leaky dorema montana[acrylic]

[lordmonty]

on a recent trip to cornwall put the awning up for the 1st time and after a couple of days it rained[surprise surprise]and both the side panels leaked,you could see the damp patches on the outside,which is unusual as normally all you would see is water droplets running off,does this type of material need weathering?if it does,the fact that it was up for a period of time before it rained would surely have done the job,also the roof was saggy and dorema assured me i had it pegged out wrongly.had a dorema maddison for the best part of 8yrs prior to this without any problem hence another dorema.the canvas is on it's way back to dorema for testing,would appreciate any advise on this matter.

 

[weejock]

Most awnings perform better once they have been wet and then dried.

You will really notice this at the stiching in the seams. I think they sort of swell up and then shrink back curing the problem.

 

[lordmonty]

it was well and truly wetted and dried out several times and it still leaked through the actual canvas def not the seems,from the inside it looked like several horizontal lines covering about 1/3rd of the height.

 

[rob_jax]

Hi Ray,

If the fabric is acrylic (and it will be factory coated with a fluoropolymer sealer) then it looks like you've got a defective panel in the awning.

Old cotton fabrics did require a good soaking for the cotton fibres to swell and seal the fabric, but modern acrylic fabrics and synthetic sewing thread - No.

So I'd suggest handing the problem over to the dealer / seller - probably a replacement panel is all that is required.

If your new awning is actually pre-owned, or if you need to reseal the awning after cleaning tree sap or other crud, then you can reproof it yourself with "303 High Tech Fabric Guard" - it's the same fluoropolymer treatment in a solvent - spray and let dry.

Robert

 

[lordmonty]

cheers for that rob,the awning was bought brand new early july from my local dealer and 1st used early august,the canvas is on it's way back to dorema[via the dealer]as i type,will keep posting when i hear something.