Fiamma rear awning: screw mount maintenance check

Question

After getting a heads-up to check my rear roof-mounted Fiamma F35 aluminum box awning from "cewillis" (Cal is a fellow Outfitter owner), this task has finally come up on my to-do list:

I deployed the awning with our Outfitter Caribou 8 roof closed, for ease of access to the 5 screws fastening the awning to the roof (and, for ease of cleaning awning). I backed out all 5 screws (one at a time; we don't want the awning falling off!), and excellent news: the screws appear to be stainless-steel, and are in excellent condition (on edit: after close to 8.6 years use-- see photo). I re-seated all the screws into 3M marine fast-cure sealant.

Regardless of what camper you own, if you have one of these awnings, do yourself a favor and check the mounting screws (if they appear rusty, replace with appropriate fasteners).

Cheers,
Silver-

cewillis · Answer

Glad it's OK, Silver. (but mine is a Carefree of Colorado, and it's mounted very differently)

silversand · Answer

but mine is a Carefree of Colorado, and it's mounted very differently

....thanks Cal for the clarification! I can see where camper wall/facia mounted awnings could allow water to soak the mounting screws. One of those potential problems that should be checked periodically.

skipbee · Answer

Thanks for the heads-up, silver, The Colorado Awning can very well act as a wick, holding water. Ours is worn out, after 9 years of frequent use and many miles of hard travel. I'll have to replace it.

Some of the hardware is also at the end of its useful life. The plastic rod that locks the drum has broken, the retracting spring has sprung and the canvas has become transparent in spots. The awning has done a good job in harsh conditions from the Atlantic shores to North Pacfic at Alaska.

silversand · Answer

Skip wrote:The awning has done a good job in harsh conditions from the Atlantic shores to North Pacfic at Alaska. Skip: wow! That awning has indeed had it's share of harsh environment/time on your camper.I had worried about ours because of the nearly exclusive camping we now do directly along the Atlantic shoreline (salt spray/mist continually finding its way into every crevice, including seemingly hidden fastener points). I'm constantly touching up our jacks from small stone chip rust (I also now wrap the top of the 4 jacks in saran-wrap and hold the plastic down with elastic bands when camping (but not when moving) within salt spray distance of the ocean(s). And because we don't ever lower our jacks (or, dismount the camper) I put a sealing coat of white lithium grease along the seam where the inner jack leg and outer leg meet, to keep salt mist from penetrating UP the inner jack leg.Cheers!

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Fiamma rear awning: screw mount maintenance check

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