AVOID… the powered zip dee awning (if you can)

[Bukaman]

I have a 2019 27’ Tommy Bahama. From the very first outing (jan 2019), I’ve noticed a problem when retracting the awning: it “sometimes” decided to not fully retract, stopping about 1 foot from the closed position. The trick was to open it about 1-2 feet and then command the retract mode.

Many times, I’ve notified the dealership, and they dutifully checked it, without ever finding a fault.

A few weeks ago, the awning decided to quit altogether when commanded to close. The arms retracted fully, then the breaker opened the circuit, which shut down the system and prevented the roller to roll back. This meant that the door, which was fully opened, became stuck and could not be closed. I tried changing the breaker (once), but to no avail: the system was u/s. Thankfully, I was able to use the emergency manual retraction mode by connecting the roller wires directly on the batteries.

Once again, the trailer was brought to the dealer. This time, I was told that there was a bundle of wires rolled around the controller, and this probably caused some unwanted interference to the system. The awning was tested and found operational and the trailer given back to me.

We are now on day 4 of a 10 day camping trip. On day 1, I extended the awning - success. A few hours later, retracting it brought back bad memories, as it failed to fully retract. I applied the knowledge I gained from using this flawed piece of equipment - extend 1-2 feet then retract, and was able to fully close it. On day 2, I extended the awning in the morning. On a pretty hot day, I was glad to have an awning. As the sun settled in the evening, I decided it was time to retract it. Well, once again, the arms fully retracted, but when it was time for the roller to roll, the system, once again, quit on us. I, once again, had to use the emergency manual retraction mode, as leaving it like that meant we could not close the door.

Close to 3 years after buying this trailer, my wife and I will be finishing another camping trip without, again, a functioning awning. To say that we are displeased would be an understatement. We have lost confidence in this power awning, and if I had one piece of advice to any airstream buyer, it would be to avoid it at all cost.

[Peter C]

Have you contacted Zip Dee directly? I have not had the best experience with my dealer, but did have a great experience calling Zip Dee. I broke one of the claws and they sent out the part along with newer versions of studs that the claws are hooked on when stowing the awning. I had to pay for the claw but they sent the new studs for free.

I am also going to show my wife this thread so she can stop asking why we didnt get the power awning.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

First thing to do with any of these awnings is to clean and lube the arms / supports.. Pick a decent lube you can find in a store near you. Stick with it. Since it gets mentioned a lot, WD-40 is a fine cleaner and a *terrible* lube.

I agree that this sounds like a dealer problem. Those wires didn't just magically wrap themselves here or there after the 10th trip to get things fixed ..... I also agree that contacting Zip Dee makes sense. It sounds like some form of sensor issue.

Our awing has done fine for us. The biggest issue to me with any of these awnings (power or manual) is the worry of not getting them down when a wind or rain storm comes along.

Bob

[Bukaman]

I think that the dealership has done what they’re supposed to do, which is to test the system, repair or replace. They’ve done the repairing part; now, they’ll have to deal with the warranty people in order to change what needs to be changed - and I believe the problem lies with the control box.

I will certainly talk with zip dee folks - thanks for suggesting it.

[uraljohn]

We had a 2017 International Serenity 23D. It came with a manual awning. Fast forward to 2019 and we were looking to replace our 23d with a 25 RBT. We were informed that we had to take the power awning as offered on the International and no way to delete it to get a manual awning. We immediately switch gears and bought a 2019 Flying Cloud 25 RBT. Very glad we did as we like the overhead locker cabinet doors much better and have our manual awning that works perfectly every time. Got a whale of a deal on it to boot!

To Zip Dees credit lots of other companies power awnings are prone to failure.

[majorairhead]

I imagine you've read your zip dee manual. It's entirely possible you've been hitting the close button prior to opening, after a break in power, however, if not, this thread gives some pointers.

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f44...re-185765.html

[SilverWind]

Do your problems occur when operating on battery power only by chance?

[Jason P M]

You need to leave the awning power switch on after you open it. If you turn the switch off after opening it and then turn it back on to close, it will always stop 1-2 feet short. The awning has a fail safe that turns it off.

[viking1]

I had a problem with the ZipDee power awning also and both Airstream Customer Support and ZipDee tech support responded immediately.
2021 23FB

[missaviatrix]

Has anyone had any experience with retrofitting the manual ZipDee awning with their new Relax upgradable power awning?

[thewarden]

I have had lots of issues with mine as well. My experiences started the same way, and eventually, things progressed to where the awning fuse blew each time I tried to close the awning.

