Help with Screen Attachment to bottom EMT?

[Brettster]

Everyone,

I'm stumped by how to make a tight connection underneath for my impact screen (and the thin photo backdrop I use to protect the impact screen). Let me explain what is going on. I've built out my Sim in my shed which was the exact width for the screen, so I did not build another frame for mounting my screen, but screwed in eye-bolts down sides, hung a cable from the top and draped my screen.

After playing in it the last few months I knew I was going to have to find a way to mount the bottom of the screen, as it kept 'billowing' out on every shot, and draping down and hanging over my turf by a good 1'-2'. I mounted 1/2" EMT to the floor (10' piece) when my width is actually 11'4", so it's not completely running the width of the screen - but I do have side foam protecting my eye-bolts out there anyway, and figured I could wrap screen under the EMT once it was mounted and it would stay in place. Not what happened, instead, it started billowing out again and has to be constantly pushed back out of the way (wrapping it under the EMT every time would really be a play killer).

This is where the problem comes in, as you can see in the pics below, I'm not sure a good way to get it mounted down below (I know this normally calls for a 'sewn in' pocket, that I would just slide the EMT into and be done, but I have a big piece of unfinished Impact Screen (801) that I'm using and it's folded over the top wire, and sides where I have extra. I did this so I could move it around from time to time - to prevent the 'impact/scuff area' from always being in the same spot and get more use out of my screen. I should mention that this may not be a problem anymore, since I'm using a photo backdrop screen protector over the 3-layer (801) impact screen and it seems to take the scuffs, so I could just move that photo backdrop piece around from time to time, and the Impact Screen could always stay in the same place, I think.

Where I'm stumped is how I'm going to mount the bottom without using a 'sewn-in' pocket, that will hold the bottom of both the impact screen/photo backdrop protector down tight, or tight enough that it doesn't pull out from under the EMT piping. I have only 8" behind the screen to the back wall (as seen in pics), so it's kind of hard to work back there on some type of mounting mechanism, especially toward the middle of the 10' width screen.

I'm hoping someone out there has had this problem before, or has some way of doing this in a tight area like I'm working with, that does not involve me (sewing-in a pocket into the bottom of the Impact screen, where I will slide the EMT pipe into and then mount it to the floor as seen in the pics). I guess I would not be too opposed to the 'sewn-in' pocket if that is the only way, or absolute best way to handle it?

Your thoughts?


I hope that gives you enough to picture what is going on...

Thanks in advance for any solutions,
-Brett

[HowardL]

Brettster Hello. Well I hadn't posted this part of my setup because I figured I would be the only one facing it or crazy enough to so something about it!

I did post some pictures of my setup in another post awhile back, so won't bother with that, and stick to what I did facing a similar situation as you do. I happen to have maybe a few more inches behind my screen than you are, but you may be able to do something similar. I currently have several impact layers. Starting from closest to wall I have a harbor freight net/tarp, then black curtains, then retractable sportscreen that I do not retract, then my original cheaper impact screen, and more recently I installed in front of everything a 3-layer direct from the mill screen purchased from the person off of this site.

My setup is similar to yours in that I have my original impact screen wrapped down under an EMT that is anchored to the floor on both sides, but not in the middle. It is also under tension. My direct from mill impact screen is draped in front, attached/tensioned at sides, and is unattached at the bottom positioned to just reach the turf floor. All along I have had no bounce back issues, and adding the direct from mill screen in front only improves and quiets impact noise. BTW. the direct from mill impact screen is holding up, working great, and shows no wear!

I just went out there and took a couple pictures to show the bottom of screen setup I tried to describe above. Hope this gives you a way to a solution. It has been working great for me for over a year and a half with it this way with weekly play with one or more of my golf buddies. The trick here really was the idea of having center supports wedged against the wall angled so that they apply pressure to the EMT in the middle of impact screen screen area.

