Awning fills with water

[skyviewman]

We have an 20' awning that fills with rain water when it is in the closed position. After a rainstoorm I open up th awning about 2 feet and the water will drain but the other problem is that at times when it is so full of water you can hear it strain to open and I am afraid the motor will eventually fail. I went up on the roof and looked at it when it is open and there is nothing between the awning and where it attaches to the coach. There are rivet holes and I am wondering if there is something missing and the rainwater is getting in through these holes. The awning does have a slight bend in the middle which I expect allows the water to flow towards the middle.

[Skip426]

Does your awning have an aluminum wrap around ?
Was the power awning factory or has someone added it ?
No drip rail down the edge of the roof?

[skyviewman]

Skip, thanks for the reply.
It is a Weather Pro power awning it does have the aluminum wrap around. It was factory installed and although I can find no records I think the fabric was changed by the previous owner a few years ago. What doesn't look right is that the awning brackets were factory installed originally over top of the drip rail with the screws going through the top edge of the drip rail into the coach body. From the look of the workmanship I would say that the awning was removed at some point and when they resealed the screw holes they used silicone in excess and blocked the drip rail channel even more. I removed the silcone, resealed and cleared the channel which helped. Is there supposed to be some kind of rubber seal between the top edge of the fabric where it attaches to the coach? All I see are rivet holes the whole length of the awning. When I drain the water it runs out between the edge of the aluminum cover and the fabric. When you open the awning about 2 feet it creates a channel due to the weight of the aluminum cover. The awning cannot be mounted any differently.

["007"]

Most aluminum wraps I have seen the fabric part of awning fits into a groove in the aluminum wrap so when it is closed up the warp is completely covering the fabric of the awning.
The aluminum wrap keeps the fabric portion from billowing out while traveling and keeps the fabric from getting wet.

AWNING INFO----DOMETIC
CAREFREE AWNING
The awning hardware should be below the drip rail.
More info in QT's # 3 awning section.

[Skip426]

OK, your describing an entirely different mounting than , the one on my coach, drip rail runs across the top, of the awning mount, on my coach.
Could you post a picture?
Possible , that you could add a drip rail above the awning mount , to re-direct the water flow from the roof.

["007"]

Look at page 10 of this link your awning rail maybe installed incorrectly.
The awning rail should be below the roof drip rail.

[skyviewman]

Skip,
Here are a couple of pictures showing the top of the awning and the front and rear mounts. This is the way it came from the factory as there is no evidence that it has been moved.

[Skip426]

OK, way different mounting arrangement than my manual 21' model.
Raining here at the moment and DW away with the van , ( camera in glove box) . I'll post pictures of mine in the AM , weather permitting.
May give you some ideas for a possible fix.

[Skip426]

Here are pictures of my manual set up , something I noticed while up along side the awning; even though the roller has a center support , it's sagged over an inch , under closer examination the mount ; canvas section with rivet holes ; is very similar. But if the water trough was partially plugged by silicone sealant that may be a large part of your problem. If your awning tube is sagged , that may be making a larger pocket for the water to collect in , making the problem worse.

[skyviewman]

Skip,
Thanks for the pictures. I think I may have figured it out. Removed screws holding the top mount, cleaned and replaced,sealing with new silicone but cleaned around the screws before it could cure. Secondly I cleaned the drip rail so that it was as clean as when it left the factory. Believe me you can't believe the crud that came out. A lot of it was pollen from the trees and although it looked ok, it wasn't. Went through a heavy downpour and the awning did not retain any water. Next storm will tell for sure but I think the problem will be solved. Another item to add to my regular to do list. Thanks again skip and to everyone for their advice.

[Skip426]

You mean to say you don't wax your roof every month!