I have replaced the control module 3 times and later, both awning arms when I was told the motors in both arms were burned out. Very expensive! Despite the replacement/repair, the same issues started only weeks after the awning arms were replaced. Because I sourced the parts directly from Zip Dee and had them sent to my local AS dealer (the dealer wanted significantly more for the parts), I have no warranty as far as the dealer is concerned.

I am currently looking into replacing it with a manual awning, so we will see. If anyone has done this, please share your experience.

P.S. I have spent hours on the phone with Zip Dee to troubleshoot the problem when it first developed, so I know every trick there is to operating these finicky awnings. I had to manually open and close it for 2 months when it went out for good 5 days into a 2 month summer trip to SoCal

[Torpedo Family]

I too have been the UN-Relax awning troubled lane. Had to replace the board and arms on our 2014 Classic. I feel Zip Dee should by NOW have found a fix for this poorly operating awning. Why do all the motor homes with all the electric awnings work so well?? Airstream needs to put pressure on Zip Dee to correct their problems and help the people that have the ones that work when they want to!!!

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by thewarden

I have had lots of issues with mine as well. My experiences started the same way, and eventually, things progressed to where the awning fuse blew each time I tried to close the awning.

I have replaced the control module 3 times and later, both awning arms when I was told the motors in both arms were burned out. Very expensive! Despite the replacement/repair, the same issues started only weeks after the awning arms were replaced. Because I sourced the parts directly from Zip Dee and had them sent to my local AS dealer (the dealer wanted significantly more for the parts), I have no warranty as far as the dealer is concerned.

I am currently looking into replacing it with a manual awning, so we will see. If anyone has done this, please share your experience.

P.S. I have spent hours on the phone with Zip Dee to troubleshoot the problem when it first developed, so I know every trick there is to operating these finicky awnings. I had to manually open and close it for 2 months when it went out for good 5 days into a 2 month summer trip to SoCal

Hi

What kind of cleaner and what kind of lube have you used on your awning?

Bob

[thewarden]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

What kind of cleaner and what kind of lube have you used on your awning?

Bob

Silicon spray and a fibre cloth.

[Coloradobus]

On the line of switching Zip Dee off after extension. Doesnt that defeat the “auto-retract” function for awning to automatically retract for when windy conditions are “sensed?”

[Bukaman]

Originally Posted by SilverWind

Do your problems occur when operating on battery power only by chance?

On shore power and on battery.

[Bukaman]

Originally Posted by Jason P M

You need to leave the awning power switch on after you open it. If you turn the switch off after opening it and then turn it back on to close, it will always stop 1-2 feet short. The awning has a fail safe that turns it off.

Thanks for the insight. I didn’t know that stopping short was in fact normal behaviour

[Mollysdad]

If it were up to me an awning would be "Optional".

[Bukaman]

Originally Posted by majorairhead

I imagine you've read your zip dee manual. It's entirely possible you've been hitting the close button prior to opening, after a break in power, however, if not, this thread gives some pointers.

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f44...re-185765.html

I in fact, have not hit the close button prior to opening - my bad. I also have turned off the on/off button as I thought that leaving the system ON for extended periods of time was the proper thing to do.

That said, hitting the close button has become a hit and miss, sometimes met with success, sometimes not.

[wulfraat]

Originally Posted by Bukaman

Thanks for the insight. I didn’t know that stopping short was in fact normal behaviour

Yes. And to correct stopping short, in addition to always leaving the power on while the awning is open, you should perform a reset each time before you open it. This will reset the proximity sensors. It’s easy.

When the awning is fully closed:

1. Turn red power switch for the awning off (if not already off)
2. Wait 10s
3. Turn switch on
4. Wait 5 seconds
5. Press close (yes, press close even though it’s already closed - this will reset proximity sensors - it will learn what position it needs to be in when fully closed)
6. Wait 2-3 seconds
7. Press open as normal.
8. Tilt or what have you if desired
9. Press close as normal - this time it should close fully

95% of the time this will result in no trouble operation on close (it will close fully).

Do not turn the awning power switch off while the awning is open per the previous post. Always keep the awning on with healthy battery or shore power on.

This simple procedure, along with keeping the arms lubricated, should solve the majority of your issues.

I am going on 4 years with mine. I have never lubricated the arms, and it works fine using the above procedure.

Zip-Dee have awesome customer service and they stand behind their product. Call them directly for help / advice. For instance, I wanted more rear tilt on my 30’. I sent them my control board, they re-programmed it free of charge, and sent it back. Now the awning has a very aggressive rear tilt and I can shed rain water like the manual ones do.

Try using the above procedure and report back [emoji4]