Replacement of Fiamma 45i awning

Howdy!

Well, the Fiamma awning that came on our 2350 does not meet our needs. We need an all weather setup that wont puddle water.

Any suggestions? I prefer manual operation, but power with an easy manual backup is cool. 

I do not mind adding anchors on the coach lower body, but will also be using the awning in a 'carport' style - legs to ground. The add-a-room options make Mrs V happy, and we might have a smartcar for a toad soon to drive in. 
 

Thanks!

As per the FIAMMA instructions try adjusting the left to right angle of the awning so that the water drains to one side by making one leg shorter. Also be sure to install the center support strut so it does not sag in the middle.

CalCruiser provided good advise on set-up.

Our 2007 box awning is surely not an easy push-button operation, but it does work well when attaching the lower end of the poles to the motor home.  I never tried using the PC-provided stakes and ropes.  When familiar with the awning, it takes about 5 minutes to set up.

Being you have a 2006, your main entry door swings freely and will hit the awning pole when attached to the motor home.  I came up with a door stop utilizing a rope to resolve that, one of many little extras I did detailed HERE.  Many of the extras primarily benefit the older PCs.  Newer PCs have some of them implemented in one form or another.

As per the FIAMMA instructions try adjusting the left to right angle of the awning so that the water drains to one side by making one leg shorter. Also be sure to install the center support strut so it does not sag in the middle.

Hm... read the instructions... good idea!    I thought I was familiar with awnings from owning a 5th wheel, but never had one this style. Will do tonight!

I am familiar with angling the awning to one side to drain water, I used to use my 5th wheel awning as my carport for the beetle. Here in FL sudden downpours can rip an awning right off if not angled to drain puddles.

CalCruiser provided good advise on set-up.

Our 2007 box awning is surely not an easy push-button operation, but it does work well when attaching the lower end of the poles to the motor home.  I never tried using the PC-provided stakes and ropes.  When familiar with the awning, it takes about 5 minutes to set up.

Being you have a 2006, your main entry door swings freely and will hit the awning pole when attached to the motor home.  I came up with a door stop utilizing a rope to resolve that, one of many little extras I did detailed HERE.  Many of the extras primarily benefit the older PCs.  Newer PCs have some of them implemented in one form or another.

Hm... AFAIK, we have no ropes/stakes etc. There are two legs that come down from the awning, but no sockets on the coach. (available at ~$40 each)
The door hitting the rail is no big deal, with the door that close to the edge of the awning any style will have that problem.

The problem I have is that even fully extended, the awning has 'dips' in the fabric that will puddle water. No matter what angle I put the legs at. :( And i installed the center bar, tensioned it the best I could. Made little difference.

But, as CalCruiser mentioned... INSTRUCTIONS.    Maybe I should read them before spending $1K+ for a whole new setup.

Thanks again. Sometimes I miss the obvious looking at details. 

Ok, found out why the awning does not work well for water draining..
 
From the manual:

ATTENTION: We remind you that the awning is designed
to protect from the sun, and not from rain, wind or snow.
In these cases, we recommend to roll it up!

  This is a SUN SHADE only. 

I need that awning for shelter when the weather is BAD, not good. 

You MUST GET those two lower mounting brackets.  $40 each is ridiculous.  Look on Ebay and even call the factory.  Phoenix supports their older PC customers and might have a pair of lower mounting in-stock at a reasonable price.

I cannot imagine using the awning without those lower mounting brackets.  Ropes and stakes is NOT the solution.

When the lower end of the poles are mounted to the house via those missing brackets, and you install the center support, you can tighten up the awning eliminating the slack you complain about.

You have a decent awning.  Just get what you need to make it right.  Do you have the center pole?  It should be stored in the main entry door door frame, opposite the crank.

We had our awning open during heavy rains.  It works fine.  As CalCruiser said, angle the rear downward so the water runs off.

