New Rockwood 2511: Awning Stopped Working

TxRockwood · 10-15-2020, 06:36 PM

I have a new 2021 Rockwood 2511S with the factory power awning. The camper is less than a week old and the first time I tried to open it in my driveway, it opened about 12 inches and stopped. Now, I cannot open or close it with the switch. It makes a slight humming and clicking noise, but does not move either way.

I am plugged into my house using a 15 Amp service because I have not had a chance to get a 30 Amp service installed. While I was at the dealer last weekend, they opened and closed it about 2 feet because it was in a covered area with not enough room to fully extend, so I have not seen it fully extended.

Does the power awning require a 30 Amp circuit?
Can it be closed manually?

Any help would be appreciated as we are trying to do our maiden voyage this weekend, but will not be able to pull it with the awning partially open. I will call the dealer in the morning, but I hope someone can shed some light.

TinyHousers · 10-15-2020, 07:15 PM

greetings! in a similar boat with a new Sandpiper FLOK (though i will admit mine is now magically working just fine, no thanks to anything I or anyone did!). Assuming you have a dometic awning, watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj3_hFk7kKw

it explains how to manually extend/retract your awning, but you'll need a power drill.

Alternatively, you can remove the protective plastic and expose the wires leading up to the awning motor; should be a disconnect near to the motor housing. if you apply a DC12V power source (such as from a truck battery) and the awning motor is good, you can extend or retract (just reverse connections on battery source).

hope this helps!
- Chris

TxRockwood · 10-15-2020, 07:45 PM

As a follow-up, I have the Solera RV Power Awning and there is a way to easily retract it with a 7/16" socket and a power driver.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TNePgV3k3I

I was able to get it closed, but I still do not know why it failed so quickly in the first place. I will talk to my dealer in the morning to see if there is any troubleshooting I can do to determine if it is a simple problem.

TinyHousers · 10-15-2020, 08:04 PM

Hey Tx! I posted an earlier reply which is waiting moderator approval, I think because I included a link for manually extending/retracting a dometic awning (which appears to be the same for yours).

Mine did just what your did. Stopped working as soon as I got it home. And I did everything I could think of to troubleshoot:
- took out the fuse and tested for resistance
- with the fuse out, tested the circuit board for voltage when extend/retract buttons were pushed.
- chased and inspected wires from awning motor to where they enter the RV wall to make sure they were good.
- disconnected the wires at the motor and applied an external 12V supply. you'll need some long wires and will have to fashion your own connectors. but this is a good way to rule out a bad motor. just connect your wires to the awning motor and hook up to your truck battery. you'll know straight away if your motor is good or not.

And after all that testing, for some reason my awning just started working again. Not sure why, but it was though it was only pulling voltage from the RV battery. Still confused by that and not altogether trusting that it'll work in the future, so I'm packing my bypass wires on every trip out.

Hope that gives you some insight!
- Chris

TxRockwood · 10-15-2020, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TinyHousers

Hey Tx! I posted an earlier reply which is waiting moderator approval, I think because I included a link for manually extending/retracting a dometic awning (which appears to be the same for yours).

Mine did just what your did. Stopped working as soon as I got it home. And I did everything I could think of to troubleshoot:
- took out the fuse and tested for resistance
- with the fuse out, tested the circuit board for voltage when extend/retract buttons were pushed.
- chased and inspected wires from awning motor to where they enter the RV wall to make sure they were good.
- disconnected the wires at the motor and applied an external 12V supply. you'll need some long wires and will have to fashion your own connectors. but this is a good way to rule out a bad motor. just connect your wires to the awning motor and hook up to your truck battery. you'll know straight away if your motor is good or not.

And after all that testing, for some reason my awning just started working again. Not sure why, but it was though it was only pulling voltage from the RV battery. Still confused by that and not altogether trusting that it'll work in the future, so I'm packing my bypass wires on every trip out.

Hope that gives you some insight!
- Chris

Thank you for your detailed reply. On mine, I can open and close it using a battery powered drill and a 7/16" socket. I did not try to bypass the camper wires and hook it to my truck, so I may do that tomorrow if I have time. I will also try it tomorrow when I get to the campground, but everything else is working inside the camper electrical wise.

