Awnings + Water = Disaster - Montana Owners Club

Okie Guy · 05-28-2007, 04:59 PM

We have just returned from 5 rainy days and nights in southern Oklahoma and a total of 6" of rain. Campgrounds were closing, picnic tables were under water and wfrankly there are only so many movies to watch and domino's one person can stand. I was bored out of my mind.

I have the super long awning on my trailer(25 feet?). I had the awning tilted so the water could run off but the center. Thinking I had taken all of the proper precautions I went to bed.

Saturday morning I woke up to find the huge aluminum tube had cracked in the center and my awning was sagging down so far we couldn't open the door. Thank goodness for camping buddies. Our friends from Texas came over and pushed the awning up so we could get out the door.

I was in a panic. I called the my local sales guy who went above and beyond my expectations on the Saturday of a Holiday Weekend. He talked me through every step of what I could possibly have to do to get my rig back to the dealer safely. Fortunately I was able to get the aluminum center rod back up enough so the awning would roll up and not tear the material. I am greatful we didn't have to remove the awning at the lake.

Has anyone else with these "Mega Awnings" had problems with the tube bending in the center. I know when you make something that long gravity is going to take effect at some point, but my trailer is only two years old.

Happy Dry Camping!lol
Phil

P.S. I will post pictures when I get to teh dealer and we get teh awning opened back up.

fulltimedreamer · 05-28-2007, 05:42 PM

Okie,
I lost an awning to a rainstorm, too. Mine was replaced by my insurance company. We were campground hosting at the time and a mobile RV tech did the work. He suggested a center support be added. My insurance comapany paid for the added center support as well as a new awning. The additional support makes a big difference and hopefully will prevent another awning disaster.

hookman · 05-28-2007, 05:45 PM

If you have replacement insurance they will cover the repairs less the deductible. When my tube bent the fabric was stretched to badly to use again so they replaced that too. When I got out of the trailer and let the support arm go the trailer shook so bad you thought there was an earthquake and it looked like Niagara Falls. I sure got wet, you just can't avoid that much water at one time.

Fordzilla · 05-28-2007, 08:54 PM

Had something similar happen to our last trailer which had a center door like yours. We ended up replacing the entire awning tube and fabric as well as add the center support. It helped keep tension on the tube when it rained and also had a little cup to hold it up when it was stored against the trailer. We always had a heck of a time getting one side high enough and the the other low, while still being able to open the door without rubbing the door on the awning. So when we looked at new trailers we looked at ones where the door was near the end of the awning so we didn't go thru that again.

Cat320 · 05-29-2007, 04:38 AM

Sorry about your awning...I don't care what the weather guesser says, I always take ours down at night.

bncinwv · 05-29-2007, 05:50 AM

I can understand water accumulation on an extremely long awning if the pitch was not great, but with our 3400 I cannot comprehend ever having water pooled on it. The awning at the sidewall is around 12 feet off the ground, I set the lower end within reach (8' by the door and 6-7' by the front of the camper). I use tie down straps and de-flappers for wind control, but the awning as set pitches more than my roof at home. Surely I am not alone in this, but I could not imagine fighting the awning day and night since we have globe lights, fake bird house, clanging bamboo mobile, and are contemplating hanging a spare kitchen sink from it!!!!! Okay, exagerating about the sink, but you get the idea.
Bingo

bsmeaton · 05-29-2007, 06:17 AM

Okie Guy,

Sorry to hear that happen to you. I think Sue (Parrothead) posted some pics a while back of a collapsed awning due to rain.

We had a 23' awning on our TT. I left it out in the rain with a pitch to one side. It didn't break, but it stretched out the center of the fabric so bad I had to replace it. It looked like a rolled up parachute when I put it away.

You might consider some of the center support brackets for that wide awning as well. Those long tubes really take a beating going down the road as well and ours started to sag. A&E makes a center shoe the helps support the tube when rolled up, and has an additional horizontal and vertical support arm.

richfaa · 05-29-2007, 08:40 AM

That happened to us on a previous TT with a long awning,,That center tube is hollow and I guess the pitch was not great enough. Now if rain is in the forcast the awning goes up. Insurance company replaced it.

Okie Guy · 05-29-2007, 02:02 PM

Update...

I dropped Miss Monty off today at the dealership(I love Leisuretime Rv in OKC) and they are going to work my rig in as soon as they can. The service tech told me unless something major has happened they should be able to repair my awning. I pointed out the bolt which was coming out at the top of the rig and he said this was normal for an awning this size. I will not know 100% for sure on total replacement until they get the awning opened and the tube off. I must say each time I go to this dealer they reinforce the fact good customer service still exists. I appreciate them working my unit in and he asked me to be patient because it usually takes a couple weeks to get them repaired since they have to ship the tubes on a freight truck. I am opting to pay out of pocket to avoid an insurance rate increase.

Phil

hookman · 05-29-2007, 04:40 PM

The replacement insurance never went up it was charged by the foot. I replaced the awning, the roof fabric and repaired a couple of things inside over the years and always waiting for an increase that still hasn't come

Ozzie · 05-29-2007, 05:16 PM

Don't forget to add that center spreader bar...it has saved us many times in a hard rain. I like to sit out and watch sometimes and no worries as long as the wind doesn't kick up.

happy campers · 05-29-2007, 05:18 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Cat320

Sorry about your awning...I don't care what the weather guesser says, I always take ours down at night.

Now that's some good advice!

hazmic · 05-30-2007, 02:21 PM

As I have said before on this form and others agree, NEVER GO TO BED OR LEAVE THE CAMP GROUND WITH THE AWING OUT. It works for me.

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