Automatic Awnings

[DLane]

In my search for my first DP, one dealer demonstrated how the manual patio awning worked on a coach of interest. He showed how the angle of the awning could be adjusted by raising or lowering the outer end of the awning. The manual awning could also be adjusted higher at one end than the other so that rain would run off one end. Can adjustments like these be made on an automatic patio awning? I've wondered whether the manual awnings might actually be better (more adjustable) than the automatic ones even though most coaches I am looking at have the automatic type.

Don

[DLane]

In my search for my first DP, one dealer demonstrated how the manual patio awning worked on a coach of interest. He showed how the angle of the awning could be adjusted by raising or lowering the outer end of the awning. The manual awning could also be adjusted higher at one end than the other so that rain would run off one end. Can adjustments like these be made on an automatic patio awning? I've wondered whether the manual awnings might actually be better (more adjustable) than the automatic ones even though most coaches I am looking at have the automatic type.

Don

[Spikester]

Manual awnings are much more adjustable than automatic ones. Some of the newer automatic patio awnings do have limited angle adjustments.

Both types have there pros and cons, I think one has to look at how you are going to use your motorhome/awnings, then determine what type patio awning suits your usage best.

My patio and access door awnings are both manual, glad they both are and wouldn't have it any other way. Although they require more manipulation than the push of a button, the adjustability was/is important. Glad they are manual when I read about awning that are deployed and cannot be retracted because gear have stripped, or motors grounded due to weather intrusion. I can always stow my manual awnings.

Others feel just the opposite.

Spike

[Lug_Nut]

Spike has a good point, it's all how you are going to use your rig. The manual awnings will function far better than any electric in winds of 15/20 mph. On my last coach I had the Oasis power and often wished I had a manual instead. All the manuals were shading people in 15/20 mph wind while mine was flapping and lifting to the point it had to be retracted.
I have Girard now. Much better, but not as tough as the manual type.

Peter

[Shaun and Amy]

We have an electric awning on our new coach. We've had nothing but manual awnings on all our previous campers, so I feel I have a good idea of how they both work. I think there are pros and cons to both, but I love the electric awning. It has a auto dump feature which allows the water to "dump" off one side. I think we use are awning more then we did before becasue all you have to do is push the button and it goes out or in. Plus there's no more tieing it down and then being concerned while we gone it a storm comes up. The new one will just go in by itself or all I have to do is push the button and bring it in before we go.

BUT.......you need to way out the pros and cons for your lifestyle, as the others have said.

Good luck!

[Happymi]

I have mixed feeling about our automatic awning. Sometimes I love it, other times it's a pain.

Once we were getting ready to leave a campground and it wouldn't budge. It had rained the night before and the water collected in a puddle and I had to get out with a long stick and let the water run off before it would move. I almost got wet doing it.

A few times it would just retract without any wind. When it was in for warranty work of course it wouldn't do it for them!!!!!!

One time while in our back yard the wind picked up and we looked out of our stick house and saw the thing sailing over the top of the coach. No damage but we learned never to leave it out without us being around the coach.

Before we bought our coach we rented one and we never did open the awning because it was such a pain,

I love it open when the sun is out and I am sitting under it.

It's just a decision to be made and live with it one way or another.

You will use your awning often enough to have the comfort of opening and closing it. It's just a push button away.

Happymi

[DLane]

Thanks for all your comments. One of my thoughts in addition to yours concerning wind and mechanical issues was that with a manual awning you can tilt the outer end down quite a bit to block the sun when it is low in the sky. This might be a consideration in places like Florida and Arizona. The problem is, most coaches I have looked at other than one or two, have the automatic awnings and I expect switching it to a manual would not be trivial and might leave holes that would need to be filled on the side of the coach. Besides, I think most people would think you are nuts going from auto to manual rather than the other way around. Any additoinal thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks, Don

[Dav5942]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by DLane:
Thanks for all your comments. One of my thoughts in addition to yours concerning wind and mechanical issues was that with a manual awning you can tilt the outer end down quite a bit to block the sun when it is low in the sky. This might be a consideration in places like Florida and Arizona.

