Fiamma F45S awning disaster

zzr1400tim

zzr1400tim

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On a campsite today in Dorset a nasty bit of wind caught the awning and launched it 90 degrees upward ripping the tent hooks out of the ground on 2 support legs.. the fixing brackets are bent but reckon these can be easily replaced. Managed to do a bit of a site fix and now secured via ratchet straps. I know that spares are available but I was dismayed to see that the two arms have now gone “floppy” and seem to have lost the tension.. they just now swing inWards.. anyone else had this experience? Is it worth trying to repair or just bin it and buy a new one? This was brand new this year
I feel like crying

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The arms can be adjusted within the tracks, check for witness marks and see if they have been pulled out of their original position.
 
There are some pretty good videos on fixing / adjusting these awnings on the Johncross website
 
I’m sure wind has been experienced before, I’d be questioning it’s build quality and if it was fit for purpose.
 
If you haven't bent arms or torn the canopy it's got to be a good chance of repair. Good luck!
 
st3v3 said:
If you haven't bent arms or torn the canopy it's got to be a good chance of repair. Good luck!
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Hi yes everything is repairable but the 2 alu extrusions are bent.. by the time I buy new ones it’s nearly the cost of a new awning. I am considering buying a stand alone awning/ safari tent that isn’t fixed to the MH I Am sure I have seen some
 
I’ve had various stand alone shelters over the years and most have failed due to poor manufacture, suspect materials or over keen helpers. In the end we had the fabric made by barker marquees and manufactured the aluminium frame ourselves. Sadly the fabric was shoddily manufactured, but usable.

This has proved to be storm proof, but a little more work erecting.


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If it is of any help, we had a problem whereby the awning would not fully wind back because it had become misaligned, so following advice here I wound it fully out and continued winding so it then wound in underneath the roller-----------and it worked !! For the first time since then I tried it at Hereford this weekend and the problem, for us anyway, has been solved. It may be worth a try, you've nowt to lose
 
We had a similar problem a few years ago with our Omnistor awning. On a clear sunny windless day, we had the van on the front lawn with the awning out ( pegged down through the leg feet) while I was decorating the house. Sudden gust of wind blew the house doors shut and a shout up the stairs from a Mrs S told me the awning had disappeared.
I looked out of the window to see the awning, still fully extended, but upside down on the other side of the van. Luckily, there was no damage at all to the van and the awning looked like it was undamaged too, apart from a bent leg, but, there must have been a few things out of line, because it wouldn’t retract.
I bit the bullet and bought a new awning.
So, in my case, even though I could see no damage to anything apart from the leg, it had sustained serious damage somewhere.
I hope yours isn’t as bad as ours was, a new 5m awning cost me around £700....😟
 
Does anyone here understand German?
This seems worth watching even if you don't understand much of what he says, but I suspect that some of the verbal comments would be useful as well.
 
I would secure it with tie raps to make lt safe to drive , check fixing and van side for grp damage and cracks ,all parts should available, the last one I saw was ripped frome the van leaving holes iN the van side ,not a problem because it went up in flames the day after ,Upton blues festival ,
 
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We have a Thule awning on the new Carthago. Totally different to the Fiamma. The rafters fold out the same but there are two extra pieces on the rail that lock the rafters in place and stop them folding in the wind. No middle rail needed now and nice tight canvas. Had it out the other day for the second time and put the straps on the legs to hold it. I do feel that i need more than just banging a peg in the leg to hold it down. When I built a veranda at the last house a friend who is a structural engineer went through the wind forces with me. Same as an aeroplane wing. Lot of upward force in a decent breeze so 5 oak legs mounted in deep concrete footings.
 
It's usually not just the strength and size of the peg, but also the angle you drive it in at, and the strength of the ground it's in.

Make sure it is at an angle that is more or less at right angles to the direction of pull from the rope*, so the peg would need to be pulled sideways, not along its length.

I use the 'big corkscrew' things sold to attach dog leads to. Screw two of them in and it is mighty strongly held.

*I prefer a ratchet strap instead of a rope.
 
Thanks for all the advice folks. I am back from holiday now and upon close examination I reckon that all I need to do is get another set of fixing brackets and the thing will pull back straight again. A lesson to be learned here.. from now on I am going to use a pair of ratchet straps to further secure the legs into the ground and not just rely on the tent pole hooks which can easily be pulled out..
 
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