Dustproofing a Carport

[Elderberry]

Anybody have any quick tips or tricks for dustproofing a C****o Carport? In particular, some way to easily seal the bottom to the sides.

[mudpuppy000]

Velcro tape sewn to the tarps would probably be the best way to attach a floor to the walls. The door would be a big problem keeping it sealed up/easy to get in and out. Also they get really hot without any airflow in them.

[FlyingMonkey]

I think even with full floor & walls you would still need an airlock & some way of giving positive pressure to the car port. Maybe a bouncy castle inflator in a filter box. Of course every dusty hippie coming in would need to leave their clothes in the airlock.

I think there are ways to minimize the dust in a living area but "dust proofing" would be damn near impossible, well very difficult anyway.

An airlock on the door would probably help a lot with dust blown in upon entry.

[Token]

Prerequisite for minimizing dust in any BM space is:

No Shoes.

No Boots.

No Dusty Pants / Dusty buttz.

90% of the dust is walked into the space.

So, you have to have a "mud room" (or in playa context de-dust room) type experience before getting in the main space.

Getting a positive seal with whatever the floor might be is a simple technical problem to solve. Tape, Velcro, pool-noodles, whatever.

I personally find that letting-go is way more satisfying than infringing on the immediacy of the experience, unless there is a strong reason to maintain sanitation (meal prep, med tent etc.)

[FlyingMonkey]

Getting a positive seal with whatever the floor might be is a simple technical problem to solve. Tape, Velcro, pool-noodles, whatever.

How are pool noodles used as a seal????

That's new to me.

[Token]

Getting a positive seal with whatever the floor might be is a simple technical problem to solve. Tape, Velcro, pool-noodles, whatever.

How are pool noodles used as a seal????

That's new to me.

You sink each carport leg a couple inches into the playa, seam the walls at the base, pound a shit-ton of rebar through it and the floor surface, then slide pool noodles onto the rebar so it don't cut up you shins silly Old Skoolz

Seriously though, it was a simple deflection to suggest our fab mudskipper mod give up all hope, then despair the few weeks left for prep.

Gaffers tape on like minute 3 of the sides getting installed is the likely best choice.

The CCP, fabulous as it is, not the best at staying dust-proof.

[Elderberry]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions so far.

Obviously, I know it would be almost impossible to have a totally dust free carport on the playa. More accurately described, I was wondering how to semi-seal the space at the floor perimeter. We use two carports together to make a 20x20 kitchen area so dust mitigation, based especially on last year, would be quite helpful.

I'm thinking of doing this: Under the 20'x20' tarp we always put down that black plastic sheeting like you'd use in an evap pond, but in this case, it helps protect the playa from grease and other spills that might adversely affect the playa. However, I was thinking of making the black plastic extend out 2 to 3 feet on each side, then attach those tarp clips around the edges so they can be folded up the sides and tied in place to the roof poles. (Of course, this would need to be trimmed at the entry, but that side will be pretty much protected from the wind and dust.)

I'm also thinking about purchasing a bunch of those cheap disposable painters tarps to throw over the tables and equipment between meals to make cleaning off the dust easier.

We really didn't have that much of a problem with dust until this last year, so here's to hoping it isn't as windy this year and if it does, that we have at least some plan for mitigating the dust from that area.

And thinking about those pool noodles, hmmm.... rather than the clips, maybe I could roll up the black plastic on the noodles and fit them tight up against the walls and attached with rebar??

[BBadger]

Wasn't this issue brought up by Sparr some months ago? I guess some of his inquiries are of interest to other people.

[Ratty]

Forget those disposable painters tarps. You might as well use the thin plastic from the drycleaners. I'm using a tarp that extends about a foot into the carport and just putting my coolers etc... on the ground. On top of it. If you seal off the entire area you'll be in a 'shake and bake' bag. Roasting.

I also have some fabric that fits the ends so I can roll them down and tie them to the frame if it gets windy.

[mudpuppy000]

One thing I've noticed in my carport is that the dust tends to form drifts in it. I think it would actually be less dusty if the wind blew through it freely. It is nice to have tarp floors though even if they're not attached to the wall

[Papa Bear]

I was thinking of making the black plastic extend out 2 to 3 feet on each side, then attach those tarp clips around the edges so they can be folded up the sides and tied in place to the roof poles.

I use a similar trick with my yurt (Mongolian, not hexayurt) - the floor extends beyond the wall and then is folded up like a tub floor, with the wall coming down over the outside of it (which means rain/dust doesn't hit the wall and then flow down inside).

The big difference there, though, is that the lattice wall of the yurt is there to support it against the wind. To get a similar effect you might need to tie foot-wide strips of plywood or other material around the outside perimeter, as well as some kind of "X" strapping between each set of legs to help keep the wall from pushing in in the wind.

As has been mentioned, this will get hot if unmodified and unvented. I have a campmate who lines the underside roof (and possibly sides, I forget) of his with Reflectix bubble-foil insulation to help keep it more comfortable (I believe he uses a swamp cooler as well).

[Elderberry]

Fortunately, heat hasn't been a problem. Probably because we only cook breakfast and dinner. But I have a fan I can set up if it would be necessary.

[Elderberry]

Forget those disposable painters tarps. You might as well use the thin plastic from the drycleaners. I'm using a tarp that extends about a foot into the carport and just putting my coolers etc... on the ground. On top of it. If you seal off the entire area you'll be in a 'shake and bake' bag. Roasting.

I also have some fabric that fits the ends so I can roll them down and tie them to the frame if it gets windy.

The painter's tarps will only be thrown over the equipment when we aren't using it. The stove, oven, grill, prep tables, etc. When the crew comes in, they can just remove them along with the dust and toss them in the trash and then use new ones to recover at the end of the shift.

I'm not really trying to seal up the entire carport, just plug up the places where the majority of dust seems to come in, which is pretty much the perimeter of the floor.

Frankly, the dust usually isn't a problem--except for when the wind blows like it did last year. But I'd really like to be better prepared for that consequence this year.

[Just_Joe]

Frankly, the dust usually isn't a problem--except for when the wind blows like it did last year. But I'd really like to be better prepared for that consequence this year.

When it blows like last year, you're going to get dusty..
We had vinyl on the floor, up the inside for 12-18", with coolers and gear against it, holding it up. Dust found it's way through.
The velcro seals on the sides of our carport were no match for the wind. It opened them up and we had gaps about a foot wide until the wind settled and we could put them back.
Embrace the Suck.

[Elderberry]

Embrace the Suck.

Haha. I know. This ain't my first rodeo.

[Just_Joe]

Embrace the Suck.

Haha. I know. This ain't my first rodeo.

HI there. Welcome to ePlaya.

[Elderberry]

Embrace the Suck.

Haha. I know. This ain't my first rodeo.

HI there. Welcome to ePlaya.

LOL (literally) Thanks for the laugh. I'm still smiling.

[BeeWeeDee]

Periodically, use a broom

[Elderberry]

Periodically, use a broom

Damn, good one. I would never have thought of that!