Inaugural RV trip

[CharlieOscar]

Went to the Liberty bowl for the inaugural RV trip. It was a blast.

There is a learning curve to this thing but luckily I didn't destroy anything.

I do have a couple things that came up.

1. Awning: There was wind and rain. I was mindful of this and didn't even attempt to put it out until wind was minimal. However the awning was very sensitive and continued to retract despite minimal wind. Is it possible mine is overly sensitive? Can the sensitivity be adjusted? Has anyone put a manual bypass switch on the awning to have control over this? Are my expectations for it too high?

2. The step alarm started going off while I was driving down the highway. The step was retracted and not out. I stopped and eventually took the fuse out and put it back in which fixed the problem. Was this the "magnetic switch" temporarily failing that I have read about?

3. The bathroom fan stopped working. I have to do some investigation on this one.

4. Hook ups: when I got there the hook up for the 30A was taken by the neighbor and only a 50 amp was available. Is it common to have hooks up set up in a way that one person uses the 50 and the other uses the 30 on the same pole? I tried to find a 50-30a adapter at Walmart, Basspro, and Ace hardware without luck. Another RV'er had one and let me use in the end. I ordered one from Amazon.



The trip was overall awesome. Everything I expected from the experience including a bunch of learning along the way.

[Tronadora]

You can "extend" the usefulness of the awning in low wind if you only extend it part way so it will catch less wind.

The beeping you heard MIGHT be the warning that the awning latches are not happy. We were traveling and caught a side gust of wind one time that started the beeping until we pulled off, extended the awning out a foot or so, then retracted it back in. Sensor satisfied; beeping stopped. (the origin of the beeping was from the area under the galley on my GT)

Best advice I can give is never travel without at least one secure strap in place to keep your awning from deploying by itself. Yes, it happened. And a removed fuse will not stop it from happening because if your latches fail, and if your awning motor and gear fail to hold the wound-up spring tension, it will eject the awning very very quickly.

[CharlieOscar]

Originally Posted by Tronadora

You can "extend" the usefulness of the awning in low wind if you only extend it part way so it will catch less wind.

The beeping you heard MIGHT be the warning that the awning latches are not happy. We were traveling and caught a side gust of wind one time that started the beeping until we pulled off, extended the awning out a foot or so, then retracted it back in. Sensor satisfied; beeping stopped. (the origin of the beeping was from the area under the galley on my GT)

Best advice I can give is never travel without at least one secure strap in place to keep your awning from deploying by itself. Yes, it happened. And a removed fuse will not stop it from happening because if your latches fail, and if your awning motor and gear fail to hold the wound-up spring tension, it will eject the awning very very quickly.

I did try different levels of extension. even like 2 ft. Will get some straps.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by CharlieOscar

Went to the Liberty bowl for the inaugural RV trip. It was a blast.

There is a learning curve to this thing but luckily I didn't destroy anything.

1. Awning: Can the sensitivity be adjusted?

4. Hook ups: when I got there the hook up for the 30A was taken by the neighbor and only a 50 amp was available. Is it common to have hooks up set up in a way that one person uses the 50 and the other uses the 30 on the same pole?

CHARLIEOSCAR - Congrats on 1st trip and not destroying anything I was not so lucky.

I have the Carefree awning and I don't remember seeing anything about sensitivity adjustment for it. TRONADORA strap suggestion is wise to follow. I have to yet install my own straps but I promise to do so, before I take it on it's first trip of 2019.

I carry the 50-30 adapter all the time and prefer using the 50 receptacle if available, even if the 30 is free. Reason - it is usually less beat-up than the 30 receptacles. I just make sure my Magnum & Power Control Systems settings are set to 30. Though I think (not 100% certain) that my Progressive PT30X EMS would probably also limit max draw to 30?? Will have to double check this.

[Pahaska]

I also use the 50a service is the post is wired for it.

Another benefit in using the 50a external service is that you will never blow the breaker on the post and have to go outside in the rain to reset it. The 30a internal breaker will always blow first.

[sheakev]

Originally Posted by Tronadora

Best advice I can give is never travel without at least one secure strap in place to keep your awning from deploying by itself. Yes, it happened. And a removed fuse will not stop it from happening because if your latches fail, and if your awning motor and gear fail to hold the wound-up spring tension, it will eject the awning very very quickly.

I am not familiar with using a "strap" to secure the awning while traveling. Is there a reference (thread) to this? Any pictures would be helpful.

Thanks!

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by sheakev

I am not familiar with using a "strap" to secure the awning while traveling. Is there a reference (thread) to this? Any pictures would be helpful.

Thanks!

SHEAKEV - Yes, plenty, just search for awning & deployment. Probably in recent memory TRONADORA had the major deploy on the road causing major damage. I do not remember any pictures of the straps on any of the discussions I have read to date. But a strap is a strap. Be it Velcro or bungee cord or the heavy duty rubber straps or otherwise, it's pretty easy to figure out how to work those things around the awning assembly.

Ohhh, wait, I stand corrected, TRONADORA did post a pic but it's just a bungee cord for his emergency fix. Will not be too elegant for a perma solution. The heavy duty Velcro straps are much better or even the buckled ones. I was thinking of fabricating a rigid one but just have not had time to do so.

