Awning Threads Leak

[DwightB]

Hello,

I have a Dometic 21’ awning with the metal travel cover and I have two problems.

First, the awning drips through the seams when it rains. Water drips through the seams onto the chairs, table and stairs.

Second, enough water pools under the travel cover that I can see the awning bulging In the middle. It seems to pool there even when one end of the awning is lowered. I get quite a bath when I do a ‘middle’ dump to release it.

I read that Dometic recommends using paraffin wax to seal the seams. I’ve searched for a wax ‘stick’ to rub onto the seam and couldn’t find any. So, I bought paraffin wax and heated it to liquid, waited until it was fairly cool and painted on the seam. After three applications I’m seeing limited success because if the wax is too warm it just drips through the holes without sealing them shut.

All the while I’m doing this I’m thinking about how much easier it would be to run a bead of silicone over the seam as well as where the top of the cover meets the awning to prevent water from pooling underneath the cover.

Here’s the big question. Does Dometic say to wax it because silicone seal will damage the Dometic awning material or seams?

[emm-dee]

I wouldn’t use silicone. It’s not very flexible and with repeated movement of the awning it not going to stay in place very long.

Use HH-66 vinyl cement. It says cement but their publications say to use it for waterproofing seams.

Amazon...

https://www.amazon.com/RH-Adhesives-...s%2C158&sr=8-3

[dalford]

I would try this for the seam... https://smile.amazon.com/Gear-Aid-Wa...s%2C191&sr=8-4

Now for the puddle in the middle it sounds like you might be over extending the awning. When extending the awning, extend until it stops, this will be over extended. If you look you will see that the awning now has a dam created by the roller that won’t allow water to just flow over the edge. To fix this, retract the awning about a half a turn or so. Hope this is the issue...

[jeff64]

Go buy a couple tubes of Coughlan's Seam Sealer. That's what is for

[DwightB]

I backed up the awning roller and the awning is more taught. I’ll see how that affects the pooling in the middle.

I ordered the Gear Aid and will try that on the leaking seam,

Thanks for the replies!

[aceinspp]

I used a product made by Colman that is used to stop leaks on tents worked well. Later RJD

[Sthomas211]

Walmart or Target. Buy liquid stitch. Thank me later

[Scrapper]

I've heard of using bees wax for waterproofing awning and tent seams. It stays flexible and will not melt or drip. You can get it at sporting goods stores in both the tenting and bow hunting sections. Never seen a recommendation of using paraffin wax as it gets hard and has a tendency to come off in cool weather.