[Brettster]

Thank you HowardL - I think that would work, but have a few questions:

1.) It looks like you have 2 pieces of EMT mounted to the floor, is this correct? You use Tarp Clips - clipped around the front (rolled up) screen, is that extra rolled up from the cheaper Impact Screen and that's what holds the cheaper screen down at the bottom?

2.) Is that 1/2" EMT piping? It appears it is...

3.) How many inches exactly are you from wall to screen, you're right - it seems more than the 8" I have - but I have to make it work with 8" as that gives me more ball flight to be read (using radar - Garmin Approach R10 - which gives me about 9'-10' of ball flight to the screen - I do have options to move it - further away, or even closer to the back wall as I installed 4 studs along both side walls at the point where I screwed in the eye-bolts.

4.) I'm not really sure what those center supports are that you say are the key to this working. Can you describe a little more about how they are mounted to the wall, and how they hold the screen (tension) it in the middle?

5.) You say that the Center Supports apply pressure to the middle of the screen, from behind... I'm not sure how that was necessary. Are you saying that without those Center Supports this did not work and your cheaper impact screen (rolled up and tarp clipped) onto the bottom EMT continued to come unrolled, and billowed out?

6.) It sounds like you have quite a bit of material behind the actual impact screen. I have a few of things myself, but have not yet mounted them behind the screen for a few reasons. 1.) the black/heavy moving blanket I was feeling may leave marks on the back of the impact screen where the ball hits, unless I cover it with a white duvet cover (which I also have and may consider), also the weight of the moving blanket is a good 20lbs or so, and I didn't want to add much more weight to my tensioned hanging wire that I hang the Impact screen from, 2.) I have a pretty big memory foam mattress topper that I've considered hanging from the wall, directly behind the impact screen - you can see the ball marks/holes in the back wall in one of the pics of my original post, and the night before last, for the first time, I had a ball fly through to the wall and come back at me hitting the wall where the projector is mounted, moving pretty fast. I was quite shocked as I've never had that happen, and the screens were 'billowing out' at that time which must have had an effect on how the ball flew that far through. So, I'm wondering if I added these things later, after I try it without adding them, and just tarp clipping to a 2nd EMT mounted along the back wall (8" away from the front EMT) if that would do the trick on it's own, which I think it would, and especially so if I pulled in my 801 (3-layer) impact screen, and my photo backdrop 'sheet like' material under the front EMT and rolled it up as you have done.

7.) Finally, I have to ask about the wear on your 'direct from mill' impact screen. I assume I know who you bought this from on here. I have a similar piece (it's called 801 3-layer), bought from Paul Tagher, at One Stop Sim Shop ( https://onestopsimshop.com/ ). It's very thick, and heavy, but has a slight beige/brown color to it compared to the bright-white of the cheap Photo Backdrop. The reason I'm bringing that up is that you can see from this pic, which I did not post originally, I'm getting a lot of ball/scuff marks on the Photo Backdrop 'sheet' that hangs in front of my heavy impact screen, while the impact screen shows no wear at all - are you getting any of those type of marks with your new 'direct from mill' impact screen hanging in front now?



That's about all I can think of... from what I can tell, it's going to be that 2nd EMT mounted along the back wall, which can then 'tarp clip' the rolled up screens that are under the 1st EMT - mounted about 8" from the back wall, and those 'Center Supports' that you describe that are going to do the trick... still need more info on those center supports: what type of material are those, they look like old 'bed post material', and how are they mounted to tension the center of the screen from behind it?

Thank you again,
-Brett

[HowardL]

1) The Raw material (old mill) screen is actually larger in height by a foot or so. I have the extra for that folded over at the top of the screen. In the future if I have wear on that screen I can let it down until it also goes under the first section of 1/2" EMT. At that point I will have both impact screens going under and tensioned using the tarp clips to the second section of EMT. Currently only the cheaper impact screen goes under the EMT and is tensioned at the bottom. The Raw material impact screen is lowered to just touch the turf.