[Tronadora]

Alex - Ah, yes, that photo was of my emergency repair which lasted from Oregon to Maine by the way...

Sheakev - Here is a pic of what I'm currently using on my NEW (choke) Damn-a Fiamma awning. These are very strong Band Joes, better-than-rubber bands (Search Amazon). This is what they call a 6-inch size (measured when flat and relaxed). Why two in place? Because I found that one can begin to split after a few hundred miles at speed. Why are they intertwined? Because otherwise the wind gets in there and creates an audible hum from harmonic vibration. This method keeps them from singing a tune.

Soon, I will switch over to the Velcro Cinch Straps that people here have talked about. It seems I'll need to order 24 inch for a 6.5" diameter bundle (approx what the awning is). Part of the length gets pulled back on itself for securing the Velcro portion. I strongly recommend going with the Heavy Duty variety which has a metal buckle... the normal plastic buckles may fail over time with UV degradation, etc.



Link:
https://www.computercablestore.com/v...specs=2161,592

[sheakev]

Originally Posted by Tronadora

Soon, I will switch over to the Velcro Cinch Straps that people here have talked about. It seems I'll need to order 24 inch for a 6.5" diameter bundle (approx what the awning is).

Link:
https://www.computercablestore.com/v...specs=2161,592

Just ordered from them! They were less expensive than Amazon. I assume one only has to use use one of these and at the front end of the awning.

Thanks!!

[Tronadora]

SHEAKEV - Great, let us know if the 24 inch is a good fit. Yes, I only am securing the front. I suppose the best is to secure at the rear since that is where the motor is and if the motor tries anything funny, it would be best to arrest the motion there. Better yet, do both.


I have a 5ft stick ladder to get to the back end of the awning, but I'm too lazy. Plus, the wiring is back there and it may require threading the strap to avoid pinching it... maybe that's not a problem. For the front, you can stand on the passenger cab floor, left knee against the passenger seat back, right hand on the grab hold above passenger head. You can loop the strap through the buckle loosely first before you get up there cause you will only have one hand to work with. Or git yer ladder out.


Yes, I did watch the awning motor randomly deploy the awning in the driveway.... had not been touched for a half hour, it just did it. This was after we noticed some audible gear skipping upon full extension and upon full retraction on a prior trip. I think when ours deployed at 65mph it was rapid and without motor assist. I say that because all of a sudden the awning was up and over the top, acting like a sail and nearly blew me into the oncoming lane. Like a 100mph side wind gust had hit.

[Titus]

I have Velcro straps at the front and back. I also pulled one of the electrical wires from the back of the in-out switch to keep the motor from being accidentally engaged with the straps in place. There were six wires and I played around to find out which one kept both in and out sides of the switch from working. This would be a PITA if we used the awning frequently - which we don't.

[Alex AVI]

I have the Carefree Freestyle awning. Irony is they sell something they call "Safety Straps"

Description - "keep awning arms from separating and awning from unfurling while travelling".

REALLY!? Why we gotta buy the darn things, why they don't come pre-installed? Kinda like telling you a seatbelt will prevent you from being ejected from your seats while travelling and we know it will, but we would't give you with your car purchase, we wait until you realize you need it and you need to buy it. Huh?

[CharlieOscar]

Originally Posted by CharlieOscar

Went to the Liberty bowl for the inaugural RV trip. It was a blast.

There is a learning curve to this thing but luckily I didn't destroy anything.

I do have a couple things that came up.

1. Awning: There was wind and rain. I was mindful of this and didn't even attempt to put it out until wind was minimal. However the awning was very sensitive and continued to retract despite minimal wind. Is it possible mine is overly sensitive? Can the sensitivity be adjusted? Has anyone put a manual bypass switch on the awning to have control over this? Are my expectations for it too high?

2. The step alarm started going off while I was driving down the highway. The step was retracted and not out. I stopped and eventually took the fuse out and put it back in which fixed the problem. Was this the "magnetic switch" temporarily failing that I have read about?

3. The bathroom fan stopped working. I have to do some investigation on this one.

4. Hook ups: when I got there the hook up for the 30A was taken by the neighbor and only a 50 amp was available. Is it common to have hooks up set up in a way that one person uses the 50 and the other uses the 30 on the same pole? I tried to find a 50-30a adapter at Walmart, Basspro, and Ace hardware without luck. Another RV'er had one and let me use in the end. I ordered one from Amazon.



The trip was overall awesome. Everything I expected from the experience including a bunch of learning along the way.

AWNING UPDATE:
1. I found that there is an adjustable potentiometer in the control unit for adjusting the sensitivity of the awning. Once I find the control module I will experiment with the setting. The manual shows it on "5" and indicates a "0" setting turns it off. Does anyone know where the control unit is located in the AI?

2. Thanks for the tip on strapping the awning. I have noticed mine doesn't really seat tightly in the closed position anyway so my wife picked up some 36" straps from Menards that work great. I have one on back and one on front.

[sheakev]

Originally Posted by Tronadora

SHEAKEV - Great, let us know if the 24 inch is a good fit. Yes, I only am securing the front. I suppose the best is to secure at the rear since that is where the motor is and if the motor tries anything funny, it would be best to arrest the motion there. Better yet, do both.

Yes the 24" works perfectly.