My $14 tarp roof idea turned into a mosquito lake after last week's rain

So I had this brilliant plan to make a cheap shade canopy over my patio using a blue tarp and some PVC pipes I had lying around from 3 years ago. Last Tuesday it poured, and the tarp sagged right in the middle, collected like 20 gallons of rain, then dumped it all on my grill and my new Adirondack chairs. Now the whole corner smells like standing water and I've been eaten alive by mosquitos every night since. I already pulled the tarp down but the damage is done. Has anyone else tried one of those sloped tarp setups and actually got it to work, or is there a better way to angle PVC so water runs off instead of pooling? I'm about ready to just buy one of those metal carport frames, but I want to hear if someone fixed this simple without spending a fortune.

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blake6911mo ago

That "mosquito lake" bit hit home hard. I did something similar last summer with a tarp over my back porch, except I used bungee cords to tie it down and thought I was being clever. Rain hit and the whole thing turned into a slingshot, it snapped loose and slapped me in the face while I was trying to grill burgers. Ended up with a welt on my cheek and a soggy patio. I gave up on tarps after that, just let the rain do its thing now. Maybe try angling the pipes steeper than you think, like 30 degrees at least, and put a stick or something under the middle to keep it from bowing. But honestly, if you got the space, those metal frames are worth it just for not having to fight with this stuff every storm.

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