2017 Hideout 24BHSWE Awning Question...

[GoBigGuy]

Hi All,

Just picked up a 2017 Hideout 24BHSWE a few weeks ago and going to take it out this weekend. I'm trying to figure out at what wind speed I should pull in my awning?

Thanks!

[sourdough]

Folks all probably do it differently but I pull mine in 1) if we are going to leave the trailer for any length of time, 2) at night if storms are predicted, or 3) if the wind blows hard enough to make it pop and jump. Of course in heavy rain I pull it in as well. It will self dump but in a heavy storm it will accumulate a lot of water on top before it dumps and I don't want to stretch the fabric. Others will chime in with their ideas as well.

Edit: In a rain storm I always tilt the awning down in one corner even tho it self dumps.

[66joej]

Back when I had a motorhome the wind sensor on the electric awning was set at 25mph. In other words it automatically rolled in at wind speeds above that. Not sure if your's is electric or manual. They may differ as to wind tolerance.

[PARAPTOR]

Do not have a number but when it looks like the rig may take to the air with awnings flopping, I shut them. Usually never leave awning open when not there and bad weather around the corner. Better safe than sorry :facepalm:

Some people feel comfortable with tying down the awning roll when open. I never have :hide:

[Tbos]

I do it the way Sourdough does it.


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[JRTJH]

Another consideration that so far, hasn't been discussed. THE AWNING RAIL... We have a number of reports on the forum about awning rails pulling away from the trailer sidewall and allowing water to leak into the trailer (behind the loose awning rail). Sometimes awning rails are attached to a metal backing plate, sometimes they are screwed into the FILON and all that's holding the rail is Butyl putty tape and a few screws into the fiberglass.

Now, consider an awning that's "flopping in the breeze" and pulling the awning fabric putting stress on the awning rail. Consider an awning that's extended, a rain starts, the awning fills with 20 or 30 gallons of water, automatically dumps, fills again, dumps and the owner thinks "It's all good, the awning is dumping".... Now think about that awning rail, the weight of an extra 30 gallons of water (30x8.3=249) weighing about 250 pounds, pulling on the awning rail.....

OK, your trailer, your decisions, but I never leave the awning in "auto dump mode" when it's raining. I lower one end of the awning so all the water will run off the fabric, not pool and pull against the awning rail. I also never let the awning "flop in the breeze". If the wind is blowing enough to billow the awning, by the time the first "flop" is finished, I'm on the awning switch, pulling it in until "calmer breezes are found".....

It goes without saying, if I'm not in the trailer or in the campsite, the awning is rolled up and stowed.

Your views may differ.....