Carports, safety first!

Imagine yourself after a storm! It’s 7am on Monday morning, you open the door and, to your surprise, your carport has collapsed under the weight of the snow! You have a lqdot of shovelling to do just to find your vehicle! You have so much to chandeliers to shovelling your buried vehicle. You’re practically in an igloo! To avoid this problem, make sure your temporary car shelter follows the new BNQ standards!

In January 2015, the Bureau de normalization du Québec (BNQ) set new standards to better address the design and manufacture of temporary car shelters. Specific to the Quebec climate, these standards aim to prevent such collapses in the event of heavy snowfall/winds but deinking shelter in strong winds.

Thus, the temporary car shelter must, at the minimum, withstand a snow load of 40 pounds per square foot and the fabric must have reasonable durability. Although the new standards are not mandatory, last winter, many companies said they would comply.

So be sure to buy products approved by the BNQ or with the capacity of 40 pounds per square foot. In addition, we recommend shelters whose manufacturers provide sufficient information about assembly, installation, use, snow removal, and periodic maintenance. This type of information is also contained in the new BNQ standards.

As of 2016, manufacturers will also need to obtain official certification by the BNQ, and inspectors will be verifying that shelters comply. This gives you the assurance of buying a safe shelter.