How to fix an awning

Aussie conditions are hard on awning material. The (usually) vinyl material cops a lot of UV light and heat and will degrade over time. Even when rolled up, most awning designs allow some exposure of the material to harsh sunlight.

You can replace the awning material in two ways:  just the vinyl material itself, or the vinyl already set up on the aluminium roller tube.

Tube option

The reason RV parts stores sell the vinyl already set up on a roller tube is that for some awning designs, it can be difficult to fit the replacement vinyl material onto the roller tube.

You pay for that convenience though, as it’s much cheaper to buy just the vinyl material and fit it to the existing roller tube.

But before you order new vinyl, make sure you carefully measure the existing roller tube so that you get the correct replacement size.

Get rolling

This is a job almost anybody can do, but there are a couple provisos. First, you will need a helper to slide the awning material off and back onto the caravan’s rope track.

Second, the roll is held under considerable tension by the spring assemblies at each end of the roller tube. You have to make sure you’ve released the tension on spring assemblies before removing them (see below).

Start off by removing the self-tapping screws that hold the awning material in the rope track on the caravan wall or roof. Then extend the awning so that the top support arms can be separated (some awning arms will have a screw to hold them together – remove these).

Now retract the awning until about 30cm of material extends from the roller. Lock the awning in position.

With your helper, slide the assembly off the caravan.

Relieve tension

Now you can release the spring tension. With you and your helper at the other end holding the roller tube (with the roller tube standing on the support arms (as pictured), take a little pressure off the spring tension mechanism by twisting the roller slightly. Then move the awning to the unlocked position and while still firmly holding the roller tube, allow the roller to slowly move around, so that the spring tension is released.

With the awning assembly now on the ground, mark the spring assembly ends and a corresponding spot on the roller tube so that it can be reassembled later in the correct position.

Some awning designs make it easier for you – the spring assembly caps have a tang that fits in a corresponding notch in the roller tube so that they can only be re-assembled in one position.

Drill out the rivets that attach the spring assembly caps to the roller tube, and remove the spring assemblies.

Now get a couple blocks of foam, or blocks of wood and space them out so that they’re ready to rest the roller tube on.

Take some photos

At this point, it’s a good idea to grab your phone and take a photo of the old awning material on the roller tube (You’ll see why shortly). Now roll out the awning material and slide out the roller tube and rest it on the blocks you’ve just set up, so that the roller tube avoids damage. Remove the awning pull-down strap from the roller tube.

If the roller tube has sharp ends, file them smooth so that the new awning material isn’t damaged as you slide it onto the roller tube.

Now check the photo you took of the old awning material and how it fitted to the roller tube. Make sure that you fit the new material on the correct way; it needs to roll up when fitted so that the outer surface of the vinyl is facing up.

Using the old awning material as a work surface, thread the new awning material’s stitched-in cord into the roller tube’s rope track. Then slide the roller tube along the stitched-in cord of the awning material.

This step above can be difficult with some new awning materials. If you’re struggling to thread in the new awning, leave the material out in the sun for a while so that it’s more pliable. You can also use a lubricant like a water dispersant spray or even soapy water to help the new awning cord slide in more easily.

Keep it central

Make sure that the awning material is centred on the roller tube. Then grease the ends of the spring assemblies and refit the assemblies to the roller tube. Check that the tangs on the end caps will fit up to the corresponding notches on the roller tubes (or see that the marks you made earlier on match up). Rivet the torsion assembly to the roller tube.

Roll up the vinyl on the roller tube, so about a third is remaining off the roller tube, checking again that you have fitted it the correct way around.

Now with your helper, stand up the awning assembly and fold over the material two to three times, pull down on the material and folding over another two to three times. This will tension the spring assemblies.

Again, with your helper, slide the stitched-in cord of the awning material into the rope track on the caravan. Re-fit the screws that secure the material in place.

Finally, refit the support arms and refit the awning strap.

Now pull out the awning to make sure that it operates properly.

You’re done!

Aside from a few tricky steps (removing spring tension and fitting the new awning material to the roller tube) this is a doddle of a DIY job.

Take your time and keep your wits about you and you’’ll be able to do this job in about an hour and save yourself a few dollars.

STEP-BY-STEP