What does your Woody look like??? 2.0

For those of us with outdoor builds, who has a clever solution to weatherproof the back? Right now I have a tarp stretched over it, but there are two drawbacks. First, after only 6 months it's beginning to deteriorate and I don't like the idea of buying 2 big tarps per year. Second, because the wall sits at 40 degrees normally, rain hits the top plate, runs down it and onto the wall surface, and then gets behind the holds where I think it could lead to rot. Winter is coming to California one of these days and it's time to come up with a better answer. 

A Clever Solution would a) weatherproof the wall, b) be easily removable or moveable to allow access to the t-nuts for when they inevitably self-destruct, c) would allow pass-through for the chains and cables that support my wall and d) be cheap and easy to build. 

I have a few ideas and will follow up when i get closer to building.

Nkane 1wrote:

For those of us with outdoor builds, who has a clever solution to weatherproof the back? Right now I have a tarp stretched over it, but there are two drawbacks. First, after only 6 months it's beginning to deteriorate and I don't like the idea of buying 2 big tarps per year. Second, because the wall sits at 40 degrees normally, rain hits the top plate, runs down it and onto the wall surface, and then gets behind the holds where I think it could lead to rot. Winter is coming to California one of these days and it's time to come up with a better answer. 

A Clever Solution would a) weatherproof the wall, b) be easily removable or moveable to allow access to the t-nuts for when they inevitably self-destruct, c) would allow pass-through for the chains and cables that support my wall and d) be cheap and easy to build. 

I have a few ideas and will follow up when i get closer to building.

Why not put a little metal roof on it with something like this?Metal

Nkane 1wrote:

For those of us with outdoor builds, who has a clever solution to weatherproof the back? Right now I have a tarp stretched over it, but there are two drawbacks. First, after only 6 months it's beginning to deteriorate and I don't like the idea of buying 2 big tarps per year. Second, because the wall sits at 40 degrees normally, rain hits the top plate, runs down it and onto the wall surface, and then gets behind the holds where I think it could lead to rot. Winter is coming to California one of these days and it's time to come up with a better answer. 

A Clever Solution would a) weatherproof the wall, b) be easily removable or moveable to allow access to the t-nuts for when they inevitably self-destruct, c) would allow pass-through for the chains and cables that support my wall and d) be cheap and easy to build. 

I have a few ideas and will follow up when i get closer to building.

Have these on the back of my moonboard. They work great and they are pretty cheap. 
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Tuftex-SeaCoaster-2-17-ft-x-12-ft-Corrugated-Pvc-Plastic-Roof-Panel/3010593

I put 3 coats of spar urethane on the back.  You absolutely need to seal the edges with spar urethane or epoxy resin. If water gets in there, the layers will start to separate. 

Nkane 1wrote:

For those of us with outdoor builds, who has a clever solution to weatherproof the back? Right now I have a tarp stretched over it, but there are two drawbacks. First, after only 6 months it's beginning to deteriorate and I don't like the idea of buying 2 big tarps per year. Second, because the wall sits at 40 degrees normally, rain hits the top plate, runs down it and onto the wall surface, and then gets behind the holds where I think it could lead to rot. Winter is coming to California one of these days and it's time to come up with a better answer. 

A Clever Solution would a) weatherproof the wall, b) be easily removable or moveable to allow access to the t-nuts for when they inevitably self-destruct, c) would allow pass-through for the chains and cables that support my wall and d) be cheap and easy to build. 

I have a few ideas and will follow up when i get closer to building.

I would use something like Rhino shield or another coating that is Semi-elastic. The metal backing will be hard to fabricate around the edges which will allow water to get between the panel. Sherwin William's also has a product called Deck and Dock that will perform well but will need to be reapplied every few years. I would check out the rhino liner or sheild products myself. Being out in CA sun will cause wood to expand and contract more rapidly, hence the reason for something with elastic properties. 

I really wish I had spent the time to waterproof the back of my wall. I knew I would be moving by the end of the year so it would only be uncovered for 4-5 months before moving to a garage. I disassembled the wall today and several of the vertical supports and parts of my plywood panels need to be replaced due to rot at the joints and back side of the wall. Its surprising because the wall still felt 100% solid and didn’t flex at all while climbing even last week. 

I have my tarp pulled over the top end of my outdoor wall so that when rain hits, even at an angle it won’t really get in. That said, a tarp isn’t super long term and I’m planning on some sort of panel system like Phil recommended above.

