Snow Fence - A New Design

December 22, 2011 | by Duncan Page

Brown Wooden Fence

Accumulation Downwind 

A new type of wood sand fence and snow fence has been developed and patented by James H. Kirby and the University of South Florida. It is manufactured with the same type of wood and the same type of wire used in traditional sand and snow fences. This new style increases the amount of sand or snow accumulated downwind of the fence.

The Vortex

Traditional wood snow fence and wood sand fence use rectangular 3/8" thick by 1½" wide slats. The new style uses triangular pieces of wood made by sawing a 1" x 1" x 48" in half on the diagonal. This triangular shape is better at disrupting the airflow as it passes through the fence. And it will do so regardless of wind direction by creating "asymmetrical vortexes" in the air. Air-born particles become trapped in the vortex and fall to the ground.

snowfence

Slat Shape, Updated

Traditional rectangular slats are more limited in their ability to disrupt airflow. They are usually aligned at right angles to the prevailing winds. If the wind blows parallel to the fence line, little if any sand or snow will collect. The shape of the pieces in the new wood sand and snow fence allows the fences to work well in any wind from any direction.

See a more detailed presentation of this new wood and wire sand and snow fence, including suggestions for deployment.

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Sand Fence

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Topics: snow fence, sand fence

How To Install Snow & Sand Fence - Guidelines

March 16, 2009 | by Frank Langone

sand fence on misty beach with sea in background

4 Foot Fences - Recommended Guidelines wood slat snow and sand fence

  • Fences should be as long as possible.
  • Install with a bottom gap of 6 in. under the fence.
  • Steel posts should be on 8 ft. centers.
  • End posts should be 6 ft. or less from the adjacent post and braced.
  • Wood picket snow/sand fence should be pulled taut to at least 250 lb/ft.
  • Synthetic fences should be pulled taut at tensions specified by manufacturer.
  • Plastic fences should be sandwiched between two 2" x 2" boards wired tightly to the steel post at the center and at 6" from each edge.

The Height and Bottom Gapplastic snow fence

  • Height is the most important factor in fence design.
  • It has the greatest influence on particle trapping efficiency, storage capacity, and cost.
  • Adding 6 in. to a 4-ft. fence increases its capacity by 30%.
  • Characteristics of the fencing material, such as porosity and size and shape of openings, are relatively unimportant.
  • The gap between the bottom of the fence and the ground increases the height and capacity of a snow fence.
  • The bottom gap reduces snow deposition close to the fence.
  • A gap larger than 8" may be desirable in locations where the fence may become buried.

Posts and TensioningSTUDDED T POST

  • Steel studded T or U posts can support wooden slat or plastic snow fences.
  • Posts for a 4' fence should be spaced 8' apart.
  • Posts must be designed to withstand wind loads, and allow proper tensioning of fencing materials.
  • Plastic snow/sand fences require tensions as high as 250 pounds per foot of height.
  • Posts at ends or corners should be braced longitudinally.
  • Curved fence lines are undesirable - the tensioning forces tend to pull down the fence.
  • The force that the wind exerts on a fence depends on the wind speed, density of the air, upwind topography and ground cover, and the height and porosity of the fence.

A Wooden Snow Fencewood snow fence

  • Wood snow fence has slats 1-1/2" wide, held together with double strands of twisted wires.
  • Porosity is typically about 60%.
  • Available with red oxide stain or natural unstained finish.

High Tensile Plastic Sand or Snow Fence and Tensioningplastic snow fence

  • Most plastic fences, such as Nordic Plus II by Tenax, are made from black or orange polyethylene.
  • Plastic fencing has high tensile strength, but it can be cut and is susceptible to abrasion.
  • Fence must be well secured to posts.
  • Fencing should be tensioned to the manufacturer's specification.
  • End posts must be adequately braced to allow tensioning of the fence.
Read our blog article "Snow & Sand Fences - Why They Work."

Information was taken, in part, from the Strategic Highway Research Program by The National Research Council. For more extensive and in-depth information about snow fences.

beach with sand fence

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Topics: snow fence, sand fence

Snow Fence & Sand Fence - Why They Work

March 10, 2009 | by Frank Langone

Kalinich_snowfence1-1

Sand Fence

 


 

 

 

 

 

Safety on the Roads 

A snow fence is a very desirable barrier for road and highway maintenance as blowing snow reduces visibility for drivers, blinding them and causing accidents through lack of vehicle control. Blowing snow also complicates the upkeep of roads. Unmanaged snowdrifts reduce visibility at intersections and curved roadways, increase the buildup of ice, bury signs, and reduce the effectiveness of guard rails and safety barriers.

 

Snow and Sand Fences - their effect 

snow fence

Blowing snow particles are similar to tiny grains of sand. Those particles too heavy to be suspended in the air move by bouncing or intermittently jumping along the surface of the ground. The heaviest particles roll or creep along the surface, collecting into drifts or dunes. Snow and sand fences restrain the wind, acting as windbreaks and slowing its speed. This forces more of the suspended particles to fall to the ground and the creeping particles to come to rest. Some particles are also deposited on the upwind side of the fence. This drift is normally 15% of the amount captured on the downwind side.

   sand fence

Protecting the Coast

As sand dunes are a major buffer between sea and land, maintaining the dunes is a key to preventing coastal erosion. Not only do properly placed sand fences preserve dunes, but they can also divert foot traffic away from helpful dune-preserving plants such as cape beachgrass.

Drift or Dune Growth - the stages

Stage 1 - A lens-shaped drift forms as creeping particles are caught by the fence. The wind force diminishes for a distance equal to about 15 times the height of the fence. As the blowing snow or sand falls to the ground, the drift becomes deeper until the wind no longer follows its curvature.
Stage 2 - An eddy or recirculation zone forms at the downwind end of the drift or dune. The mass of the drift itself adds increasingly significant wind resistance which may improve the efficiency of the fence. A recirculation zone at the tail of the drift traps particles that blow off the top. The drift becomes deeper but not much longer.
Stage 3 - As the drift approaches its maximum depth (for 50% porous fences, 1 to 1.2 times the height of the fence) the recirculation zone at the tail end fills in as the drift lengthens downwind. This trapping efficiency declines as the recirculation zone diminish in size.
Stage 4 - When the downwind end of drift or dune begins to assume a smooth profile, the recirculation zone begins to disappear. Subsequent growth is slow as the drift approaches its maximum length.

Wooden or Plastic Snow or Sand Fence

Beach Preservation Fencing

sand fence

Read our blog article "How To Install Snow & Sand Fence - Guidelines."

Information was taken, in part, from the Strategic Highway Research Program by The National Research Council. 

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Topics: snow fence, sand fence

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