Electric Awning - Tie Down Straps or Not?

[jetenbu]

I contacted the manufacturer and was told it was fine to tie the automatic model I have down. I have done so ever since with zero problems even with windy gusts. Tie down if you like, I do.

[Exnavydiver]

Our awning is a Carefree of Colorado and has those two big knuckle looking units, one on each end. One holds the motor and the other is a weight. The first season we used it we took it to Key West. while walking the CG one evening I noticed a lady with a large Class A with the same awning. She had taken two swim noodles and run rope through them. Then she placed a noodle over the knuckle on either end and run the rope down to a bungee strap hooked to a 5 gallon bucket. there was slack in the bungee and each bucket was half full of water. The idea being that rather than having the awning get caught by the wind and slapping it against the rig she added enough weight to the hold down system go dampen the oscillations of the awning during light to moderate winds. I tried it with ours and it worked great. We had 40+ mph winds and the awning bounced a bit but never slapped the rig. I was looking out the bathroom window one afternoon when I saw the buckets come off the ground, at which point I went out and just yanked the noodles over the edge of the knuckles and Betsy hit the retract button. This system has worked so well that we still use it today...

[pineranch]

When we install the sun screen and lights we always tie ours down. I use mooring ropes and loop one end over the awning ends and tie it down to rebar stakes. Saw one in Montana a couple of years ago sitting on top of the RV. Folks need to bring it in or tie it down when away.
Mike

[CamillaMichael]

We use tie downs while at our summer seasonal site...first year we did not...seemed like every time a bird would fly by it would kick up enough wind to have the awning shaking and rattling! If we see a weather report of more than 30-35mph winds, we will run the awning in; otherwise, it stays out, tied down.

[HOOK]

My favorite thing about the power awning is that when it is noisy at night, all I have to do is push a switch and go back to sleep.

[jetenbu]

I contacted the awning manufacturer via email and was told it is fine to tie down my Dometic electric awning that it would not hurt it in any way. I have tied it down ever since with no problems whatsoever. I hope this helps with your decision.

[Steve and Susie]

I always tie down my manual awning, and have found one of the handiest little thingies to keep around is the springs from a trampoline. They are strong enough to keep tension on the awning and keep it from rattling during wind. If the wind is supposed to be severe I bring the awning in, but most times the springs keep just enough tension to keep it quiet and secure. I also use the tension clips on each end or the vinyl itself. Happy Trails, Steve

[Countryfolks]

Several years ago, here in south Tex, we had a bad gust of wind that had 5 of us trying to get a small awning stored while trying to hold it down and undo the tiedowns. The high wind lasted about 20-30 min. Several awnings in the area were destroyed with damage to the RV's. Be aware of the possibility of strong wind gusts in the your area. This also happened to my FIL in Arizona many years ago.

We hardly ever use the awning and when we do it comes in when we're done,including nights and when we leave to go anywhere. Why leave it out when it's so easy to use? A manual is a different story, we almost never used it.