On a previous camping trailer we had a Fiamma awning.  Over the center horizontal support we split a pool noodle and placed over the support.  This reduced the fabric sag and improved the rain water drainage.  We used the noodle in addition to dropping one corner to enhance drainage.  If we were going to be in a location for a few days we used the legs with a strap to tie the the front of the awning down. Where the ends of the straps were anchored we used springs to attach to the stakes to reduce shock loads.

Some of our friends with the same type awning  used adjustable painter poles along each side edge and used a strap from side to side to further assist in reducing the chance the awning would become airborne. The painter pole ends were placed in the camper awning retraction assembly and in the front awning retainer. Some with this tie down method reported the awnings withstood 60+ mph winds.  Thankfully we never had to test ours under these conditions.  I have seen too many awnings either completely torn off or folded across the top of the camper so I was paranoid.

With our current PC with the electric retractable unit we typically retract it if there is a chance of wind gust or storms particularly if we are away and/or at night.

OK, read the instructions, but not much help. After working the awning for a while, I did learn how to tension the fabric better.
I was going fully extended like the conventional (spring tube??) awnings I am used to. Evidently, it works better to extend a box awning fully, then retract the canvas until the box members JUST start to collapse. This takes the 'dips' and slack out of the awning, and makes water run off readily. YAAAAY!!! 

Pool noodle on the center brace is a great idea!  I found out the upper bracket for that brace on my coach has been repaired with a nail, and needs to be replaced. Serviceable for now, however.

Today will be learning how to hang tapestries and camo netting on the coach and awning to make our festival home. Mrs V will be pleased. 

Thanks for the guidance.

OK... The Fiamma awning was torn by a gust of wind. Really wont miss the POS, never been happy with it. Now a new awning is immediate. 


2006 model 2350. I want to put a 14 (?) foot awning on it. Anyone have good sugg's ? Anything/brands to avoid? First time buying an awning.

 

OK... The Fiamma awning was torn by a gust of wind. Really wont miss the POS, never been happy with it. Now a new awning is immediate. 


2006 model 2350. I want to put a 14 (?) foot awning on it. Anyone have good sugg's ? Anything/brands to avoid? First time buying an awning.

 

I would avoid the Colorado Carefree Awnings.  They have been the biggest repair item on the Class B and small Class C's at Winnebago.  Fabric delamination, fabric tears, not rolling up evenly, hydraulic struts failing, stripped gears and motor failures.  The plus side is that the company has been very responsive in replacing items under warranty.

Not sure how long the awning is on our 2004 2350 but it does not extend all the way to the rear of the coach. The previous owner installed the awning brackets to the side of the coach but unfortunately because of that I cannot use the latch to hold up the storage compartment door. It’s a pain in the butt (or should I say head) working around the door now. Something to keep in mind if you’re planning to add the brackets.

I would avoid the Colorado Carefree Awnings.  They have been the biggest repair item on the Class B and small Class C's at Winnebago.  Fabric delamination, fabric tears, not rolling up evenly, hydraulic struts failing, stripped gears and motor failures.  The plus side is that the company has been very responsive in replacing items under warranty.

Thank You Sir!   

Not sure how long the awning is on our 2004 2350 but it does not extend all the way to the rear of the coach. The previous owner installed the awning brackets to the side of the coach but unfortunately because of that I cannot use the latch to hold up the storage compartment door. It’s a pain in the butt (or should I say head) working around the door now. Something to keep in mind if you’re planning to add the brackets.

OW!  Points to ponder for sure!   Looks like a 12 foot one would do that on mine.

There is a 13 foot one on currently , with 12 inches to spare in the back, and 3 in front.      Hoping to get a 14 footer on there and get an external room for it. 

Yeah, I’m thinking mine is 12 feet. Looks like there’s 2 more feet to spare behind it. You can see the bracket just above the storage door.

We need an all weather setup that wont puddle water.

One side of the canopy is dropped to allow for water drainage.  In addition, both side of the awning are secured with ropes/stakes.  This technique has held up through some particularly impressive rainfall.  On one trip I placed the awning's manual crank arm on top of a table in order to function as a support and raise the center of the canopy by a small amount. Which helped with draining the water.  A kludge which worked.