Thread: What do you do when rain strikes

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So I want to set up my graveyard scene but they are cheap foam tombstones (ran out of time before I could make my own) and I am scared of it raining.

For people with big set ups what do you do to prevent the rain or wind from runing your stuff?

Sacrifice a few ToTers, do a No-Rain dance, pray to whatever gods &/or godesses that will listen, any means necessary!!!



I don't do much differently. It rained here last year. I just took in a few things that wouldn't stay up & carried on.

If your tombstones are styrofoam, then rain won't hurt them....I'd be more afraid of wind then rain....People use different sealants,paints,etc for putting a protective coat on their stuff....I wanted to do "over the top" so I dedicated a building to house the expensive animatronic stuff- some people temporarily do their garage up to keep things out of the elements....ZR

Don't put out anything electrical unless you've got a clear forecast and you'll be fine as far as that goes.

Rain won't hurt styrofoam tombstones, especially if you've seal them with something like thompsons waterseal.

Wind is a different story:

Securing tombstones

how do you secure your tombstones?

&^@$!*&@ Tombstones! HELP!!

If you're using outdoor cords, then the only thing you have to worry about is weatherproofing the plugs that are exposed. I've seen using small rubbermaid containers where you cut an entry and exit hole and seal them up with duct tape with the cord plugs inside, and also a plastic baggie with the slits sealed over with duct tape.

Mostly, the delicate and really expensive stuff doesn't go out if it's raining in my case.

I usually just have a good, long cry..........

Originally Posted by DaveintheGrave

I usually just have a good, long cry..........

But not where the tears can damage the props, right?

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha....rain he says! I'm from the Pacific Northwest and everything is built with rain in mind, everything is sealed with rain in mind, rain is a fact of life here from September through May. Electrical connections are made within sealed boxes where ever they come in contact with wet conditions. I make these boxes myself by using cheap "Anchor Hocking" tupperware like containers with cord access points created and once the cords are ran and connected I seal the pass through point with some clear silicone. I also spray paint the boxes flat black and hide them behind or under props as often as is possible.

Frankie's Girl: Now wind is another story and we have to deal with that as well and even more so since I live on an island in the Puget Sound. Everything has hidden anchoring with 2 and 3-foot rebar stakes pounded into the ground. Tombstones follow either Terra's tombstone design from her tutorial for pvc installed inside of the stone to slip over the rebar or I have used POD's design which has the pvc attached to a plywood backer that is attached to the back of the stone accomplishing the same thing. Stones stand up to 50 mph winds without any problem at all! All other props are wired to rebar anchoring and we keep it as hidden as is possible.

Ok I just wasn't sure if I could spray anything on the tombstones. Didn't want to wait until the day of the party to decorate all of my outside cause it would take a while.

Thanks for the ideas

I'm from Chicago & lived quit a few yrs. in Colorado, mostly spent Halloween with snow on the ground or always rain. When I moved here to North Carolina I built my props the same........enough to withstand any weather conditions. We have a tour through our home so all the good stuff is inside. Needless to say last year we had unbelievable rains on Halloween night & my biggest worry was the 400 people that came through on my cream colored carpeting!!lol
Just kidding we clean the carpets after halloween & they never look to bad.

BUT ...now the wind was another story. Halloween night my family arrived from Chicago staying overnight because we were all going to Disneyworld the next day for a trip. People sleeping all over the house & me on the pc that night seeing what everybody here was typing about their night kept me up pretty late ...well I kept hearing these noises outside. I did not get up to look out the door cause I was so tired. Next morning we woke to find the entire cemetery moved by the wind. Maybe the dead were trying to get out of my 5ft. high cemetery fence!

I have a couple props made from wood and paneling that swell when they get wet...I just chalk it up to aging and the fact that Halloween props aren't supposed to be pretty.

My biggest concerns are my fog machines and other electronics, so I place them where they won't be affected by the weather. I expanded my haunt into my garage for that reason....plus the things you want to protect the most from the weather are probably the same things that you worry someone will take