Awning leak?

[scorpius]

Hi guys. We went away last wet week we had and our awning leaked. We had a sunncamp ultima awning which leaked over the door. We sold it and brought a new dorema porch awning and this has done the same. Soaking wet step and drips from the awning rail. I first thought it was coming between the van wall and awning rail but it seems to be in the rail it's self. Anyone know a cure or what's caused this. We've never had the problem with any other caravan or awnings. Cheers mark

 

[woodsieboy]

Is your leak coming through the awning,or between the awning and van. If it is the awning, which you say is new,you sometimes need it to get wet to swell the stitching and stop the water coming in the stitch holes.We had water leaking through the roof seams of our Quest porch in very heavy rain over the May Bank Holiday weekend,at first we were puzzled as the awning is 2 years old, when we looked more closely it was dripping through the 'new' stitching where we had had it extended and this was the first rain on it.I plan to give the seams a dose of awning proofer next time it is up on a dry day.

 

[scorpius]

No it seems to collect in the rail itself. If you move the awning cord the rails full of water. We originally thought is was the old awning but the new ones the same. We did give it a good soaking before we used it as well.

 

[woodsieboy]

If the water is gathering in the awning channel it is presumably getting in to the channel from the roof,if there is a join in the awning channel,could the water be running from the join and gathering above the door? My worry would also be that if the water is sitting in the channel,you only need a dodgy screw hole and damp will get behind the awning channel and in to your van. There could well be other useful suggestions to come from other forum members.

 

[scorpius]

Cheers woodsieboy I'll have a good look at the rail

 

[graham_somersham]

Quite a few caravans have the join of the awning rail directly above the door. I guess there must be some manufacturing reason for it unless it is shear mindlessnes. I've seen a few caravans with short plastic strips glued to the roof to stop the water draining into the section where the joint is. I've no idea how effective they are but my neighbour says th leak on his Abbey is worse when the wind is blowing water across the roof towards the join or the caravan is slightly low on that side.