A typical recreational vehicle (RV) comes equipped with an awning which can be deployed by the RVer to provide a degree of protection from the prevailing weather, either sun or rain. Generally these awnings are attached to the side of the RV and are constructed to provide for ease of deployment/retraction and storage.As a rule, the RV travels down the highway with the awning attached to the side of the RV in the retracted position. Of necessity, the typical RV awning is constructed from lightweight material to reduce weight. For this reason and to introduce adjustability and strength, the construction of the typical RV awning is an assembly of arms, latches, slides, and various adjustments. Because of this the typical RV awning is strong enough to provide the desired protection, but it is not designed to withstand another force of nature, namely wind! If you have your awning deployed during a strong wind, there is a very good chance it will be damaged, typically by wrapping itself around itself and up over the top of the RV to which it is attached. Because of this typical awning wind damage also introduces a bit of associated RV damage, both to the attachment points and even to the roof and sidewalls where the arms come crashing into the RV.
It goes without saying that you need to give some consideration to the condition of your awning if you are aware that a strong wind is imminent. That consideration should include whether your awning is deployed or retracted and if deployed, is it attached to a fixed object such that the awning will not be damaged by the expected winds. In addition, any potential damage can happen in the blink of an eye, even when you are least expecting it. For this reason, it is not a good idea to have a short attention span when your awning is deployed and there is a strong wind blowing. Better to take the time to retract the awning and then move on to other activities.
It goes without saying that you need to give some consideration to the condition of your awning if you are aware that a strong wind is imminent. That consideration should include whether your awning is deployed or retracted and if deployed, is it attached to a fixed object such that the awning will not be damaged by the expected winds. In addition, any potential damage can happen in the blink of an eye, even when you are least expecting it. For this reason, it is not a good idea to have a short attention span when your awning is deployed and there is a strong wind blowing. Better to take the time to retract the awning and then move on to other activities.
If your attention span has kept you reading this far, you may wonder why I have photos of the space shuttle and the crew. Well, this weekend I got confirmation from a campground over on the east coast that I have a site reserved for this coming Wednesday night. The campground is about 5 miles from Kennedy Space Center, and I will be able to watch the shuttle launch from our campsite. Launch is scheduled for Wednesday at 9:20 PM. The shuttle crew flew from Houston Sunday and arrived at Kennedy at 2:45 PM. Here's hoping the launch will go off as scheduled and I will have photos to post later this week!
2 comments:
Yo FIL-I AM SO JEALOUS! I want to be there... no fair...wine wine wine wine...Make sure you have a blank card in your camera so you can take 1000's of pics for me to see...Can't wait to talk about it when we come down...DIL
I thot you were going to tell us your awning took off kinda like the shuttle is supposed to. I expect lots of picts the next time we see you.
Post a Comment