Replacing tennis screen can be an expensive undertaking.  Here are a few tips/techniques that can significantly extend the life of your tennis screen. 

• Adding corner grommets is a great way to increase tennis screen performance.  Triple Grommet Corner screens are the absolute strongest tennis screens on the market.  Most windscreen failures occur at the single corner grommet corners.   Triple Grommet Corners reduce your risk of screen loss due to corner tyrap failure by 75%!   Don’t replace screen without adding this inexpensive option.

•  12” grommet spacing on all tennis screens is a must.  12” grommet spacing makes your screen 35% stronger than 18” spacing and 50% stronger than 24” grommet spacing.  Not all grommets are created equal; make sure your grommets are solid brass.  Brass will not rust and is extremely durable for outdoor use.

• Keep your screens secure.  The number one cause of tennis screen failure is due to broken tyraps.  Broken tyraps allow the screen to flag against the fence and can result in lost grommets, unsightly tears or irreparable screen damage.  Courts that follow a regular tyrap maintenance schedule experience 20% - 50% better performance from their tennis screens.  Remember, nylon tyraps are engineered to fail under certain conditions.  High wind, High UV and freeze-thaw are all contributing factors.  If you notice broken tyraps on your court that is a good indicator that your tyraps should be replaced.  A quarterly examination of your tyraps can add years to your tennis screen.

• In addition to 12” grommet spacing and triple grommet corners, adding reinforced grommeted horizontal seams can add years to your screen life.  Grommeted horizontal seams are attached to the fence with rope which greatly reduces the billowing and wear on tennis screen.   Add one center seam to 6’ and two center seams to 9’ and higher tennis screens for enhanced durability.

• Keep it clean.  Tennis screen is typically constructed of vinyl coated polyester or polypropylene materials.   Dirt, dust and common pollutants can degrade your tennis screen.  Semi-annual washing with a mild dish soap solution that is rinsed thoroughly with non-pressurized water is a great way to keep your screen clean and preserved.

• The sun can take a serious toll on your tennis screen.   All modern outdoor fabrics contain UV inhibitors but over time the UV tolerance lessens and tennis screen can begin to lose its luster and color.  To extend the life of your screen you can apply vinyl cleaners and conditioners like Armorall products.  Vinyl cleaners and conditioners restore luster and provide limited UV protection.

• Vents or wind slits are a very cost effective way to increase the breathability of your screen.   Increased breathability reduces wind strain which reduces the number of broken tyraps resulting in longer screen life. 

• Make sure your chain link fence is in good shape before installing new screen.  Loose chain link, protruding ty-wires or broken guide lines can cause your screen to age prematurely.  Make any repairs before installing new screen.  The longest lasting screens are installed on a smooth, flat, stable fence structures. 

These are just a few easy suggestions for increasing the life expectancy of your fence screen.   There are many other things that can be done on new screens that make them more wind tolerant and weather resistant.  Please contact us to discuss your tennis screen needs.