Parasol Bases

Sizing a base to the parasol

Two things set the weight you need: the area of the canopy and whether anything else is holding the pole. A centre-pole parasol passed through a dining table is steadied by the table, so the base only has to hold the foot and can be lighter. The same parasol standing on its own needs considerably more. A cantilever needs the most of all, because the canopy is off to one side and wind levers against the base rather than pushing it. Where a parasol quotes a minimum base weight, treat it as a minimum rather than a target.

Pole diameter and fit

The other measurement that matters is the mast. Parasol poles vary, most bases take a range and include adaptor rings, but a pole that is too slim for its base will rattle and lean and one that is too thick simply will not go in. Check the diameter before ordering, and keep the adaptors somewhere you will find them again. Two-part poles need the joint above the base rather than inside it.

Types of base

Solid bases in concrete, granite or cast metal are heavy from the start and want positioning once. Fillable bases take sand or water, which makes them light to carry and heavy in use, and sand is the denser of the two. Cross bases fold flat and take paving slabs or plate weights, which is how most large cantilevers are ballasted, and they spread the load over a wider footprint. Pole diameter matters too: most bases include adaptors, but check the fit against your mast.

Placement and surfaces

A base needs a firm, level surface. On grass or gravel it will settle unevenly and the parasol will lean, so use a slab underneath. On decking, spread the load and check what is beneath before assuming it will take a hundred kilos in one spot. Wheeled bases are worth having where the parasol moves between a table and a seating area, and worth avoiding where children will find the wheels.

Bases for cantilever parasols

These are a different problem and usually a different product. Because the canopy is held out to one side, wind tries to lever the parasol over rather than push it along, so the ballast has to resist a turning force. That is why cantilever bases are cross-shaped and wide, spreading weight over a bigger footprint, and why they are loaded with paving slabs or plate weights rather than sand. Follow the weight the parasol specifies rather than the weight that feels sufficient, and take the slabs off if you need to move it, since a loaded cross base is heavy enough to hurt someone.

Care

Empty a water-filled base before the first frost, as freezing water splits the housing. Rinse salt or fertiliser off metal bases and keep the coating intact, since a chip is where rust starts. Store fillable bases empty and dry.

Check the tightening screw or collar that clamps the mast, since that is the part that works loose and lets a parasol lean. Where a base has wheels and a locking pedal, keep grit out of both. A base that lives outdoors all year will last for many seasons if its coating stays intact, which mostly means not dragging it across paving.