I've been doing a little research about electric awnings. I ran across an RVNet thread from last year discussing electric vs manual. One person said he ties down his awning, has the de-flappers, and uses buckets to hold down the awning. Attached is the result of a gust of wind that ruined our friend's awning. The awning was being held down by TWO FORTY pound cement BLOCKS. You ask if the straps broke.....noooooo. He found one of the blocks on the back side of his rig. The wind took the awning up and over and the 40# block went with it........he found the block in the field behind his rig. Thankfully, his rig wasn't damaged and there was no one camped behind him!!!!!! So, if you think those buckets full of rocks will hold down an awning in a big gust of wind.....think again. :)

Quit using lights attached to the awning a few years ago for this very reason. When leaving we always rolled up the awning, at the first sign of high wind, we always rolled up the awning.Now that we have an electric awning, it's soooooooo nice to just push a button at the first sign of heavy rain or high wind and don't even have to go outside anymore! We still roll the awning up when we leave, even a short while. I may be insured, but I don't want to be inconvenienced with a broken camper!Your story reminds me of those middle-ages gigantic catapults, flinging pumpkins through the air! 40 pound block of concrete landing on someones camper, or worse, hitting someone .... well ... THAT would just simply ruin someone's day now, wouldn't it?

I never tie ours down, always take in when we leave or at night, but then we've only stayed one place for more than four days. Once in a while when I haven't been paying attention the wind sensor will pull it back in when wind comes up.Bill

Oh no...we roll that awning up at the mere threat of storms or any high winds. The button inside and thus the ease of rolling it up makes it rather silly not to. Don't have time or patience for such a misadventure.

I dont get it every storm in our state park one or more people lose their awning. When we first got a camper it did not have an awning but even I knew to put it away at night and if there is a hint of wind! I would love an electric one!!!!

ours had the wind sensor (imo its worthless, rolls up at the slightest fart)....we roll ours up if we leave.Ive forgotten to roll it up sometimes when we went to bed - storm rolled in, i heard it & hit the button !i like the convenience of the electric awning.

Warning -- wind damage.....awnings! | Good Sam Community

linnemj
Explorer
Aug 09, 2014
I worry about wind damaging our 28' awning. Since we camp mostly to tour, we rarely use our awning. We do very little sitting - always going somewhere or doing something!
wbwood
Explorer
Aug 09, 2014
austinjenna wrote:
The manual awning allows me to put one side lower so no water collects and we can still be outside when it rains.

So does my electric awning.

Our electric awning has the dump feature. Just tighten the knob on one side and if the rains gets to heavy, it will "dump" on the other end. Stays level until it needs to dump. Just got to remember to loosen the knob before bringing it in.
wbwood
Explorer
Aug 09, 2014
We do not leave our awning out if we are leaving the park/campground. If at the beach and the weather is ok with a slight breeze, we will strap it down. If it gets to wear we feel it's getting too strong, then we will pull in the awning. If we leave the park/campground, we pull in the awning.

We have done the same practice on the manual awning on the TT we had and still do it the same on the motorhomes auto awning. We do not use lights on the awning in case we need to pull it in quickly. We used to with the TT, but had stop before we got rid of it.
GoPackGo
Explorer
Aug 08, 2014
What we need is an awning with big built-in flaps that will flip open when the wind comes along, just like the NASCAR boys have in the roofs of their cars. I can see some problems that need to be overcome but if we can put a man on the moon . . . .

Any inventers out there ??
Lantley
Nomad
Aug 08, 2014
Good Point Dutchman Sport on not hanging things on the electric awning.
I have gotten away from using awning lights more so do to laziness vs. the awning issue.
I have devised a way to attach lights to side of trailer using suction cups to avoid hanging them on the electric awning.
But for convenience sake and to maintain the ability to retract the awning in a hurry I agree not to hang lights on them.
In order to like the electric awning you must focus on the convenience factor. You must learn to enjoy the convenience over any other issue
DutchmenSport
Explorer
Aug 08, 2014
Lantley wrote:
hotpepperkid wrote:
I have my first and last electric awning. I hate it. There is no flexablity. Its either in or out.

Originally I felt the same way you did about my electric awning.
I disliked it as well. It's either in or out.
But eventually I caught on that either I was in or out as well.
If I was going to be out push the button and awning goes out! If I was coming in push the button awning comes in just as easily. No set up or take down either way. No worries. As mentioned earlier electric awning
takes a different mindset.

Totally agree. And agree with austingenna too about being able to lean one side lower. Do mine all the time.

The only down-side I have found to the electric awning, especially if you want the EASE of pushing a button any time ... you don't want to hang a bunch of stuff on the awning because if you push the button, all that stuff has to come off first. But that is true for a manual awning too. So we don't hang anything on the awning any more, like we use to with a manual awning. Haven't missed that "junk" hanging there either because the ease of pushing a button in the middle of the night because the wind picked up, butt naked is priceless!
austinjenna
Explorer
Aug 08, 2014
The manual awning allows me to put one side lower so no water collects and we can still be outside when it rains.

So does my electric awning.
Lantley
Nomad
Aug 08, 2014
hotpepperkid wrote:
I have my first and last electric awning. I hate it. There is no flexablity. Its either in or out.

Originally I felt the same way you did about my electric awning.
I disliked it as well. It's either in or out.
But eventually I caught on that either I was in or out as well.
If I was going to be out push the button and awning goes out! If I was coming in push the button awning comes in just as easily. No set up or take down either way. No worries. As mentioned earlier electric awning
takes a different mindset.
OldRadios
Explorer
Aug 08, 2014
No motorized awning and don't want one. Don't leave it out at night or when we're not there. Sometimes it rains with no wind. The manual awning allows me to put one side lower so no water collects and we can still be outside when it rains. Only takes me a minute to bring it out or roll it up anyway.
hotpepperkid
Explorer
Aug 08, 2014
I have my first and last electric awning. I hate it. There is no flexablity. Its either in or out.

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Warning -- wind damage.....awnings!

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