Anticipating the Problems for RV Sun Shade

The RV awnings on a fifth wheel, travel trailer, or motorhome is useful to every RV owner. It provides shade during hot days and blocks rain when you’re camping on a stormier day, in turn affording you a place to recline outside without direct exposure to the elements. This is extremely handy to have, but one thing you need to watch out for is potential damage to your RV awnings. Depending on the type of material your RV awnings is made up of, it could be destroyed very quickly by exposure to one or more problems, so this guide from RV awnings will explain what you need to look out for. If you have any other questions, or need a replacement RV awnings or other service for your RV, come visit the dealership anywhere in Canada where that serve customers for your RV awnings problem.

To know how to take care of your RV awnings Canada, you’ll need to know what kind of RV awnings you have. There are two common types—acrylic and vinyl—and each of these have different strengths and weaknesses. With an acrylic awning, the material is made from a petroleum-based product that’s resistant to water and fights off mildew very easily. This is pretty similar to tent fabric, but a lot thicker, so you can imagine how sturdy it is. However, the biggest issue with acrylic is that it melts easily. That means, if you leave it in the sun for too long or too close to a campfire, it might get seriously damaged. Vinyl RV awnings, on the other hand, are more resilient to heat than acrylic, although they do have some weaknesses of their own. Namely, vinyl, unlike acrylic, isn’t naturally resistant to mold and mildew, and manufacturers side-step this problem by putting a thick anti-fungal coating over the surface. This works extremely well, but when washing the awning, you have to be sure to scrub very lightly so that you don’t scrape off the coating. As we said before, the elements are an awning’s worst enemy, and there are three major ones that you especially need to look out for.

Mold and mildew are the biggest ones, as these can eat away at the fabric, while also causing your RV awnings to smell and look unsightly. Thankfully, mildew only grows in very specific circumstances—when there’s moisture, organic material, lack of sunlight, and poor air circulation in a warm environment. You can avoid creating these situations by simply washing your RV awnings off and letting it dry before folding it up and putting it away. But be careful! Putting it away dirty and damp is a recipe for mildew, so you never want to leave it like that for too long. Wind and sunlight are the other two elements that can quickly ruin the RV awnings. Wind will tear your awning apart, as it blows the fabric around the same way you see a flag getting whipped around in a heavy breeze. Sunlight, on the other hand, will gradually wear it down over time, so you need to minimize sun exposure as much as possible. Basically, you’ll be fine if you just remember to put your RV awnings away when you’re not using it. Leaving it out and unnecessarily exposed to the elements all day is the fastest way to ruin RV awnings.