Hi Cheryl,
I've just grabbed a moment to look on Purrs and have spent the last half hour trying to navigate my way round.....doh! Everything's changed!
Right...re the brackets snapping...Yes, I think if you remember (I know it was a long while ago) I always warn people to be sure to brush that pesky white stuff off the netting as soon as ya see it. It is on the letter I send out with the kit. Having said that however, you cannot always be there when the snow falls so it can be difficult to catch it before the damage has been done but the no 1 priority, if possible, is to bash it off immediately.
The brackets are manufactured from aluminium which means they will not rot or corrode like steel would but they are not as strong as steel. In many ways this is better for the following reason. (btw aluminium is more expensive than steel). When it snows usually the snow will slip through the netting and not settle on it. But some snow will settle and this will just build up and up until it reaches the equivalent in weight of having a tonne or two of water lying on the netting which it simply cannot take...and ultimately, if not removed, it will cause a bracket(s) to fracture on the bend. The reason why we believe this can be preferable in such instances is because if the bracket remained intact (as it might with steel), the weight of the snow lying on the overhang could result in bringing the whole fence down i.e. collapsing under the extraordinary weight, rather than just a few brackets. We took all these factors into consideration while developing the system.
I can however, send you some more brackets hun and will tell you how best to get your system up and running again asap.
I hope this helps and I am so sorry to hear that you have had this happen. We don't usually have many brackets snap but these are exceptional conditions and the system has to be fine for several reasons. I think you will find that Purrfect Fence have a disclaimer against snow damage because it is just one of those problems that it is impossible to get around.
I'll wait to hear from ya hun.
Best wishes,
Roz
