Awning - is it just for sun?

Hi

I have the usual awning mounted on the side of my van, and wondered whether or not it should be used when its raining.

I was told by the guy doing the handover that it mustn't be used in the rain, but I'm left wondering if this was like the rest of the rubbish he spouted, or whether he has actually managed to get one thing right.

Sally
x

Have you been back yet?

I only put mine up twice because as soon as I got it up the wind turned blustery and I didn't want it being thrown about. As winds tend to come with rain I preferred to get the awning in as the rain arrived. However I only had the few pegs holding the legs in place. If I had more substantial guy ropes it may have been different.

So to answer your question, I don't know but I would have expected something in big writing somewhere to tell you NOT to do it. I would also suggest making sure one leg was longer than the other to encourage the water to run away, not gather.

Agreed. No problem at all in the rain, so long as the water doesn't pool. That can rip the whole awning off the van - we've seen it happen!

A pair of these might be worth considering for when the ground is not too hard or stony to wind them in. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]  

It's amazing how powerful a gust of wind can be under an awning. On one occasion two of us (big blokes) lunged for an awning when a sudden gust arrived, and it lifted us both off our feet for a moment. Without our considerable weight it would have gone over the top of the van and done a lot of expensive damage.

I would suggest you never leave your awning all the way out, even to pop quickly to a nearby shop. It only takes one gust, and by winding it in so only a foot or two is still out, you can provide a porch awning (sort of!) and the wind won't get under it.

No issues at all using them in the rain, with the precautions already mentioned to prevent water pooling.

Mine has saved many a barbecue when the weather has turned wet and within reason, with a bit of common sense, it withstands a fair bit of wind too. 

I use circular plastic plates that hold the awning feet in place, but take 4 pegs to secure the plates to the ground. I put the pegs in at mixed angles and don't hammer them fully home, which allows me to slide the feet out without pulling all the pegs.
I also use a storm strap, which is sprung at one end and takes heavier duty pegs. 
In addition to those, I have further securing straps that clip in to the fascia slot of the awning, but I've never needed to use them.

Ken.

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[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is the strap Ken uses I think.

If you order one, take care to get a yellow one. They also come in black, which seems daft to me unless you really want to trip people over at night!!   (Assuming you leave the awning out at night, which I wouldn't. Apart from anything else they can be noisy in even a gentle breeze.)

That's the one Dave, but I don't suffer from wind noise .... Not since I started putting a few twists in the straps !

These are the foot plates....

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and the fascia straps that I never use....

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dbroada wrote:Have you been back yet?

I’m going on Friday. 

Hell hath no fury.......

Sally
X

Many thanks for all the help and advice. I never thought of the wind being an issue, so I’ll check out some straps. Good point about avoiding water pooling too. 

It’s so helpful being able to talk to people who have actually used one. 

All the best
Sally
X

Sally,

Something that you might find useful when you use your awning in the sunshine.

Fiamma make a set of hooks that slide into the groove at the front of the awning.

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Apart from being handy to hang towels, lanterns etc on they are very handy to use with a sunshade of some sort. Stops the evening or morning sun shining in your eyes and gives you a bit of privacy. We have a couple of silver grey shower curtains ( Poundshop, years ago, which look very smart and are very effective. 

We helped pick up the remnants of an awning last winter, ripped off the van in a sudden gust of wind that came from no- where. They are rather vulnerable.

@Kingham What's that sliding alloy framework on your roof there Ken?

A little off topic....sorry   But what is your wind break kingham? Like the look of that

We were staying a few days in the lovely site at Carcasonne in southern France.

One lovely sunny evening, when we were mid barbecue, I noticed the sky becoming very odd looking and the light was dimming.  I did not like the look of it and immediately started to prepare the awning for winding in.

Before I even got as far as connecting the winder, we were hit with a dreadful wind storm that, in a few seconds, totally destroyed the awning but fortunately did not damage the 'van. The top of awning and everything else was covered in debris from the surrounding trees.  A few minutes later and all was still again.

Next morning I cleaned all the rubbish off and managed to almost get the awning wound back in, leaving about 75mm that could not fit in because of the damage.  I parked up against a stone wall, stood on top and secured the awning with some substantial cable ties I always carry with me which got us through the rest of the holiday

We purchased a replacement at the York motorhome show which they fitted as well.  They struggled to get the old one off the 'van but eventually managed after much pulling and levering to break the sealing compound.

Next day, after some rain, we noticed water running down below the lounge window.  They had damaged the window seal with all their pulling of the awning.  All in all, an expensive incident.

