Warning:

Do not leave awnings extended when you are away from RV

Do not leave awnings extended when you are away from your RV:

There are TWO reasons not to leave awnings extend when you are away. You never know when a windstorm may come through and destroy it. Additionally, a rain storm may hit the area and fill your awning with water. When it gets full of water, and it will, the long steel tube the awning wraps around will buckle. Understand that you may get away with leaving your awnings extended for awhile but your day will come and you will not be happy when it does.

Some people think that they can position their awning so that water will drain off------- and it will in a shower. In a downpour water comes down so fast that a bulge develops in the fabric. It is a small bulge to begin with but it rapidly grows larger and larger until the metal roller collapses. You will be shocked to find out what it is going to cost to repair--------replace that awning.

Wind storms routinely destroy awnings especially in the western states. Down pours do also. In the summer of 2004 we were in Nashville, Tennessee when a thunderstorm came through the RV-Park. When the rain subsided somewhat I ventured outside to see what things looked like. It wasn't pretty. Several of us men saw an awning that looked 9-months pregnant. The thing was bursting at the seams. It looked like a pond. I don't know why the roller didn't give way but it didn't and several of us were able to push up on the water and get it to drain out the sides.

It will not take a HEAVY rain to fill stretch the center of the awning canvas and start making a pond. The more rain the more water collects in the expanding/stretching center of the tarp. When it gets heavy enough it will buckle the roller. That is what happened to another RV two spots up from the motorhome we rescued. On the RV (travel trailer) with the destroyed awning the people were home with the blinds down during the storm. The man and woman didn't give any thought to their awning during the storm. Not until the awful noise that is. All they could say was that they had never seen this before and they had positioned one side of the awning lower than the other so that water would drain off.

These folks were in the trailer when it happened.

Two days later in that same RV-park in Nashville another thunderstorm rolled through----- this time the wind was more of a factor. Several awnings in the park were destroyed or at least severely damaged. Some people just can not learn from others.

You do not need to suffer the trauma these folks did. Just remember DO NOT leave your RV with your big awning extended.

This exchange is from one of the online RV-forums: We just got back the our new unit after an overnight away, to find the roller for the awning in a very nice "V" shape pointing towards the ground. It seems the area had some rain over the evening, but according to others here at the site there was not a lot of rain....The awning is a 22' A&E unit. So, what happened???? Did I do something wrong in putting it up??? Does Fleetwood put super cheap awnings on their units??? Is the unit defective??? Has anyone else had such an experience??? Can just the roller be replaced or do I have to have a whole new unit installed. Any help, suggestions or comments would be most appreciated. On our previous unit we have been through some very heavy rains without problem.

Some people have to learn the hard way-----------------don't be one of them.

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