2) Yes it is 1/2" EMT. I have a wood subfloor that raises the turf above the concrete. I used smaller diameter (1/2") EMT to make sure that it will be below the turf height so that a worm burner could not hit it. The 1/2" EMT has to span my 13' screen width (without anything supporting directly to the ground of course so the screen can slide full width under EMT). Without the center supports in question (4) the EMT can flex away (and up) from the raised turf floor. I wanted the EMT to remain snug against the turf edge. That is the purpose of the center supports.

3) I am 16" from wall to EMT closest to golfer. I have a window directly behind the screen. The extra layers I have prevent any ball exit to the window, but also drop the ball to the ground at impact. I also pull the outermost black net tarp snug to the sides. This allowed me to essentially somewhat squeeze all the layers between. I currently use Mevo+ so have placed a 1/8th inch particle board wrapped in window screen to stop outside interference from a heat pump unit.

4) Discussed some above. Essentially they keep the 13' span of 1/2" EMT from flexing in the middle span since it is only possible to anchor the two ends for this approach to work. They are just plastic electrical conduit that I ground out a notch in the end pushing against the EMT. The other end I used some rubber ends from a shower curtain rod. I essentially had all this stuff extra laying around and used it. I cut the length of the center supports so they would be at an angle and stick there. The actual tension is provided by the tarp clips and bungies going to the other EMT.

5) Explained above. With this setup I have zero billowing, both before the addition of the raw material screen, and after that addition.

6) I am not sure of your setup turf height (off of the main floor) will allow a larger diameter EMT. If it does you may not need to use the center supports at all. In my case I needed them as explained above.

7) I called it "direct from mill", but noticed the thread on this site is titled "Raw Material". Not sure if that is what you have, but my screen is brights white and love it. This screen has been overlaid in front of the cheaper screen now for several months. Still no signs of those scuff marks. The cheaper screen definitely has those and actually ended up concerning me that it was going to tear here and there. Now the cheaper screen is just the tensioning layer.

[HowardL]

Correction for question 2). The EMT closest to wall is 1/2". The EMT closer to golfer is 3/4". Did this sometime ago and forgot!. Still the same principle and even at 3/4" it wants to flex. I could have used any size for the EMT at the wall, but just used what I had laying around.

[Brettster]

The trick here really was the idea of having center supports wedged against the wall angled so that they apply pressure to the EMT in the middle of impact screen screen area.

HowardL - I got this setup last weekend, what a bear working in 8" area behind the screen! The problem is I did not use those center supports and believe it is what is still causing the screen to billow out after playing only 9 holes on it?

I also see that you mention that your outer impact screen (raw screen material) does not go under the EMT. Mine does, and I wonder if that is contributing to the billowing as it cannot tension it with all that material, even with the multiple bungees? I'll take a picture to show you.

Also wondering again, what were those Center Supports made out of?
- I see now: They are just plastic electrical conduit that I ground out a notch in the end pushing against the EMT.

I will have to see if I can locate some of that at HomeDepot and rig up something similar in the center (how far apart are yours) and are you center aligned when hitting (I am not)? I would think my center supports would have to go centered where the impact area is, since I'm not center-aligned?

Thanks again for your help!
-Brett

[tntfox]

Hey Brettster, I tried the Photo Backdrop too and it was too loud when I let it hang loosely in front of my impact screen. So what I did as a next step was pound grommets into the edges of the photo backdrop and connect it to the EMT with 6" ball bungees. Adding grommets is pretty easy if you have a fabric or leather hole-punch, which I do. Even after I got the entire photo backdrop grommeted, it was still too loud. Since you are in a shed, the sound might not make as much difference but I am in a house where the sim room is between my two daughters' bedrooms so sound can be a problem. I think grommets would work for you.

The cheapest grommets I have found are at my favorite store, Harbor Freight! They are about $4 for 30 or so grommets. The first set I bought was from a fabric store and they cost over $30! Acatually, I tried tarp clips first, which I also found at Harbor Freight for a fraction of the cost of anywhere else.