question on power awnings

I checked the installation/operation manual, and the only thing I can find that addresses the wind issue at all is a warning that says:

The A&E Power Patio Awning is extremely
durable and can be operated during light
rain and wind conditions. However, when periods
of heavy rain, or wind is expected; or
you leave the awning unattended the awning
should be closed. Damage caused by wind
and rain is not covered by warranty.

Seems to me that if the unit was designed to fold up in high winds and avoid damage, the owner's manual would say that and wind damage wouldn't be excluded from the warranty. They do, after all, go to the trouble to explain that releasing the power switch will cause the awning to stop moving, which I would think would be more obvious and intuitive than an awning that is designed to withstand high winds.
Sure would like some evidence.

MM49 wrote:
You’re not very bright! The power awning has joint right below the shock absorber mount. The join will bend in high wind and the shock absorber will gently allow the fabric and beam to fold on to the roof. Mine has done that at least ten times, and it is a 20' awning. The new awnings are made of even lighter material that the manual ones. Tying them will guarantee damage to them.
MM49

So you tell people that they are 'wrong' and 'not very bright' (stupid) from the safety of your Internet connection, eh? Bet you don't do that in real life. At least not for long.

For what its worth I am a practising licensed professorial engineer and I get paid a fair wage for my work. I know how links work.

Moreover I have seen how my awning behaves in wind. l KNOW how it 'kneels' in the wind such that the roller comes back to the trailer side at roof edge. That is what it is supposed to do, and I don't need smart people like you to tell me that.

The people here who manage to have a different POV than you and who manage to do it gracefully and with some class are talking about wind gusts that could attack the deployed awning in such a way to overwhelm the as-designed collapse behaviour you insist on. Up to now you have not explained the mechanics of how the pole and tie downs will hurt or damage the awning. Instead you keep insisting that it just will, while insulting other forum members at the same time. You provide a link to Dometic that proves nothing and does not disprove the use of struts (poles to you) and tiedowns. Why not use your smarts to Google some awning destruction? Here are a couple for you. Notice the shock absorbers. But wait - these people, like me, must have been not very bright.

wmoses wrote:

MM49 wrote:
If you tie them down the fabric will catch the wind and tear. When it is left to move it just folds up and lies on the roof.
MM49

If that is your reason I will take my chances tying the awning down.

There is a great deal of strength in material loaded in-plane that a lot of folks, engineers even, don't give credit for. If the awning material is not in good condition (e.g. the edge may have a small tear initiation site) then I agree the wind can catch that 'sail' and rip the awning. OTOH, if the awning is in good condition then the potential for failure is back with the supporting structure.

On my previous RV I had a manual awning which had a triangulated frame back to the side of the trailer - very stable and strong arrangement. That awning was in wind gusts of 25+ mph and had no ill effects. Probably could have withstood higher gusts too. It worked because the structure was well braced, tied down and stable. The electric awning l have now could not withstand the same wind buffeting, I am sure.

As for folding over and lying on the roof, I would have to wonder what condition the arms would be in after the event. I expect that there would be deformation in the arms which would not function as designed.

Unless you have some sort of proof of survivability after an over-the-roof event, I don't think that it is fair to simply dismiss the use of awning supports and tie-downs and to tell those who like to use them that they are 'wrong'.

You’re not very bright! The power awning has joint right below the shock absorber mount. The join will bend in high wind and the shock absorber will gently allow the fabric and beam to fold on to the roof. Mine has done that at least ten times, and it is a 20' awning. The new awnings are made of even lighter material that the manual ones. Tying them will guarantee damage to them.
MM49Awning Description

MM49 wrote:
If you tie them down the fabric will catch the wind and tear. When it is left to move it just folds up and lies on the roof.
MM49

If that is your reason I will take my chances tying the awning down.

There is a great deal of strength in material loaded in-plane that a lot of folks, engineers even, don't give credit for. If the awning material is not in good condition (e.g. the edge may have a small tear initiation site) then I agree the wind can catch that 'sail' and rip the awning. OTOH, if the awning is in good condition then the potential for failure is back with the supporting structure.