Thanks, Don </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, definitely a consideration(when spending a lot of times outside), especially when the auto slide is mounted about the curbside slide rather than on the slide itself. We are quite happy with our auto(no curbside slide), but we have added a sun shade to it that rolls up with the slide automatically. Correction the DW reminded me that it is too thick to roll up on a regular bassis.

[DLane]

I have a follow up question concerning automatic awnings. Can you turn the power off to them so they won't close automatically when you don't want them to?

Don

[Lug_Nut]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by DLane:
I have a follow up question concerning automatic awnings. Can you turn the power off to them so they won't close automatically when you don't want them to?

Don </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes you can on most, if not all. You can, however, instead, adjust the retraction wind speed. This can be adjusted high enough that you would not want to keep the awning out in the conditions that would trip the retract feature.

Peter

[Chickadee]

DLane: Hi and g'morning from Ft. Myers. Wife and I (and 3 cats) have been "real" fulltimers since 05 and on both our first Mtn. Aire, and now on this Essex we've had the power awnings (AE on Mtn. Aire and Girard on Essex). Gotta tell ya, that for our purposes, we've kinda come to the conclusion that the power awnings are pretty much useless!!! Unless you are parked exactly in the correct direction such that a hot mid day and afternoon sun is toward your off awning side (ie. street side) the angle of the power awnings does little to shade your patio....and....they're not intended as a rain cover either (fabric is different) and they WILL collect water and sag and there is no adjustment!!! Why did we get em???...well on first coach we didn't know better, and on 2nd coach we did a trade up and the Girards were just there. MANY times (except for the fussing around issue) we wish we had the manual, adjustable tilting, rain proof, type since we do like sitting outside both in the sun AND when it's raining. Most often, can't do either with these auto awnings. OH....and yes, you can shut em off, but BOY!!!...high or straight line wind storms WILL do a number on em if ya were ever foolish enough not to take them in if you're leaving the rig unattended....even for a short run to the grocery store or something. Yup, a wind sensor for auto retract is nice IF a breeze picks up to over your setting, BUT...we've witnessed too often the winds going from dead calm to rippin velocities and in the time it would take the sensor to begin retracting, the auto awning would have been in the next state!! If ya like sittin outside, ya might want the manual awnings and I don't think the monkeying around is that bad. Steve & Lynette

[GaryKD]

Hi Don,
My experience may be a bit different than some, with the automatic awnings. I agree with those posting the manual awning benefit of lowering all or one end of the awning to increase the shade provided by the awning.

My automatic A&E works as advertised. It retracts when it is supose to. Two years ago, we got hit with a tornado (about 1/4 mile away) the sensor picked up the wind before any of us heard anything. The awning retracted and by the time I got to the door to see why, the big winds hit. The awning's rear arm does dip when a lot of rain comes all at once. A normal amount of rain runs off and does not collect on the awning.

I think the reason my awning works well is that I do not over extend it. The awning is extened only to where the valance slot is at 6 o'clock (pointing straight down). When people complain about their awning I watch them extend it. Every one is extending the awning to its' full length. This allows the roller bar to be higher than the main awning fabric (forms a ridge water can not run over). It also extends the arms fully. This leaves no room for flexing in the wind. I have my wind sensor set at 15 or 18 MPH.

Those who extend the awning so the valance fabric slot is at 6 o'clock, report no further trouble with rain collecting on the awning.

If your coach will have a curb side front slide, it may be a bit difficult to have a manual awning. With the slide extended, the awning needs to be up a long way to miss the slide.

The bottom line is that I will stay with ther automatic awning. If needed, I will purchase a sun shade for the awning.

[Chickadee]

Hey, Gary: Thanks for your description of correctly extending the automatic awnings (ie., slot on roller to be at 6 o'clock). Will certainly try it out....next time it rains. Thanks. Steve & Lynette

[allynne]

DLane,

We have had manual awnings and electric, if I had it to do over I would opt for manual. I currently have the A& E weather pro. I don't get the sun protection I got with the A&E 9000 on my Dutch Star. The auto retract feature can give a false sense of security, a quick micro burst can distroy an awning long before it starts to retract. An electric awning has many more things to go wrong and leave you stuck with a deplowed awning and no good way to retract it.
Never, Never leave any awning extended when away from the coach, it can be costly.

When I am unable to manually extend and retract an awning, I will sell my MH. I would have no business being on the road.

Al Sawyer
'05 MADP