Where did you find the fuse for yours? I could not locate an awning fuse.

Thanks again.

TinyHousers · 10-15-2020, 10:26 PM

Hope you have success in finding the issue, but on the bright side, at least you're able to travel! Locate your fuse panel and hope that the fuses are marked. Thankfully, mine are and the awning fuse (15amp) position was marked AWN. If they're not marked, you may have to do some googling for your RV model or at worst, contact the dealer. Best of luck!

UT_Grandpa · 10-16-2020, 01:15 PM

On one trip my awning extended but would not retract or extend (no power to the awning motor). I checked the switch and it seemed to move OK. I took off the plastic cover for the wires on the right side and cut through the insulation so I could get a voltmeter on it and there is no power on the wires. (switch bad or loose connection. I stuck my head in the storage area and saw two wires disconnected. One had pulled out of a crimped connection that was poorly done. I put a new crimp connector on it and pinched it with a set of diagonal pliers and all is working agin.

I have had to recrimp stereo speakers and some other wires on this trailer. Good luck

campers302 · 10-16-2020, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TxRockwood

Thank you for your detailed reply. On mine, I can open and close it using a battery powered drill and a 7/16" socket. I did not try to bypass the camper wires and hook it to my truck, so I may do that tomorrow if I have time. I will also try it tomorrow when I get to the campground, but everything else is working inside the camper electrical wise.

Where did you find the fuse for yours? I could not locate an awning fuse.

Thanks again.

Please be sure to post your findings. Please

Thanks to everyone that posted here. All of the information and youtubes were great.

Thanks again to everyone.

Bob2019 · 10-16-2020, 03:22 PM

If the awning motor isn't working, one place to check is the Battery Control Center. There you will find a resettable fuse for the awning motor.

Use caution using a drill to retract the awning. Something caused some teeth in the gears on mine to break and that required new gears which are $29.00 but all the dealers claimed gears could not be gotten and want to sell a new $400.00 head instead.

For those with awning control problem with the Smart Arm Controller working erratic or not at all (usually with rigs about 2 years old): Rain travels down the wires vertical into the connector and corrodes the terminals requiring replacement of the harness and the controller. You had better hope that is not your problem requiring a lot of time and effort as you have to splice 12 wires from old to new harness to fix, and even that may not fix it as they have changed the chip in the controller --- contract me for more info.

Bob2019 · 10-16-2020, 03:25 PM

Picture of Battery Control Center for awning resettable fuse.

CivEngPE · 10-19-2020, 10:34 AM

I'm a bit late to the party, but I believe there is an in-line fuse behind the control panel that has the awning switch.

TxRockwood · 10-19-2020, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob2019

Picture of Battery Control Center for awning resettable fuse.

Do you know where the Battery Control Center is located? I have looked around inside my camper and I cannot locate anything that looks like your picture. I know where my fuse panel and breaker box is located, but there is nothing in there for the awning, as far as I can tell.

I read about a 6-amp resettable fuse on the Solera website, but I thought it said it reset itself after 30 seconds.

The Solera website also says there is a 15-amp inline fuse between the awning and the battery power. I have not been able to locate the inline fuse either.

As of today, the awning still is not working and all I hear is a clicking sound coming from behind the control panel above my fireplace when I try to extend or retract the awning.

While we were camping over the weekend, I was able to fully extend and retract the awning using a power drill and a ladder. I wanted to let it air out, since the awning is still brand new. thanks for the warning on the teeth...

TxRockwood · 10-19-2020, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CivEngPE

I'm a bit late to the party, but I believe there is an in-line fuse behind the control panel that has the awning switch.

Yes, their is a small 5-amp inline fuse behind the control panel, but it is used to provide power to the switches and does not appear to be related to the power supplied to the awning or other electronics.

I removed it and none of the switches worked for the control panel, but the interior lights remained on. After reinstalling the 5-amp fuse, I could control the lights from the switches and the awning started to click again, but did not move.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions! My next task is going to be to remove the false wall in the basement area to see if the 15-amp inline awning fuse is located behind the wall.