On my previous RV I had a manual awning which had a triangulated frame back to the side of the trailer - very stable and strong arrangement. That awning was in wind gusts of 25+ mph and had no ill effects. Probably could have withstood higher gusts too. It worked because the structure was well braced, tied down and stable. The electric awning l have now could not withstand the same wind buffeting, I am sure.

As for folding over and lying on the roof, I would have to wonder what condition the arms would be in after the event. I expect that there would be deformation in the arms which would not function as designed.

Unless you have some sort of proof of survivability after an over-the-roof event, I don't think that it is fair to simply dismiss the use of awning supports and tie-downs and to tell those who like to use them that they are 'wrong'.

"If you tie them down the fabric will catch the wind and tear. When it is left to move it just folds up and lies on the roof.
MM49 "

LMAO! Not a chance of that ever happening my friend. :S Show me just one awning that has arms that fold back flat onto the roof. When a large gust of wind catches a deployed awning that fabric and the arms that are deployed to support it are going to be damaged if not destroyed outright. :E

MM49 wrote:

Desert Captain wrote:

MM49 wrote:
The Awnings are designed to collapse and fold up in the wind. They will end up on the roof without damage. You don't want to tie them down with straps or poles.
MM40

You simply wrong.
MM49

What you are saying goes against what most know to be true, including an awful lot of people with awnings that have been destroyed by high winds.
I'm going to need some kind of reference or supporting evidence before I can believe it's true.

I did find a video on youtube demonstrating an auto retracting awning in wind up to 90 kph (about 56 mph). But I would venture to guess most of us don't have awnings of this type. I don't, and the OP certainly doesn't, either. So, while interesting from and academic standpoint, it's not applicable in this case.
Of course, if you are willing to accept the responsibility of replacing the OP's awning in the case of wind damage suffered by following your advice, that'd be a different story altogether. ;)

Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef-Xks-GmbY

Here is a great video showing how to use both an electric and manual awning. The guy also mentions tie-downs for the electric awning (though I've never seen any commercially available).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_9QUgGynTs

Desert Captain wrote:

MM49 wrote:
The Awnings are designed to collapse and fold up in the wind. They will end up on the roof without damage. You don't want to tie them down with straps or poles.
MM40

I must disagree. I have never seen an awning that won't destroy itself and probably severely damage the RV that it was attached to when the wind takes it. The chances of it ending up undamaged on the roof are slim and none (and Slim just left town). :S

The arms on awnings, be they manual or electric, do not simply fold up when stressed. One good unexpected gust and you will have often jagged edged metal struts flying around with the very real possibility of inflicting serious injuries. This is why we NEVER leave the awning up at night or when we leave our site.

As Always....m Opinions and YMMV. :C

You simply wrong.
MM49

Desert Captain wrote:

MM49 wrote:
The Awnings are designed to collapse and fold up in the wind. They will end up on the roof without damage. You don't want to tie them down with straps or poles.
MM40

I must disagree. I have never seen an awning that won't destroy itself and probably severely damage the RV that it was attached to when the wind takes it. The chances of it ending up undamaged on the roof are slim and none (and Slim just left town). :S

The arms on awnings, be they manual or electric, do not simply fold up when stressed. One good unexpected gust and you will have often jagged edged metal struts flying around with the very real possibility of inflicting serious injuries. This is why we NEVER leave the awning up at night or when we leave our site.

As Always....m Opinions and YMMV. :C

You simply wrong.
MM49

wmoses wrote:

MM49 wrote:
The Awnings are designed to collapse and fold up in the wind. They will end up on the roof without damage. You don't want to tie them down with straps or poles.
MM40

Even if designed to do as you said, what's the harm in tying them down?

If you tie them down the fabric will catch the wind and tear. When it is left to move it just folds up and lies on the roof.
MM49

MM49 wrote:
The Awnings are designed to collapse and fold up in the wind. They will end up on the roof without damage. You don't want to tie them down with straps or poles.
MM40

Even if designed to do as you said, what's the harm in tying them down?