Worn & Damaged RV Awning Fabric – Temp Repair

[Ray]

In this video, I repair sections of damaged fabric on our Dometic 9100 power awning. It’s over seven years old. Being that we are full-time RV snowbirds its seen a ton of sun. Much of that in the dry US southwest desert.

The awnings fabric is starting to slowly disintegrate at its top section closest to the RV sidewall. This is the part that is still exposed when the awning is rolled up so gets the maximum exposure.

Even though I routinely apply Aerospace 303 protectant to the vinyl material over time the top section has slowly been fading. A few months ago I noticed several spots where the top layer was flaking and peeling off the bottom layer of the awning fabric.

The top layer has become so dried out it’s cracking. Further damage is showing up on the seam where the awning attaches to the RV sidewall.

Here the awnings end bead is double stitched, and the threads are disintegrating. I was afraid a major failure was in my awnings future, so decided to attempt a temporary patch.

*Patching My RV Awning with Clear Gorilla Tape*

Rather than use the standard RV Awning repair tape I decided to go with Clear Gorilla Tape. I’ve had good luck using the black Gorilla tape on my RV underbelly so thought it was worth a shot. Also, it’s much cheaper versus the RV specific stuff.

First I washed the awning with soap and water. Then I wiped that areas where the tape would go with 70% Isopropyl Alcohol to remove any remaining dirt and oils. The cleaner the surface the better the repair tape will stick.

I applied a strip to the underside and top of the awning along the threaded bead seam. At a width of 1.88,” the tape covered it well. I then added a second strip beside it covering most of the spots where peeling and flaking were occurring. Finally, I added a couple pieces here and there to cover the rest of the damage.

I know new replacement awning fabric is in my future but hope this patch will delay the need until I can find a good deal on it.

Related Links:
Full Blog Post – https://www.loveyourrv.com/temp-repair-patch-to-our-disintegrating-rv-awning/
Cleaning my Awning – https://www.loveyourrv.com/rv-power-awning-super-easy-maintenance-how-to/
Awning Switch Repair – https://www.loveyourrv.com/repairing-dead-rv-power-awning/

Products Mentioned in the Video:

Camco RV Awning Tape – https://amzn.to/2N9dZ7m
Clear Gorilla Tape – https://amzn.to/2NI9xJN
Seam Roller – https://amzn.to/2CfCrzM
Aerospace 303 Protectant – https://amzn.to/2oAeKID
70% Isopropyl Alcohol – https://amzn.to/2Q29mKU
Werner MT13 Folding Ladder – https://amzn.to/2MNBBiF

[Stephen C Keller]

I used the clear Gorilla tape on my awning and so far it is holding well. But I only needed to repair one end about 2 inches by 3 inches. I keep checking it to see when I will need to replace the fabric but so far, even with the storms it has stayed put. Good video again Ray.

I remember watching a video on someone replacing their fabric on their power awning like yours also.

[Author]

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