Wind sensor awnings?

On the Roof is a white flat topped lighthouse. On the pass side. Take a Hair dryer and blow over the top for 5 to 10 minutes. The awning should retract. 11 year old Weatherpro old style wind sensor, the odds are it will not work. Newmar offered both Carefree and Dometic. Dometic was the most common. Which do you have? Doug

It might.

Do you have an air compressor or even a vacuum? Open the awning and blow air on the sensor and see if it works. The sensor will be on the roof so you'll need to get up there. Mine quit working years ago and I never even worried about it as I don't leave the awning open when I'm not there.

Mine don't work either, if I replaced it I still would not trust it..

Our Adventurer has the wind sensor awning, but I wouldn't trust it to work. When we picked it up at the dealer we did the PDI with the salesman.

His exact words regarding the awning were:

"Don't trust it. By the time it senses and reacts to a gust of wind high enough for it to close the second gust has already ripped it off".

Truer words were never spoken.

I was told that it takes a "sustained wind" of the speed you've set in order for the awning to come in (I've heard anything from 10 to 20 seconds), so I don't trust mine and bring it in if I'm gonna be away for any period of time. Especially if you're in an area prone to thunderstorms (and where isn't?), since you're bound to get sudden high gusts in T-storms.
In other news, my automatic awning also has a "freeze warning" so it comes in when the temp drops below freezing. Strangely, it also sometimes comes in when the temp goes over 95 degrees or so.

Thanks for the replies so far.
Matter of fact, we are under a tornado and or severe thunderstorm watch this afternoon so the the awnings are in!

The sensor is in an awkward position, I can't reach it from the side because when the awning is out, it blocks access to the sensor, its in about 2-3 ft in from the end.

I can't get up on the roof anymore because it seems I've developed an irrational fear of heights in the last few years (go figure after nearly 30 years in the army!).

So I guess there is no easy answer yet for me. Maybe my BIL will go on the roof for me with a hair dryer or a feed from my air compressor?

Thanks

Chris

There are two different (Well 3) Different wind sensors.

A&E Weather Pro "Lighthouse" units are the ones that are ... Not good, (personal opnion but shared by many) on this unit there is a small tower on the roof, usually above the control box which is usually near the front end of the awning, it looks like a lighthouse.

FAN IT,, when the wind speed hits around 15MPH, it should retract


The next is a Carefree they use a 3-cup "spinner" on their older units,, Same test

Newer A&T, (Do not know about carefree) uses a motion sensor in the front arm.. This one, in theory, SHOULD work.

Three boards and three sensors, The longest ours worked without the alarm sounding was 2 months. Haven't worried about it, since the last alarm four years ago, just turned it off.

I'm not familiar with all wind sensors, but mine detects movement in the awning and not wind. It works well and I test it periodically by moving the awning up and down. I trust it.