Dear Dave,
Any suggestions for lubricating an electric RV awning? It’s getting slower and slower. —Denise, 2019 Flagstaff 25BRDS
Dear Denise,
With the explosion of the RV market in the past few years, it seems everyone is an “RV expert” and there has been an explosion of specialty cleaners, conditioners, and lubricants! There are dozens of different roof material cleaners and slide seal lubricants. I even came across a 3-IN-ONE® RVcare Trio Pack consisting of Window & Track Dry Lube, Slide-Out Silicone Lube, and Rubber Seal Conditioner.
Your awning arms are extruded aluminum that are typically painted with a process called powder coating. It negatively charges the metal and positively charges the paint powder so it is applied at an even thickness, then baked on. Very little maintenance is required until the pivot points start to wear the paint off and you have bare aluminum rubbing at that point.
For years, A&E, from Dometic, had been the standard in awnings with both the manual version and the 9500 electric. They recommended using a dry silicone lubricant such as the CRC Silicone. Recently, CRC has introduced a new version of the Dry Lube product that I have found works great for lubricating and not attracting dirt and grit. You can find it on Amazon here.
Other RV awning lubricant options
There are several other brands of lubricants on the market; however, make sure it is a dry lube so it will not make the pivot points worse. For years, RV owners have also been using graphite; however, that is a little messy. The new dry lubes work as well, if not better.
According to the Carefree For Colorado awning owner’s manual, it recommends using a dry silicone lube if the RV awning arms start squeaking or binding.
I contacted Lippert and they have no recommendations for lubricating pivot points or the motor area. Lippert recommends just cleaning the fabric with dish soap and rinse. Then make sure it is dry before retracting.
I do believe spraying some CRC periodically on the pivot points of the arms and even the roller mechanism is a good idea.
Additional maintenance recommendations for an RV awning
We have worked on several different awnings for the RV Lifestyle & Repair Club and found that a little preventive maintenance would have reduced some of the issues we found.
We installed a new Solera “Smart Arm” awning on the Forest River Salem we were working on. After bringing it out of outside storage last spring, the awning was dead. After verifying 12-volt power to the awning and control box, it was determined the controller was bad. Lippert sent a new one at no charge and the tech recommended sealing around the controller before storage, especially in our area of the country due to snow, ice, and melting.
The controller is located at the bottom of the arm tucked in the channel. Moisture can get into the wiring harness and the controller. A visual inspection of the area and a little exterior sealant would have prevented this.
Another issue was fading and tearing of an awning on a 2016 Thor Challenger just below where the awning attaches to the awning rail. This was left exposed when not in use and during storage. UV degradation made the fabric weak and it pulled apart.
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Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
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Some Solera awnings use an additional support strut that includes a pivot joint in the middle. The purpose of the pivot is to change the angle of the awning. This pivot depends on friction to hold the awning where desired. Do not lubricate this pivot point! If you do, you will reduce friction in the joint and the awning will return to its default position with the slightest breeze.
The awning we installed on the FR Salem Trailer had the strut you are referring to and it was a “pitch” adjustment support to make it easier for water to run off. I did not consider it an arm pivot point that was part of the extension and retraction. However, you are correct, the pitch adjustment support should not be lubricated. Thanks.
Some of the pivot points are friction fittings. This allows the awing to be positioned without moving. Lubing these points defeats this.
I miss the old manual awnings. Yes, it took a couple minutes to set them up, but they were sturdy and very adaptable for positioning. No controllers or motors to go bad either.
They were much more stable in a slight wind. Plus easier to adjust to allow water run off.
Actually, not much difference in time to deploy or retract.
I think they were also sturdier.
Plus you could drop them for cleaning.
Thank you, Dave, for the information. Have a great day and safe travels!
There was a recall on the Solera Smart arm awnings.
Seems they could deploy going down the road if moisture got into the control box.