Parachute

 

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Some clever people picked up on using old parachutes to cover their domes. They are inexpensive (often less than $100), sometimes very colorful and lightweight.

As some have discovered, covering your geodesic dome with a parachute is not the best thing to do.

Parachutes are made to catch wind. This means you need to have more attachment points, and even after doing so, your dome needs to be is solidly anchored to the ground otherwise  you’ll end up seeing your EMT structure starting to lift, even topple in heavy wind conditions.

People say parachutes are not that different than tarps or other coverings; this is not the case: a parachute has a round shape but it may also have a shape that is not a simple circle (see below).

When you purchase a parachute, the stated diameter may differ from the actual diameter to make it fit. And it may not be a full half-sphere, meaning it may not go fully down to the base of the geodesic dome.

Another consideration is their weak weatherproofing. When it rains pockets of water may form at many locations if your fabric is not fully stretched all around.

And if the chute is not tied down at multiple positions your dome cover will flap causing a considerable amount of noise.

A parachute is translucent and traps air. Its shading properties are weak and combined with a lack of air circulation your geodesic dome becomes a hot stuffy space.

 

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