Help with awning

[Njmurvin]

I have an 18’ power awning. I believe it to be a Carefree of Colorado product (so says a label on the spool). The two layer fabric is breaking down within the first foot or two from the trailer. The top layer is peeling off where it is exposed to the sun when in storage.

First of all, since the rest of the awning is in good shape, is there something I can use to repair the peeled section? My assumption is that I will have to replace the entire fabric.

Secondly, does anyone make a retrofit cover that will prevent this from happening again? I see there are removable covers on Amazon but I’d like something affixed to the awning that stays on permanently and protects the awning fabric from the sun while it’s rolled up.

[ReneeG]

Our Alumaguard is silver and was used, hence we got a great deal from our RV tech in installing it. The best thing since electric awnings!

[laknox]

I've seen some people who have slit light pvc pipe and put it over their awnings. Cut in shorter lengths for storage. You can buy the same sort of thing commercially, but a =lot= more expensive. The various "Alumaguard" covers run from $200 for very short awnings to $800 for the longest ones and most are black. Why TF would I want to put a =black= awing cover on my awning when I live in AZ? Just another stupid idea from the RV industry. The =original= Alumaguards were at least brushed aluminum finish. I've spent about 3 hours looking to find them, but they seem to have disappeared in favor of black.

Lyle

[Njmurvin]

valhalla360 wrote:
They usually fail in the first foot from the edge of the trailer as it's exposed to UV damage all the time. The rest is protected by being inside the role when not deployed.

There are some tapes that can act as a temporary fix to get by but not a great long term solution. We actually had good luck with just a piece of eternabond tape where there was a small tear on the edge of an otherwise good canvas. Lasted 3yrs but looked redneck.

They do make an aluminum cover that forms the first part of the awning that keeps it out of the sun when rolled up but the fabric is usually good for around 10yrs, so unless you are planning to keep your 10yr old trailer for more than 10yrs, probably not worth the trouble.

It's not that hard to replace the fabric and not too bad of a price. Several places online you can order it from and youtube can show you how to do it. (or just pay an RV tech for an hour to do it)

Exactly! It's only the first foot or so of the awning that's damaged from sun exposure while rolled up. Seems such a waste to have to replace the entire awning because of this. I bought this unit 5 years ago and the awnings were replaced at that time by the dealer I bought it from. So, the OEM awning only lasted 5 years. Here we are 5 years later and it needs it again. If it weren't for the sun exposure on the rolled up part of the awning, it would easily have lasted 10 years or more. That's why I'm looking for sun protection for the next awning that I buy. It looks like the Alumaguard may just do the trick IF it can work with the Carefree electric mechanism.

[Fisher_Bill]

Good post, I am having same issues as OP

[WinMinnie02]

Replaced awnings on 2 slides and 1 large awning over entrance. Instructions and OEM fabric not bad DIY project. Tools, ladder, OE fabric, not cheap after market ones from Amazon. Again DIY is a big plus for RVing.

[ReneeG]

valhalla360 wrote:


They do make an aluminum cover that forms the first part of the awning that keeps it out of the sun when rolled up but the fabric is usually good for around 10yrs, so unless you are planning to keep your 10yr old trailer for more than 10yrs, probably not worth the trouble.

Alumaguard

[valhalla360]

They usually fail in the first foot from the edge of the trailer as it's exposed to UV damage all the time. The rest is protected by being inside the role when not deployed.

There are some tapes that can act as a temporary fix to get by but not a great long term solution. We actually had good luck with just a piece of eternabond tape where there was a small tear on the edge of an otherwise good canvas. Lasted 3yrs but looked redneck.

They do make an aluminum cover that forms the first part of the awning that keeps it out of the sun when rolled up but the fabric is usually good for around 10yrs, so unless you are planning to keep your 10yr old trailer for more than 10yrs, probably not worth the trouble.

It's not that hard to replace the fabric and not too bad of a price. Several places online you can order it from and youtube can show you how to do it. (or just pay an RV tech for an hour to do it)

[agesilaus]

OK we used some tape from this page: awning repair tape

We used the 5 inch wide Camco and it has held up for 18 months. I still intend to replace the fabric with vinyl

[ReneeG]

We have what's called an Aluma-guard. It is permanently attached to the awning and when the awning is rolled up, the Aluma-guard engulfs and covers it. We replaced our original vinyl awning fabric with acrylic fabric. It breathes and doesn't need washing or molds since it's protected by the aluma-guard when rolled up.