Suffered a damaged awning two years ago down in Spain. Awning was out and moored with securing straps attached in the usual way( Fiamma kit). Started to rain rather heavily, followed by a strong wind, with a sudden bang, the front awning support twisted and brought the whole lot down. Managed to remove the front and rear supports , roll the awning in and fixed with lashing tape for the journey home. Learnt a lesson, when in doubt with the weather, roll the awning in, especially at night , every time!!

RogerThat wrote:@Kingham What's that sliding alloy framework on your roof there Ken?

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It slides over the driver's side, then winches down so the kayak can be loaded and unloaded at waist height.

Lorfal wrote:A little off topic....sorry   But what is your wind break kingham? Like the look of that

It is the Kampa Pro shown in Peter's link. They also do a larger 5 panel, but the 3 does me.

It's quite heavy, but free standing and as can be seen, is suitable for hardstandings.

Whatever you do, do not attach any of the awning guy lines to the roof rack of your car, even temporarily! We saw someone on the Zell am Zee site in Austria drive off to get some supplies and rip his awning right off his caravan, bending the aluminium struts in the process. We all shouted at him to stop but he just kept going! What a mess!

Of course on here, this comment only applies to those motorhome owners towing a car! 

Someone is bound to tell me that the analogy is not relevant, but I thought I would mention it anyway!

Pete

Yes, use it in all weather except high winds. As suggested use a tie down kit and one of these, or similar - ours is aluminium,  [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] then you can leave all the fixings in place, slide the feet out and release the tie down kit, and pack it away in minutes if the weather changes - and put it back up as quickly in exactly the same place.  It's nice to have a dry spot outside the van even in the wettest weather.  However - we don't often leave ours up if we're out for the day and remember to put it out to dry if you pack it away wet.
Rich..

Quilter wrote:Sally,

Something that you might find useful when you use your awning in the sunshine.

Fiamma make a set of hooks that slide into the groove at the front of the awning.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Apart from being handy to hang towels, lanterns etc on they are very handy to use with a sunshade of some sort. Stops the evening or morning sun shining in your eyes and gives you a bit of privacy. We have a couple of silver grey shower curtains ( Poundshop, years ago, which look very smart and are very effective. 

We helped pick up the remnants of an awning last winter, ripped off the van in a sudden gust of wind that came from no- where. They are rather vulnerable.

I’ll certainly check that out, it looks very interesting. I’m so glad I checked on here, I never gave the wind issue a moments thought. 

Many thanks
Sally
X

RML wrote:Yes, use it in all weather except high winds. As suggested use a tie down kit and one of these, or similar - ours is aluminium,  [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] then you can leave all the fixings in place, slide the feet out and release the tie down kit, and pack it away in minutes if the weather changes - and put it back up as quickly in exactly the same place.  It's nice to have a dry spot outside the van even in the wettest weather.  However - we don't often leave ours up if we're out for the day and remember to put it out to dry if you pack it away wet.
Rich..

Hi - just so that I’m clear, is it best practice to use both these AND the tie downs?

Many thanks
Sally
X

Sally wrote:

RML wrote:Yes, use it in all weather except high winds. As suggested use a tie down kit and one of these, or similar - ours is aluminium,  [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] then you can leave all the fixings in place, slide the feet out and release the tie down kit, and pack it away in minutes if the weather changes - and put it back up as quickly in exactly the same place.  It's nice to have a dry spot outside the van even in the wettest weather.  However - we don't often leave ours up if we're out for the day and remember to put it out to dry if you pack it away wet.
Rich..

Hi - just so that I’m clear, is it best practice to use both these AND the tie downs?

Many thanks
Sally
X

I use both if there's the slightest hint of wind, better safe than sorry.  They're a few £ cheaper in the Amazon link 

Sally wrote:

RML wrote:Yes, use it in all weather except high winds. As suggested use a tie down kit and one of these, or similar - ours is aluminium,  [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] then you can leave all the fixings in place, slide the feet out and release the tie down kit, and pack it away in minutes if the weather changes - and put it back up as quickly in exactly the same place.  It's nice to have a dry spot outside the van even in the wettest weather.  However - we don't often leave ours up if we're out for the day and remember to put it out to dry if you pack it away wet.
Rich..

Hi - just so that I’m clear, is it best practice to use both these AND the tie downs?

Many thanks
Sally
X

For the sake of a few quid I would say yes.  I do, and I haven't lost one yet.

Rich..