Any Experience Changing Entire Awning?

[Bayviewrr]

We had a sudden and heavy thunderstorm here today. I had my awning out on my Rockwood 2606WS while it was sitting in my driveway. The awning filled up with water and it collapsed the frame on one side of the awning. The frame is pretty bent up along with the fitting at the end of the awning bracket. The awning itself is also ripped. Thankfully, it didn't pull the bracket that attaches the awning to the trailer off, so there is no damage to the body of the trailer.

How difficult is it to replace the entire awning framing? Can the unit be purchased directly? and if so, how hard is it to install?

Any experiences would be appreciated.

 

[NJKris]

Ouch, expensive mishap. I think the awning is the most expensive item on the RV. I watched the Dometic guys do it at the Goshen Rally on mine (was defective). Was 3 or four guys doing it. Definitely going to need a few guys. Glad I had someone else doing it, although I DIY a lot, I wouldn't be comfortable doing it. Going to have to drill out rivets on brackets, and it needs to be riveted back in place.

 

[ChrisParise]

3 or 4 years ago I replaced my awning fabric on an old manual style awning (not motorized)

Did it by myself and involved bringing the entire roller tube down to almost ground level so I essentially could have replaced the entire roller tube and arms.

Drilling out rivets is easy and with a decent rivet gun replacing them is straight forward. Biggest problem may be figuring out what size rivets are needed.

Watch some diy videos to get an understanding of how to do it and if you need a helper.

I don't know your rig but am sure there's replacement parts out there.

 

[Oaklevel]

Yes you can buy one but getting a complete awning shipped to your house can be a PITA. If you have a business it can be shipped to makes it easier and you need a way to unload it. Often they are damaged in shipping. Imagine a box / package 20 ft in length.. You might be able to pick it up at a truck terminal if you have a way to get it home. It will not ship regular UPS or FEDEX.

Changing fabric is easy compared to changing the frame. Definitely a two person job.

Been in your shoes but it was years ago. You are looking at a couple thousand dollars unless prices have come down.

 

[GolfingDave]

Best bet is to contact the manufacturer of your awning and see what parts are available.
Mine is a Solera and parts are available for certain things.

Hopefully only the end pieces are damaged and not the tube itself.

 

[KKonyha]

Just had this same thing happen to us. The awning is a Solera. You can replace just one side if necessary. It is about $1000 per side to replace including the fabric. We used to have a different awning on our older camper that had an automatic rain dump. The Soleras do not. I don't believe they use heavy enough gage steel or this wouldn't occur. We just have to remember to pull down on one side and make sure the water can run off or retract it.

 

[Chuck_S]

We tip the corner on the end away from the door down radically so no rain accumulates. Looks horrible but works. (Our canopy is completely manual.)

The Sunsetter awning over my deck at home has a high wind sensor mounted on the frame which will retract it if it starts flapping excessively. Gotta check the batteries periodically as I'd think would be the case in a RV awning.

-- Chuck

 

[ChrisParise]

I should have mentioned to find and read the installation instructions before buying the parts or assembly before buying.

With the instructions in hand walk through how you'll do the installation. Often, instructions are generic and there can be undocumented or vague directions on some steps.

Many times, you can go back to how yours was installed and follow your installation if you can when there's uncertainty

I've found this to be true of diy videos - there's almost always things left out leaving me with way less than 100% of what I need to know.

In short, I always make a plan when I feel I have the information I need from videos and the instructions and then I work the plan altering if needed while I'm working on it.

Get the tools you need before starting too

 

[NJKris]

We tip the corner on the end away from the door down radically so no rain accumulates. Looks horrible but works. (Our canopy is completely manual.)

The Sunsetter awning over my deck at home has a high wind sensor mounted on the frame which will retract it if it starts flapping excessively. Gotta check the batteries periodically as I'd think would be the case in a RV awning.

-- Chuck

Had a quick but powerful t-storm hit us at Pocono Raceway a couple weeks ago, tipping the one end INTO the wind helped a lot with the wind gusts and sideways rain. Hit so fast there was no time to retract the awning (mine moves like a snail when retracting), so I tipped the end down into the wind, and held onto the opposite strut until the winds passed.



When I'm down on the Outer Banks NC, I hardly ever open it on account of winds. You can never leave these opened unattended down there. Winds blow up and change direction very suddenly. You haven't had heart pounding excitement until you've watched your awning arms/tube rising above the roofline, desperately trying to grasp an awning strut while hollering to your wife, 'bring it in!! bring it in!!'

 

[Larry-NC]

Three people

We had a sudden and heavy thunderstorm here today. I had my awning out on my Rockwood 2606WS while it was sitting in my driveway. The awning filled up with water and it collapsed the frame on one side of the awning. The frame is pretty bent up along with the fitting at the end of the awning bracket. The awning itself is also ripped. Thankfully, it didn't pull the bracket that attaches the awning to the trailer off, so there is no damage to the body of the trailer.

How difficult is it to replace the entire awning framing? Can the unit be purchased directly? and if so, how hard is it to install?

Any experiences would be appreciated.

Obviously, no one ever told you the first and second rules of Awning:

1. Never leave the awning deployed if it's going to be windy. If you're not sure and you're leaving, retract it.
2. Never have the outboard end (roller) level. Always have one end lower so rain runs off that end instead of puddling.

It's easiest to work on the awning if you completely remove it from the trailer. It's easy if you have three people.

Before they arrive
If this is a manual awning, set the lock lever so it doesn't wind up further.

