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Commissioning a new weathervane
Personalizing your weathervane
About West Coast Weather Vanes
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Basic Drilled Weathervane Installation for Medium, Large, Extra-Large Vanes (for small size vanes click here ) Cross-Section view of Roof
Click on thumbnail to view details
This
is the principal mounting method for most larger sized vane applications. Weather vanes are
traditionally located at the peak of the roof in a prominent location.
Most roofs have a ridgepole as a structural support into which the spire
can be mounted.
Tools and supplies recommended for installing your weather vane:
1.
Using your level, drill the appropriate sized hole 7-8” into the
ridgepole (the hole size will be determined by the largest diameter of the
spire). The ridgepole needs to be at least a 2x10 (1 1/2” x 9
1/2”). For additional support, more wood can be added to either side of
the ridgepole in the attic before proceeding. (If drilling through tile to
reach ridgepole, use masonry bit that is one size larger than the rod
diameter to go through tile. Then switch to the rod sized bit to go into
wood.)
2.
Insert spire (thickest diameter if tapered) and make sure it reaches the
bottom of the hole. Then check to make sure it is vertical. If it is not,
use a nail, wooden shim, etc. to position it correctly. The spire must be
vertical in order for your new weather vane to spin freely. NEVER
TUG OR PULL ON SPIRE. 3. Caulk around positioned spire to seal the hole. If you'd like, you can optionally apply some wet patch too. 4.
Assemble ring, globes and directionals on spire. See the accompanying
diagram for suggested proportions. Use your compass to orient the brass
directional letter N to
true north. 5.
Coat the section of the spire that will be covered by the vane sculpture
piece with grease. 6.
Insert ONE steel ball into the mounting tube at the base of the
weather vane ornament. (The remaining steel balls are spares in case you
drop the first one during the installation.) Then slide the vane on top of spire. If you have a
3/8” spindle on the top 10” of your rod, check to see that the vane
clears the flared section of the spire. If not, add a second ball bearing
and check again.
Weathervane installation The photo above was sent to us by a customer and I've included it here to show an interesting solution to a fairly common problem. His ridge pole was a 2x4 and he was unable to drill down the recommended 6 to 8 inches. He cut away a 2" section of his 2x4 and installed a 4x4 vertically in it's place. He then drilled down into the 4x4 to get a strong connection for his spire. Basic Drilled Installation for Small Weathervanes Cross-Section view of Roof
Click on thumbnail to view details The small sized vane comes with two copper globes, 8" brass directionals, an ~8" tall brass spire and a free standing brass base that is 5-1/4" in diameter. It is designed to sit on a flat surface such as a table, bookshelf, deck railing, etc. If you plan to use it outside, we can drill two holes in the base so you can simply screw it into the flat surface. If you plan to use it on a peaked structure such as a potting shed, gazebo, arched trellis, etc. we can provide you with a longer brass spire (up to 14" tall), if that is more applicable to your situation. Below is a description on how to mount a small vane on a peaked surface.Weather vanes are traditionally located at the peak of the roof in a prominent location. Most roofs have a ridgepole as a structural support into which the spire can be mounted. Tools and supplies recommended for installing your weather vane:
1. Using your level, drill a 3/8" sized hole 3-4” into the ridgepole. (If drilling through tile to reach ridgepole, use masonry bit that is one size larger than the rod diameter to go through the tile. Then switch to the rod sized bit to go into wood.)
2. Insert brass spire (drilled out end facing up) and make sure it reaches the bottom of the hole. Then check to make sure it is vertical. If it is not, use a nail, wooden shim, etc. to position it correctly. The spire must be vertical in order for your new weather vane to spin freely.
3. Caulk around positioned spire to seal the hole. If you'd like, you can optionally apply some wet patch too.
4. Assemble ring, globes and directionals on spire. See the accompanying diagram for suggested proportions. Use your compass to orient the brass directional letter N to true north.
5. Put a dab of grease into the drilled out section of the brass spire.
6. Drop ONE steel ball into the mounting tube. Then slide the vane in and make sure it turns freely. If necessary, you can add a second steel ball. |
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