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Canvas awning over slide out

Yahoo Message Number: 77967
The stitching on the canvas over the slide outs is loosening and there is a total separation on one. Has anyone dealt with this issue and who is THE person to see for the repair/replacement? Thanks in advance, Roger Harper
2006 Intrigue
# 11990

Re: Canvas awning over slide out

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 77968
Roger,

We had our slide out covers re-sewd by Sew Masters here in Yuma last year. Cost $20 for one.... You just need to remove them which is not very hard just need a friend to help you....

Ken Mikkelson

2005 Inspire 51494

Re: Canvas awning over slide out

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 77971
That's another reason I went back to Zip Dee. All the awning companies may use similar fabric, but how it is stitched, installed, and interfaced are totally up to the awning manufacturer. If you look closely you will see why Zip Dee is the superior Old Fashion product. There's a lady in Eugene, who makes replacements for torn or worn awnings. I understand she will double stitch and make the best replacments for your awnings if you wish. I have forgotten her name, but you can contact Joe at Northwest RV supply in Eugene Oregon. And I am sure the folks at Oregon Motor Coach Service Center know of her, too.
TWI 2004 Intrigue 11731
 

Re: Canvas awning over slide out

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 77972
Roger - We dealt with this issue on many occasions. Our bus was equipped with Carefree of Colorado awning toppers. The seams both front and back let go first and we stitched them by hand in place. Then the long beading seem let go where the material is attached to the bus. High winds killed that one. It was too long a stitch to consider doing by hand. In the dead of winter we had to remove the awning fabric and take it to a place that works with canvas. Luckily Sugar House Awnings (located in Salt Lake City, UT) was nearby. They make custom covers for marine applications and many other outside usages. $10 bucks and 10 minutes later we had a newly stitched awning and were out the door. They were very nice to deal with.
The challenging part will be removing the fabric from the bus. Replacing the locker screws (each side of channel) with SS hardware is a good idea. For reasons I can't understand the OEM hardware was zinc plated and it promptly rusted to bits. Locking the spring in the drum and removing it (to include the fabric) is a bit tricky, awkward and clumsy. Be careful working at height and get a second pair of hands. In our case, I have scaffolding boards I attach on my van's roof carrier with C-clamps. I then back the van up next to the bus which provides an easy (and safe) elevated platform to work from. It spans the length of the longest slide.
As a side note, a hole developed in one of the bedroom slide toppers. I ordered a new one from Carefree of Colorado for $175. Dealing with them is almost a joke. And for the price one pays, the quality of their product is well below where it should be. They didn't bother to apply proper sealant to the material either. Just for the record it isn't canvas but an acrylic fabric. By nature this fabric is porous and can't be sealed from puddles. If your awnings don't have a pitch on them you'll likely see this: http://muniac.smugmug.com/Maintenance/Bus-Works/IMG1131/1097980847_L793q-M.jpg when it rains. The funky batten system (I removed ours) doesn't remove water puddling it just changes its location. The puddle will drip through meaning the water ends up on top of the slide and runs up against the caulk. Going back to the original seam failure, the thread isn't properly UV stabilized (a bit odd for $175+ price tag) and that's why it fails. When it completely lets go on the bus side, water can just pour in. Some of the wood trimming around the slide is veneered and if it gets soaked plan on the veneer letting go.
Disgusted with the whole issue of trying to keep water out of the bus, I had Sugar House Awnings make me four proper covers to replace the sub-par OEM toppers. They used Sea Mark material which is an acrylic fabric impregnated with a vinyl layer underneath. The material is COMPLETELY water tight. Meaning it could be used as a swimming pool liner. They also stitched it with UV rated thread. The material is about $60/square yard and of exceptional quality. It's also just a bit heavier than OEM but fits in all the slots and channels. If you are leaning in the direction of a replacement, I'd consider Sea Mark material. Lots of colors are available. We chose coal black.
The new awnings don't bleed so that problem has been solved. Puddles remain in place and either blow off, get drained or evaporate. Water running down the side of the bus just above the awning seems to find its way through the attachment channel, however. It's a wicking problem of sorts and I'm confirming this diagnosis with vinyl tape at the moment. Dry weather has thus far delayed any conclusions. This is a small set of drips whose deposition is right at the slide gasket where the slide enters the bus. With heavy all night rains it amounts to a concern. Also rain (and snow) blows in the exposed space between the slide top and awning. A solution to that problem has thus far eluded me. Hope this helps a few folks out there.

At 07:39 AM 3/15/2012, you wrote: