Door awning...is it really useless???

smlranger · 09-04-2006, 03:30 PM

OK, my rig has the same type of awning over the entry door as I see on most DP's. Not very big, rolls out flat. No slope to it so it doesn't provide much shade unless the sun is directly overhead and I would think it would fill with rainwater pretty quickly, so not much help there....so, what is it really good for

?

smlranger · 09-04-2006, 03:30 PM

OK, my rig has the same type of awning over the entry door as I see on most DP's. Not very big, rolls out flat. No slope to it so it doesn't provide much shade unless the sun is directly overhead and I would think it would fill with rainwater pretty quickly, so not much help there....so, what is it really good for

?

AFChap · 09-04-2006, 04:13 PM

Our's has very little slope, but does have a little. I've never noticed it pooling water in rain. True it doesn't provide much shade on the windows, but we like it mostly to provide a little shelter from heavier rain when opening the door. It would be even better if some water didn't come between the awning and the wall to drip off the top of the door when you open it! I plan to try some "stick-on" rain gutter stuff on the bottom edge of the window above the door to try to channel the water to either side of the door.

GG1 · 09-04-2006, 04:57 PM

It provides for a lot of interesting reading on this web site due its many problems. A manual pull down would have been much more practical. It works best when its not being used!!!!

Zimectrin · 09-05-2006, 04:00 AM

The functionality of the door awning is one of the things that has caused me to wonder if it would be fun to start a thread with a topic like...

"Things in/on my motorhome that I wonder why I have"

Knowing the people of IRV2, I think it would be a 'hoot' to read.

Ed Gardiser · 09-05-2006, 05:54 PM

Zimectrin
Or you will run into people like me that will think that all you will hear is a "B" iching about everything that could have been done better or another way.I know that it is only human nature to always talk about the bad things in life including our motorhomes,but when you think about it,actually there are many more good things than bad with our motorhomes.They are one big mechanical monster which is prone to fail at some point.
Ed Gardiser
Escondido,Ca.
04 Vectra
87 Nissan PickUp
FMCA

John_Canfield · 09-05-2006, 07:23 PM

Gary - our door awning has been invaluable up here since it has rained about 90% of the time. Don't think it has much value for sun but I am really glad we have it for the rain

GG1 · 09-06-2006, 03:03 AM

I thought I read in the awning manual that the company suggests you retract it in the rain.

Cruzer · 09-06-2006, 03:40 AM

Ditto on the "no shade" value but we find it extremely handy to keep the rain from entering the stairwell. Plus it comes with a keyless remote so you can buzz out both the door and main awnings from your toad (as long as you keep the remote in the toad or your pocket

) whewn you return to your coach and it's raining. It definitely helps keep you and the stairwell dry. We haven't had any trouble with ours and use it quite a bit.

AdrianLee · 09-06-2006, 04:02 AM

Gary,

Ditto on the rain protection unlessthe wind is blowing pretty good from the right direction. We have had a pretty good amount of rain here this summer and we leave the door awning out all the time. You never know when you will need it.

bellsharbor · 09-06-2006, 06:50 AM

Boy, I am sure glad you asked that question! We just purchased this coach and were wondering the same thing. It just looks wrong. I had the manual pull down door awning on the last coach and it worked well. In all fairness, I haven't really tried this one out yet. It has tie down straps with it, has anyone used them? Speaking of awnings, how does the larger "one step" power awning work in the rain? Does it dump water? Thanks for shedding "shade" on this subject!

AFChap · 09-07-2006, 06:28 AM

I've not seen tie downs on powered door awnings ...can't imagine how that would work on my Carefree version.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">how does the larger "one step" power awning work in the rain? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I have a Carefree "one touch" patio awning and haven't had any problems with pooling water ...we have used it a lot in the rain.

CHIPPYSGT · 09-07-2006, 11:24 AM

My manual says it is not for rain protection, only shade. Having said that, mine works pretty well in rainy conditions, though it does leak down the sidewall between the frame and the coach wall.