I would like to replace our zipdee with an electric with a auto sensor wind retract awning. We have a 1999 U320. Any info or recommendations or comments?
i had MOT put on the Girard -
Pros - My 87 year old Mom can operate - in the past she just had to leave the zip dee rolled up and do without an awning. Nicer looking than zip dee when ope or closed
Cons
Mine cost $6K installed
Wind sensor stows the awning when wind is above about 20MPH - so it rolls in on its own which can be aggravating - I have resorted to blocking the wind sensor on days when it wasn't windy but an occasional gust would cause the awning to retract - Don't think it would take much rain - Zip dee can be out in a big rain if sloped correctly
We had the manual type on our U225. VERY easy to manage and maintain. Then we had a much longer manual on the 40' 1995 U320. A bit more difficult to use, but I could do it by myself, if need be. On this coach, we have the ZipDee automatic awning. There have been issues with this model, which is original to the '02 coaches. We have replaced the front arm, the wind sensor is broken and to fix it the entire sensor business must be replaced, not just parts. It is great when it works ... but it makes me nervous. I am thinking I would rather have a manual awning that I can tie down to enjoy, raise and lower myself and not have a mind of it's own.
We have the Girard as installed as original equipment on our coach. In 2009 the current limiter failed (~$200), which meant having to manually retract the awning. From what I saw, it was more laborious winding it up than operating a manual awning (Steve did the awning-winding). Plus it's persnickety to adjust the wind speed retraction setpoint. It has a fixed motor speed, so you can't retract it any faster in a high wind emergency (the manual retract speed is slower than the motor).
One of our "parts" to get this year is a new wind sensor since the old one is making a bit of noise.
The positives are being able to "stop" the awning just a short way out if needed, and being able to deploy and retract it from inside when it's raining (as long as the current limiter hasn't failed...). That helps with the Posse. We never leave it out when we're not at the coach (or overnight if there's any chance of wind.)
OTOH, we love our manual Zip Dee window awnings - those are almost always out, especially since we learned from Tom that you can pull then in from inside the coach ^.^d
Michelle
Thanks for the response I am reconsidering my desire sounds like more hassle than it is worth!
We pulled in to a park in Montana and extended our Girard awning and went over to check in at the office on a perfectly calm day when out of no where a Gail wind came up and blew our awning up and over. I came back to find 3 men hanging on it to hold it down. Of coarse the remote would not wind it up so I had to manually do it and it took forever at something like 10 to 1 ratio >:( When I got it up it had pushed back so I could not seat it properly but enough to where I could drive. I called Girard about a repair facility and they said I would have to wait until I got back to civilization.
I never understood until that day why you needed a window awning if you had the Girard.
I had one installed at the Zip Dee factory.
Now I will never leave that Girard out if I leave the coach even for a few minutes. ::)
We learned decades ago not to leave awnings out at night. On our cruising sailboat we had a primitive tarp that just covered the companionway and part of the cockpit but gave us some respite from the tropical sun. If we left that thing out at night it seemed that we always had a naked firedrill (we were *much* younger then) in the middle of the night.
The lesson was hammered into us when we were in our 29' Alpenlite 5th wheel at a popular fishing lake north of Soap Lake, WA. You can just park on the wide gravel shoulder alongside the lake and fish for a few days. However at night the wind funnels through and wreaks havoc with awnings. One night our two kids were sleeping in a small tent next to our 5er and the wind was trying to roll the tent into the water.
I'm not sure I'd leave the window awnings out at night, either. I'm pretty jumpy about that stuff nowadays. :)
Craig
Agree. We do leave our window awnings out at night. But, when we hear the "THUMP THUMP THUMP" of the strap hitting the window or side of the coach, we know it's time to roll them up. And you can do it from inside the coach! Just open the window, reach out and grab the strap and SLOWLY let it retract! Done it many a time!