Electric Awning Tiedown?

[EasyDoesIt]

We are trading for a Fleetwood Providence 39R that has an electric awning. We have enjoyed the screen that we attach to the roller of the manual awning of the Chieftain that gives us a nice semiprivate room outside. I notice that the electric awning does not lower very far because of the kitchen slide. It is perhaps 8 to 9 ft in the air. A screen would be nice to cut the sun as the awning is going to be of little use late in the day. Has anyone any recommendations as to disabling the wind sensor, and tying down the outer end. Are these units as rugged as the manual units? We have had our manual unit in 40mph gusts that rock the coach but with little more than lots of noise from the canvas. Appreciate feedback from those with experience

[paz]

You don't say what the brand the awning is, but the A&E Weather Pro has a switch on the control box (usually located in a storage compartment) to turn off the wind sensor. I suspect other brands of awning has the same thing.

I don't feel electric awnings are as durable as manual awnings. The electric awnings are usually cantilevered off the side of the coach and I don't feel they will take much force to tie them down securely. We used to put the legs of our manual awning on our old travel trailer down on the ground in the carport position. You could pull down on the tie down straps with all your weight and the force was transferred to the legs. The electric awnings have no legs, therefore you can't pull down on the tie down straps as securely as you can with a manual awning.

One thing to be aware of when you tie down any awning - manual or electric. A strong enough wind can rip the fabric right off the frame even if it is tied down.

We have a sun shade for our Weather Pro awning, but we never use it because I don't like the idea of tying the awning down. It's too much trouble to put the shade up just for a few hours at a time.

Just my opinion.

Happy travels with your new cioach.

[Hyall]

We also have the A&E Weather pro awning, you need a ladder each time installing the shade screen (pain) and too large to roll up into awning so you have to remove it. So I found a cure for this from a awning or canvas shop I had the screen cut in half the length ways and had Velcros and grommets installed on the bottom portion of the same piece. the left over material or lower half the mate of Velcros stalled or sewn on top portion and also gromments installe on the bottom. Now I can leave the half size shade left on and rolls up with the awning, If I want it longer (closer to the ground) just add the extra piece -Velcros to Velcros- and if its to windy tie it down using the grommets

[EasyDoesIt]

Great feedback. In touring the campground here, there are a couple of units tied down and then they use deflapper bunjies to hold the edges. One uses arched braces underneath.

Dale

[georgetown350]

It is just a flick of a switch to disable the wind sensor. I was in a park in which a tornado touched down near by and the winds ripped any awnings that were out but I watched an electric awning flapping and bouncing like crazy before finally retracting via the wind sensor ( think it was set to high) anyways the awning survived.
They are stronger then they seem.

[Easyrider]

I don't think you need an awning that you can put all your weight onto to tie down. Your tie downs are there to keep the awning from lifting up and only need to be able to not strech or lift up when the wind is acting up. They are not there to try to force your awning down. Regardless, I think it is a good idea to not have your awning extended when it is windy and an electric awning is a lot easier to extend out and roll up quickly depending on the the weather and how you want it. Even though we have the wind sensor on ours we roll it up anyway when we are going to be gone or at night when asleep because it's so easy to do so.