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WIND LOAD CALCULATION FOR CHANNEL LETTERS
- Thread starter PASM
- Start date
CanuckSigns
Active Member
same as the building they are being mounted to I would think...
Zendavor Signs
Mmmmm....signs
Don't you need an engineer drawing to determine this? Sullaway or YJ should be able to figure it out.
Texas_Signmaker
Very Active Signmaker
I agree, I've used YJ and they are good price and pretty fast turnaround.
Z SIGNS
New Member
If it's a permit your want to get.
Give them an engineers drawing that shows the fastening, snow loads, wind loads, dimensions, renderings etc.
You probably also need a contractors license and electrical seal. None of this is hard.
PIA in the beginning but gets easier the more you do.
It's a price and learning experience that you got to go through if you want to run with the bigger dogs.
Give them an engineers drawing that shows the fastening, snow loads, wind loads, dimensions, renderings etc.
You probably also need a contractors license and electrical seal. None of this is hard.
PIA in the beginning but gets easier the more you do.
It's a price and learning experience that you got to go through if you want to run with the bigger dogs.
Notarealsignguy
Arial - it's almost helvetica
Put it up on a Saturday?
MikePatterson
Head bathroom cleaner.
I surely hope your joking.
That is a really sore spot for us that invest in equipment, insurance, location, the 8 years it takes to get licensed in TX, MET or UL cert, etc. Don't get me wrong 30 years ago that was me but about 20 years ago I changed my way of thinking. Best decision I ever made. I don't have to sneak around and hope I don't get caught or work on weekends. Plus we can charge a premium for our services.
I see it all the time. I was in a crawl space the other day in a strip mall and had to crawl past about 10 electrical signs. 3 were wired to code. 5 were jumping power off of can light fixtures, 2 were wired to the right j-box but used speaker wire with no shielding (i shit you not). So having a licensed contractor doesn't always mean great work but it usually means safe work is performed.
I use YJ too for engineering.
Notarealsignguy
Arial - it's almost helvetica
It was a joke
Texas_Signmaker
Very Active Signmaker
Shielding is a waste of $$ anyway.. just use gloves while you install and make sure the wires hang in the air.
If you have never been asked for sealed plans in Philly you either brand new to this or the luckiest person alive. I've been getting permits for signs in Philly for ~45 years (damn I'm showing how old and decrepit I really am) and we always get the plans sealed. No, it's not "required" but I will bet that if you supply the calculations they will come back asking for a design professional to seal them. We decided long ago to just get everything sealed because it saves time. If they come back with a request for more info, it starts the approval period "clock" over again. And TBH, the new batch of examiners in Philly are very bad. They got all of the older, more expensive (and knowledgeable) employees to retire early and hired in new ones who don't know what they are doing. Yes, really. Don't get me started about Philly examiners/inspectors or I'll rant all day. Yes us old folks like to hear ourselves speak (or type).
I did look at those calculations for Gemini letters and some things are strange. it calls out aluminum screws (did they mean studs?) and a wind load of 144 MPH. Philly uses 115 MPH (maybe 110?), though we use 125 to be safe. I do my own calculations (for pole signs at least) when bidding jobs but still have to get someone with letters behind their name to approve my designs. I'm pretty sure those are for Gemini formed letters and not channel letters.
And Gino, I've never had a towns engineer tell me what is needed, at least in the past 20 years or so. They won't dare stick their neck out and assume the liability. That's why we pay outside engineers. Now zoning officers (who shouldn't have anything do to with the mounting details) are another story. They KNOW it all and will certainly tell you that.
Gino
Premium Subscriber
We did one a little over a year ago, where we submitted all the plans for permits. They changed things on us several times..... all costing our customer a considerable amount more money over time. We were finally given the go ahead once we submitted our stamped engineer drawings. Oops, "Change". They came back and told us the sign hadda be moved back about 30" to meet the 26' set back. Wha....?? We already addressed that. Here, a year down the road they were gonna change the straight corners to rounded corners, which will take the set back further than what was staked out. Guess what..... Guess who decided this one ?? The municipal engineer. In his letter to the customer stating he was in violation of some laws, not yet on the books for another year, he will be in another year. He told us different calculation for our pad now that it was gonna be moved. New specs for the pad and this was only a frickin' 3' x 8' 2-sided cabinet about 40" outta the ground. They came in and did a wind check and told us it had to withstand 145 mph wind loads. Right. We don't get hurricanes around here. Hails storm, heavy rains and winds maybe up to 85, even sometimes like you said 115, but never 145. Till it was all over, the permits and all the stupid crap cost the customer more than the sign and it's installation. That's just plain wrong.
Not to be rude, but another township engineer stuck his head in on a job about 12 years ago, about 10 miles up the road. I was younger and had bigger b@lls and got right in his face and he completely backed down. That went swimmingly. Yep, they're around.
Not to be rude, but another township engineer stuck his head in on a job about 12 years ago, about 10 miles up the road. I was younger and had bigger b@lls and got right in his face and he completely backed down. That went swimmingly. Yep, they're around.
I have one (monument sign) coming up in King of Prussia...... what do ya know about those d!ckwads ?? Their marketing department is making up the layouts as we speak. We're basing it off of all the others in the area. Then, we'll submit. Should I go in first ??