Get onto a ladder and inspect where the top end of the awning attaches to the rain gutter. At the bottom of the rain gutter extrusion is a C-shaped channel. The top of the awning has a 1/2" hem. Inside the hem is a 1/8" steel or rubber rod. At each end of the awning, a (#4? ) screw has been driven through the extrusion to keep the rod from sliding. Remove and save these screws.

When they arrive
Explain the procedure to the helpers. You will be on the trailer roof pulling the fabric along the C-shaped channel while they each disengage an awning standard from its socket and carry it, marching along, keeping up with you. You can pull the fabric off to the front or the back, whichever way has the most room. (I had to pull a 22' awning to the front because there was no room in the back. A 16' one could have gone either way.)

Once it's down
It's helpful to set the roller down with something like a milk crate under each standard, near the roller to keep the roller off the ground. Take a picture, showing which direction the awning is wound, so you don't wind the new fabric backwards. The roller will have two C-shaped channels. In the instances I've seen, there's no hem for the rod. The fabric is just tucked into the roller and then the rod is inserted from the end. At each channel. A manual awning will also have a pull-down strap tucked into the channel. Pill the rods out, then the fabric.

Putting it back together
Putting it back together is a reversal of these steps. There are only two things to watch.

1. Be very careful to get the fabric on the roller straight, so it will roll up nicely and not creep off one end of the roller as it winds.
2. After the awning is completely installed, but before the screws are in place completely extend it and then roll it up several times. If it creeps to either side, pull the fabric at the roof gutter a TINY bit (1/16") to the other side and retry. Continue until the fabric rolls straight. Then put the screws in.

 

[Mokurt]

And dont leave it out if you plan on being away for a while!

 

[Nick Danger]

Please update the forum on what you actually do to/with your awning. I would like to hear the results.

 

[Oaklevel]

Please update the forum on what you actually do to/with your awning. I would like to hear the results.

x2 Pictures before and after would be great too.

 

[amx1397]

Mine fills with water(rain) and bends down on one side dumps the water and springs right back up, no damage ,,I do leave the locking knobs loose so this will happen I do try to close my awning before any heavy wind or rain, this has been going on now for over 3 years .. 22' wide awning. jim

 

[KKonyha]

Mine fills with water(rain) and bends down on one side dumps the water and springs right back up, no damage ,,I do leave the locking knobs loose so this will happen I do try to close my awning before any heavy wind or rain, this has been going on now for over 3 years .. 22' wide awning. jim

I like that design better. That is what we had on our 2011 V-Lite. The Soleras do not have that design. One has to manually bend the elbow style joint on one side to get the rain to drain off. There is no automatic rain dump feature. The upper arm looks like it's going to break just under the weight of the awning.

 

[Rob0702]

Replacing Entire Awning

Replying to BAYVIEWRR, I too had a similar issue, when I mistakenly left my awning out overnight, and a thunderstorm rolled through. I didn't have the awning pitched, so the awning filled up with water. The awning arms were okay, but the roller bar had a bow in it from the weight of the water. Fortunately, my RV repair center was able to straighten the roller bar back to it's original shape for me, but they told me that had I had to replace the awning arms, they were around $1200. Water weighs around eight pounds per gallon, so that's a lot of weight. These awnings are flimsy to begin with, and the manufacturer states that awnings are for "shade only". Tell us something we DON'T already know. Anyway, my suggestion would be to bite the bullet, and have your dealer replace the entire awning. It's is not a one man job. Good Luck!

 

[BillWill-FRF]

Dometic

We had a sudden and heavy thunderstorm here today. I had my awning out on my Rockwood 2606WS while it was sitting in my driveway. The awning filled up with water and it collapsed the frame on one side of the awning. The frame is pretty bent up along with the fitting at the end of the awning bracket. The awning itself is also ripped. Thankfully, it didn't pull the bracket that attaches the awning to the trailer off, so there is no damage to the body of the trailer.

How difficult is it to replace the entire awning framing? Can the unit be purchased directly? and if so, how hard is it to install?

Any experiences would be appreciated.

Same thing happened to me 2 years ago. I had a RV supply store order the parts for me from Dometic the manufacturer. I had to replace the two bottom brackets and straighten one of the rails as they were no longer available. They ordered the complete awning and roller assembly. It came with instructions and me and two friends installed it in 45 minutes. Just remove the old fabric from the top bracket and slide in the new one. It came with instructions and was delivered to my house.

 

[Red Roadrunner]

We had a sudden and heavy thunderstorm here today. I had my awning out on my Rockwood 2606WS while it was sitting in my driveway. The awning filled up with water and it collapsed the frame on one side of the awning. The frame is pretty bent up along with the fitting at the end of the awning bracket. The awning itself is also ripped. Thankfully, it didn't pull the bracket that attaches the awning to the trailer off, so there is no damage to the body of the trailer.

How difficult is it to replace the entire awning framing? Can the unit be purchased directly? and if so, how hard is it to install?

Any experiences would be appreciated.

One of the reasons we NEVER use an awning unless we are sitting at the camp site. I have seen trailers turned over due to wind catching the awning while camping at Yellowstone. It is wise to retract awning when you are not babysitting it.

 

[Ox Brown]

One of the reasons we NEVER use an awning unless we are sitting at the camp site. I have seen trailers turned over due to wind catching the awning while camping at Yellowstone. It is wise to retract awning when you are not babysitting it.

x2

The only time our awning is out is when we are under it. We retract it when we leave the campsite, we retract it if it's windy, and we retract it before going to bed.

My wife gives me grief for only putting it out when we're under it, but it's never been damaged, and we've gone through some severe thunderstorms and high winds.