How to Keep Water from Pooling in Your Awning
If you have ever experienced saggy, water-filled awnings on your RV, you know how frustrating the problem can be. Fortunately, there are both answers and solutions to the issue.
What Causes Water Pooling Problems?
There are several factors that might cause issues in your slide out awning, including the following.
1. Poor Tension
Awnings rely on a solid, supportive frame to keep the fabric stretched flat and tight. Poor tension typically results in a saggy center, which acts as a water collection pool. Tension is the main cause of water pooling in your awning.
2. Stretched Fabric
Not every water issue is caused by tension. Over time, the fabric of your awning tends to relax. Heavy snow, rain, and wind often stretch the fabric and leave it thin or uneven. Unfortunately, stretched fabric results in water pooling. It also causes a lot of wind flapping. When this happens, even pulling the edges taut won’t help.
Low Quality Awning Fabrics
As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Overall awning wear is inevitable, but low-quality fabric deteriorates much quicker than that produced by a reliable company. If you are fighting water pooling after only a short time of owning your awning, it might be a simple quality problem.
How to Combat Poor Awning Tension
There are two main tips you can employ to keep water from pooling in your awning.
1. Adjust the Support.
Sometimes to save money, you just have to “DIY.” Placing a beach ball underneath the pooling area helps raise the low spot and even the fabric out. You can also build your own support frame out of PVC pipe, wood, etc. These are good short-term solutions that may not be ideal, but they do the trick.
2. Invest in a high-quality replacement awning.
If you do need to replace your slide-out awning fabric, it’s best to replace it with one that will hold up for a long time. Many mobile owners are tempted to go the easy route and grab whatever is available, but a little bit of investment will go a long way toward saving you future money.
Traveling in an RV is the perfect way to make a lifetime of memories, but don’t forget the importance of maintenance. Investing in high-quality RV accessories will improve both the comfort and quality of your trip.
RV Awnings specializes in making awning fabric of the highest standard and offers a variety of options. If you would like to order a replacement awning fabric, call us today.