Slide out awning

Effy wrote:

Fifty4F100 wrote:
I've had slide toppers on 2 RVs. The one on our HR is off now. Got home after a weekend trip and the wind had started separating the seem that held the awning to the side of the RV. Took it off and have lived without it since. But both of ours had sagged when rainwater collected on it. I rolls off as the slide rolls in when leaving the campground. I never saw a need to get it off before then. I guess if I was staying somewhere for a while it would be a mosquito magnet, but that's it.

I would agree except that when I am packing up to leaving, stowing cords etc, it makes a heck of a mess dumping all that water at once when pulling the slide in.

The last thing I do is bring the slide in, then raise the jacks. I usually don't find out there's water up there until I start bringing it in.

Our coach has the now-discontinued 'Summit' system that Carefree used for several years. This is an aluminum bar that raises as the slide is deployed which lifts the center of the topper. It doesn't work well since water may still pool on the topper half toward the coach wall.

As noted, slope (or lack of it) is the real culprit. Some very tall coaches have the slope. Most all of the Country Coach Magna's and the newer Newmar Mountain Aires, Essex, and King Aires have much better systems with good slope to the topper.

Fifty4F100 wrote:
I've had slide toppers on 2 RVs. The one on our HR is off now. Got home after a weekend trip and the wind had started separating the seem that held the awning to the side of the RV. Took it off and have lived without it since. But both of ours had sagged when rainwater collected on it. I rolls off as the slide rolls in when leaving the campground. I never saw a need to get it off before then. I guess if I was staying somewhere for a while it would be a mosquito magnet, but that's it.

I would agree except that when I am packing up to leaving, stowing cords etc, it makes a heck of a mess dumping all that water at once when pulling the slide in.

I like the beach ball idea except I'd have a heck of a time getting it up there without a ladder - I don't pack one. Guess I could try from the roof.

I've had slide toppers on 2 RVs. The one on our HR is off now. Got home after a weekend trip and the wind had started separating the seem that held the awning to the side of the RV. Took it off and have lived without it since. But both of ours had sagged when rainwater collected on it. I rolls off as the slide rolls in when leaving the campground. I never saw a need to get it off before then. I guess if I was staying somewhere for a while it would be a mosquito magnet, but that's it.

What Doug said.....inflated beach balls are the easiest to use and take up very little space when deflated.....Dennis

Adding tension will never stop your problem. A quick way to verify this is to get on a ladder and grab the awning tube and manually twist it tighter. IF it does not get tighter doing that then adding tension will not work. Adding too much tension can affect the slide out operation going out, depending on the type slide mechanism. The problem is normal and the time the water has collected has stretched the fabric. Also, some slide covers have very little slope. Good slope and the water runs off and cannot collect. But, most motorhomes the height of the slide room to the main roof means you have very little if any slope. The best solution is to install something under the cover to shed the water. Doug

Putting a little more tension on the spring may help.