Forum Discussion

nothnagc's avatar
nothnagc
Explorer
Apr 12, 2018

Advice on re-attaching awning

Hello,

I'm looking for some advice on re-attaching my electric awning. Last fall it was caught by some wind and ripped off the side of my unit. Both side bars and the top attachments pulled loose and it ended up on the roof of my camper. The awning itself didn't rip, all of the screws were just ripped out from the walls and support structure. I was able to re-attach it enough to get home and the screws are loosely holding it in place. My question is this ... is there a way for me to re-use the existing screw holes? The bolts obviously won't completely tighten down now but I didn't know if I could use something to make the existing holes work. I thought I heard something about an epoxy that I might be able to use?? Any other thoughts on how I might re-use the existing screw holes? My main concern are the three large bolts at the top of each arm ... I think I can add new screws on the side bars along the unit.

Hope this makes sense and thank you for any help!!
  • rhochnadel's avatar
    rhochnadel
    Explorer
    Apr 12, 2018
    I had that happen to me, had to add a steel plate on inside and run bolts all the way thru, 3 locations. I used cap on the inside, it did not look too bad. gl
  • doughboy's avatar
    doughboy
    Explorer
    Apr 13, 2018
    i've used dowel pins glued in the holes. get ones a little larger, glue and pound into the holes. let set for 24 hrs then and screw away.
  • GrandpaKip's avatar
    GrandpaKip
    Explorer II
    Apr 13, 2018
    A lot of how you repair it depends on the type of sidewall. Is it wood framed or aluminum?
  • RockDodger's avatar
    RockDodger
    Explorer
    Apr 14, 2018
    If you have the clearance and the maneuvering room, it's best to run bolts all the way thru and secure it with nuts and some sort of backing plate. If you don't have the clearance, you could epoxy glue heli-coils into the holes. Let the eopxy cure for 24 hours and secure your mounts with machine screws. That should hold it pretty well. Some people like to anchor the awning to the ground with rope and those screw-in metal anchors. It will give you an edge over old man wind.:B
  • beemerphile1's avatar
    beemerphile1
    Explorer
    Apr 14, 2018
    rhochnadel wrote:
    I had that happen to me, had to add a steel plate on inside and run bolts all the way thru, 3 locations. I used cap on the inside, it did not look too bad. gl


    Same here, the lags could no longer hold so I thru bolted. I used 4" electric box cover plates on the inside.

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