Bob2019 · 10-19-2020, 12:08 PM

RE: Battery Control Center is located in my Forester Class C on the step wall by the batteries. You may or no have a battery control center - probably in motorhomes. To located fuses, etc., look in a cabinet usually above the sink. This will be quite helpful. Attached is what mine looks like. Good Luck.

TxRockwood · 10-23-2020, 10:44 AM

I contacted Lippert Components who makes the awning and wardrobe slide for my camper. The gentleman on the phone was was extremely helpful and he said the Solera Power awnings do indeed have an inline 15 amp when installed by the Forest River factory. He went on to say it is a very simple system with two wires coming from the switch and it was either the fuse or the motor itself.

He gave me a couple of suggestions for how to test whether or not it is the fuse or the motor.

1. Extend the awning part way using the power drill and 7/16" socket.
2. Pull the wiring connection from the motor.
3. Have someone go in the camper and push the awning button.
4. Use a voltmeter at the wires to see if 12 volts are being sent.
5. If no voltage, it is the fuse in the camper.
6. If there is voltage, it is the motor.

He also said I can use an external 12 volt power source to test the motor to positively verify it is not working.

If it is the motor, he will send me a new one and I can replace it myself. It is only three bolts and a very simple job.

The dealer where I bought it is 3 hours away and they do not have the part. I called several local RV service centers and the soonest anyone can get to it will be 8 weeks, so I would rather just fix it myself.

I will do the tests he suggested tomorrow and post back my results.

TxRockwood · 11-10-2020, 10:11 PM

Here is a follow up to this thread for people who find it in the future. Using the method Lippert described, I determined the awning motor was bad. I also discovered the plastic housing on the drive head was broken in two places indicating someone opened it or broke it during the installation of the awning.

My local RV store told me it would be 8 weeks before they could get my camper in to replace the motor. Lippert was fantastic and agreed to send me a new motor along with the two plastic housing pieces at no cost. The parts arrived 1 hour before I was heading out to my second camping trip, so I through my ladder and tools in my truck. It took about an hour to replace the parts while at the campground, so we had a working awning for the rest of the trip.

I cannot say enough good things about Lippert support. They definitely went above and beyond to help me get everything working on my brand new Rockwood! If you are somewhat handy with tools, the awning fix was a fairly simple project.

aguyandhiscomputer · 11-18-2020, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CivEngPE

I'm a bit late to the party, but I believe there is an in-line fuse behind the control panel that has the awning switch.

Yes, they hid that one very well

Bob2019 · 11-18-2020, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TxRockwood

Here is a follow up to this thread for people who find it in the future. Using the method Lippert described, I determined the awning motor was bad. I also discovered the plastic housing on the drive head was broken in two places indicating someone opened it or broke it during the installation of the awning.

My local RV store told me it would be 8 weeks before they could get my camper in to replace the motor. Lippert was fantastic and agreed to send me a new motor along with the two plastic housing pieces at no cost. The parts arrived 1 hour before I was heading out to my second camping trip, so I through my ladder and tools in my truck. It took about an hour to replace the parts while at the campground, so we had a working awning for the rest of the trip.

I cannot say enough good things about Lippert support. They definitely went above and beyond to help me get everything working on my brand new Rockwood! If you are somewhat handy with tools, the awning fix was a fairly simple project.

I agree that Lippert support is helpful andt hey answer their phone. They sent me the wiring harness and 2 controllers for the "Smart Awning". I just wish some of their products worked better and didn't require calls and help. I'm not sure about the One Control in the bedroom and it requires reset frequennty. The awning extend and retract quit working when rain ran the the vertical wires connector into the controller. Now they tell me the new controller has to have pins 11 and 12 cut because they have a new chip in it and it interferes with One Control and the phone app. Also have had (and still do) that the left rear jack doesn't go completely down to the ground. Lippert needs to do better on the products they produce as I have spent a lot of time trying to make things work as they should.

You may also like: