Aztec Tents QWIK-TOP FRAME, Product Manual

www.aztectent.com

Safety & Evacuation Planning

It is the responsibility of the Owner and/or the Installer to warn the User and or Occupants of the tent system that this product is not 
intended to be used as a shelter from severe weather. Aztec assumes no liability for such use. An evacuation and communication plan 
for the area covered within this tented space is imperative and shall be thoroughly communicated to all users and potential occupants 
of the tent. Severe weather including electrical storm systems, moderate to severe wind, heavy rains, snow, or any condition that raises 
any doubt to the structural integrity of the tent are immediate signs that an evacuation is necessary. Severe bodily injury and/or death 
can occur. A best practices document published by the American Rental Association covering this topic can be downloaded at: 
http://aztectent.com/webfm_send/151

Common signs that warrant the immediate evacuation of this tent:
 

- Any movement, displacement, or failure of any of the anchoring devices or support hardware.

- Any component failure in part or whole

- Any tear or puncture in the fabric membrane

- Any forecasted moderate to severe weather condition

- Any collection or accumulation of snow or ice on the tent

- Strong winds causing movement and/shifting of the tent or tent support structure

- Strong winds causing small branches to be ripped from trees

- Any lightning or electrical storms

- Hail or frozen precipitation any larger that pea size

 - 

Any 

fi re or smoke within close proximity of the tent

- Any small of gas, exhaust, or other odor from any combustible material

In the event of forecasted sever weather, hurricane, or other such early warning, it is recommended to immediately evacuate the tent 
and time permitting take down the tent and remove from the site.

General Take Down/ Removal Guidelines

The weather should be carefully considered by the Owner and/or the Installer before lowering the tent since the hardware and 
fabric cannot transmit design wind loads or shed rainwater loads (potential ponding) when it is not fully anchored, installed, and/or 
tensioned. It is recommended that installation or removal of the fabric members be informed when the wind speed is less than 15 mph. 
The decision to raise or lower the fabric of the tent should be the responsibility of the experienced rental tent installation supervisor 
based upon conservative life safety considerations and judgement. 

Unless otherwise noted in the procedures that follow, the removal of this tent system shall follow the same procedures outlined but in 
the reverse order. 

Once unassembled, each component of the system should be inspected for any signs of visual damage by the installer. All damaged 
materials should be marked or identifi ed so that repair or replacement of these materials can occur prior to the next use of the product.

Special Care For Unsupported Clear Fabric

The clear fabric used in window style sidewalls, clear sidewalls, and clear tent tops needs to be managed differently than standard 
tent fabric. Polyester scrim is what gives standard tent fabric its strength, stability and durability. Laminated tent fabric enjoys the 
benefi t of encasing this woven layer of rip-stop polyester between the layers of colored vinyl fi lm. Clear vinyl does not enjoy those 
benefi ts. Because of this, clear vinyl has a very low tolerance to ultra violet ray exposure, wind, airborne particulate matter, hot or cold 
temperatures, elasticity due to wind and rain and handling. Any or all of these factors will cause clear fabric to under perform when 
compared to traditional tent fabric.

Special attention should be paid to the cleaning of these items. Use only the softest towels when cleaning the clear membrane to avoid 
scratching the highly polished surface, and wipe dry to avoid water spots. Use standard diluted tent cleaning solution. DO NOT USE 
OTHER CHEMICALS.

Exposure to ultra violet rays for an extended amount of time as will occur with time over the life of the product, will cause the fabric 
to appear milky or opaque. Putting away and storing damp or wet clear vinyl will result in an amber hue in the clear fi lm. Steady 
wind can whip clear vinyl back and forth and cause surface or through cracks in the fabric. Heat in excess of Eighty-fi ve degrees can 
cause clear vinyl to change shape, bubble, shrink or stretch. Although our clear vinyl has a cold crack rating of minus fi fteen degrees 
Fahrenheit, that rating is for a static environment. Any introduction of wind or manipulation by handling will cause failure (cracking like 
glass) at nominal temperatures above freezing. Airborne particulate matter will abrade the surface and cause the fi nish to become less 
translucent.

Clear tent tops are also very susceptible to water ponding as they are highly elastic. If rain is forecasted during the use of these 
products it is recommended to take additional precautions and more frequent inspections throughout the duration of the rainfall to 
inspect for potential ponding on the roof fabric. If rainwater ponding occurs at any point on the fabric, evacuate the tent, remove the 
water, and adjust the tie back rope/web prestress tension and/or fabric tensioning over the frame back to its design geometry to achieve 
positive drainage.