In on the weekend, friends are coming over to but the deck is super sunny, it felt like 100 degrees outside, no clouds, and the sun piercing you. Only a light breeze blowing by and you wondered what to do to save the day. 

You remembered your trusty patio umbrella. It is the first time you are going to open it after the long offseason. You know it is nothing too tricky but you do not want to do anything wrong so you decided to search on google ‘how to open a patio umbrella’.

Open your umbrella in easy steps.

Step 1. Gather the parts

If you dismantle the different parts of the patio umbrella and store them in the most convenient part of your garage. It is now time to put them all together. 

Step 2. Set up the base

If your umbrella comes with a base you need to set it up as per manufacturers guidelines. If it needs water, fill the base with water, if it is sand, fill it with sand. 

Step 3. Insert the staff in the base

Now that the base the prepared, insert the staff in the base for support. At this point, the umbrella is still closed. It is more manageable that way. 

Step 4. Now it is time to open the umbrella

Umbrellas without a crank: Gently pull the ribs of the umbrella canopy outward away from the pole if your umbrella is one that does not have a crank.

Push the umbrella rim up the umbrella pole slowly so the ribs begin to extend outward and the umbrella’s fabric becomes taut. 

Continue pushing the umbrella rim upward until it is in a locked position. 

Umbrellas with a crank: if the umbrella has a crank use it, you will only damage the umbrella if you don’t. 

Again, Avoid pushing the umbrella rim upward if your umbrella has a crank. Instead, turn crank clockwise to begin opening your umbrella. If you turn it anti-clockwise it will still open but will not lock. 

Continue turning the crank until your umbrella is fully deployed. With some brands, if you continue turning you will activate the tilt feature. With others, there is a tilt button to get your tilt going. 

Step 5 Tilt the head of the umbrella to block more sun

Some patio umbrella comes with the tilt feature. On some models, you turn the crank after it is fully extended and it will start to tilt. 

Afterwards, you can turn the staff until the tilt is in the direction that you want. With other models, there is a button at the top that you press to start the till process. 

How to open an umbrella without crank? Video

There you have it, how to open a patio umbrella in a nutshell

I do hope that you found this article useful. Why not visit the page on patio umbrellas or the page on how to clean a patio umbrella to get rid of dust, dirt and grime. purchase one if yours is now old and tired.