What is the best position to extend your awning?
Is it strongest if fully extended or strongest if out only a few feet?
It seems to move up or down more with the wind if fully extended.
Forest,
I don't see any feature in the design of the extension arm that makes it stronger when fully extended. That said, the rest of it would intuitively seem that more extension equals bigger area for the wind to grab and longer lever to rip the awning off the side of the coach.
That's what I thought also. Ron and I were jaw jabbing this morning and my awning was out about 3 feet. He said one of the Girard people told him that it was strongest when fully extended and that the arms would lock up.
I'm thinking the structure does get stronger as it moves out since the straighter the arms the more like a beam they become. A straight beam would be stronger than one that zigzags since the forces are straight lines rather than twisting or torquing the beams. So, Girard would be correct that it is stronger when extended (provided I have any clue what I'm talking about)
HOWEVER, that perspective is potentially a bit misleading. If the arms are 10 percent stronger when extended than when more folded but the wind forces are double when extended then that extra strength won't keep you awning from doing something expensive. So yes the arms are stronger in when extended but I wouldn't use that insight to cause me to extend the awning further as the wind speed increases to protect the awning.
Not sure where I heard this...but it is true in my experience.
When the awning is partially out there is not much slope for water to run off. Fully extended it slopes down so that water runs off better. If you only put the awning out a few feet, it may fill up with water and that could lead to problems.
Maybe I am just poorly adjusted, but I have had water get trapped if I only go out a few feet.
Cheers,
bill
Bill I think they are talking about sun
Girard states clearly in all manuals that awnings should always be full extended for strongest and most stable. I always manage my electric awnings throughout every day and never leave the big one (23') out when away more than a foot or two to keep rain off the entry and windows.
Thanks Larry, but you sound like my wife "did you read the manual?"
WHAT? read the manual? Where's the fun in that!
Forest , I lost an awning about 7 years ago and it cost me over $4000 to fix and replace parts, so I read the manual only after the accident, so that doesn't qualify me as a "wife" yet !! Although ask Hedy and you will hear that I already arrived in that role many moons ago.....lol..
Cindy, Keep reading those manuals and soon you will know more than Forest ... OOPs , Wives already do !