el.jefe wrote:
With my old manual awning, I used to put stakes in the ground and use ratchet straps to tie it down. Never had an issue or thought about bringing it in in high winds. Now with the power awning I'm afraid of every little gust of wind and I've been bringing it in every night. DW thinks I'm being paranoid. I'm wondering how many others bring it in every night? Or do you leave it out if the weather forecast is decent?
You certainly are not being paranoid. A small gust will cause the electric awning to move. A strong enough gust will destroy it.
We camp seasonally and started with our Class C motorhome which had an electric awning. We camp directly across from a farm, so it can get windy at our site when it is windy no where else. We used tie downs with heavy duty 7" springs. The springs allow the awing to gently move in heavy winds so the awning fabric doesn't stretch or rip. They also take stress off the anchors during a windy spell.
If you use the tie downs, don't make the mistake I see lots of people make. For some reason, people think it is a good idea to put the anchors in front of the awning (meaning away from the side of the camper). This puts the tie downs at an angle that is easy for the wind to just rip the anchors out of the ground. The anchors should be inline with the awning tube making it more difficult for wind to pull the anchors out of the ground.
After 4 seasons at our windy site, we've had lots of storms with high winds and the awning has survived without issue. We had one storm where winds were predicted at 20 - 30 mph gusts, but we got much strong gusts than that. The awning survived, but the springs didn't - they were stretched from 7" to more than 2 feet. The Camco tie down kit was $18 and the new springs were about $10. Best $28 insurance we've ever purchased it.
-Michael