In my opinion, if you know you’re getting rain, take time to either get weatherproof material, or seal the heck out of it. Or do both! I have treated lumber and marine grade ply, so I’m really hoping it all holds up well over the winter with just the tarp.

If the back of you wall isn’t sealed, at a minimum I’d put some sealer on, and caulk the edges where it meets your frame. Spray some WD-40 or anti rust coating on all your T-nuts. That should get you through!

divnamitewrote:

How deep are you post? Or you just bury a few deck Blocks?

It’s entirely free standing, nothing is buried. I asked for it to be designed that way when working with the engineer.

The only drawback of having it done that way is that if we get high winds, I need to anchor it. He said it could become like a sail in a high wind event. I have plans to rotate the angle and tether in that scenario.

Indoor Climberwrote:

It’s entirely free standing, nothing is buried. I asked for it to be designed that way when working with the engineer.

The only drawback of having it done that way is that if we get high winds, I need to anchor it. He said it could become like a sail in a high wind event. I have plans to rotate the angle and tether in that scenario.

Got ya. I was just thinking that! I saw your concrete block, and tho, gosh I hope you anchor it down when weather comes.

So here's my attempt at a Clever Solution. 

I added a flashing gutter at the bottom of the back of the wall, in which sit four panels of corrugated plastic roofing. The panels aren't attached to the wall in any way: they can slide back and forth to access t-nuts and are held in place by ratchet straps.

On top of the wall, I added a gutter made of rain diverter flashing and then another layer of L-shaped flashing that protects the top edge of the panels. 

The crux of whole project was figuring out what to do with the cable that raises and lowers the wall to adjust the angle: it needs to move freely. My solution is what I'm calling the "flashing hat." I used some scrap 2x6 to build a spacer for the cable attachment, which goes over the flashing attached to the top plate of the wall. I then used more L flashing to protect the whole assembly. 

Now we just need a little rain here in CA to see if this contraption works.

ETA: Shouts to my father in law for the sliding panels idea.

Is your Father in Law Hank Hill?

The only problem with that setup is the entire front is exposed to the rain and you can’t use it if it’s raining. You could buy a simple pole tent to put up for the rainy months maybe 

Karl Walterswrote:

The only problem with that setup is the entire front is exposed to the rain and you can’t use it if it’s raining. You could buy a simple pole tent to put up for the rainy months maybe 

True. Another option, at greater expense, complication, and visual impact to myself and the neighbors, would have been to build a roof over the whole thing. If I go that route, I'll reuse the plastic panels. 

But I'm going to try this and see if it works. Last year, leaving the board at 40* during rainstorms, the climbing surface only got wet from water dripping down from the sides and the top. This should solve that problem in all but the windiest storms (I can arrange the panels so they overhang a few inches on the sides.)

Even in our core rainy season of December to March, in the Bay we only average something like 8-10 days of rain per month. link link Our usual weather pattern is a day or two of hard rain followed by sunshine; dreary weeks happen but are rare and usually don't last. So I'm not worried about being able to climb in the rain-I'll just look at the forecast and structure my workouts for dry days.

I live in Oakland and my board is on a roof so it gets a fair bit of weather. To be honest I have never once had to replace a tnut so i sealed the gaps on the back of the wall. Your wall has shade, but I also insulated the back so the holds don't heat up (bolts transfer heat) and the wood doesn't expand or contract as much. I don't want to have to dodge forecasts to climb on my home wall so a roof has been awesome. Also, it helps me attach shade cloth so that it tends to be cooler and less moisture accumulates on holds.

If anyone is looking for holds for their woody, Escape Climbing is running various sales for the month of November.  They have some really good pricing on hold packs, volumes and hardware.  SIgn up for the email list, too, as they will send out the weekly deals.

Here's the link for anyone who wants it

https://escapeclimbing.com/collections/black-november

I've bought sets from both weeks of Escape's sales. My wife is gonna kill me. Lol

I'm having issues with the holds pulling off paint around the bolt hole. Sometimes it takes a hammer to get them off, and it will also pull a thin layer of the plywood off with it! Any suggestions on how to prevent this?

let the paint cure longer

Doug Lintzwrote:

I've bought sets from both weeks of Escape's sales. My wife is gonna kill me. Lol

What was week 1's sale? My basement woody is brand new, so I only started looking for holds this week.