Is My Slide Out Awning Installed Correctly And What Can Be Done About Water Getting In?

Updated 05/31/2024 | Published 05/27/2024

Question:

I have a 2022 sunset trail 212rb. Recently I had a professional rv contractor install the solera 5000 on our slide and it just doesn’t seem right where he placed it. From all the videos I’ve seen it should lower than where he anchored the bracket. Now I thought possibly he was nervous placing it above the window due to possibly not having anything to drill into. I was just looking for your inputs on whether or not this is correct because water is rolling around onto the slide

asked by: Justin

2022 sunset trail 212rb slide out with awning
(click to enlarge)

2022 sunset trail 212rb slide out with awning side view
(click to enlarge)

Expert Reply:

Hello Justin, thanks for reaching out and for providing those pictures.

I will start by saying that your slide out awning technically is not installed correctly. There should be a 3" height difference between the awning rail and the mounting bracket. This allows water to roll off and away from the camper. It appears that your awning is almost level, so I can see why this would allow water to pool up and get in.

That said, I can also see why the contractor installed it this way. There is really no other place for the rail and brackets to go. The rail is already right up against the rain gutter. Then with the way the window is offset to one side there is not much room for the brackets to go any lower.

One thing you could try doing is flipping the rail upside down. The rail has a C-channel where the fabric attaches (see picture below). I can't quite tell from your picture the orientation of the rail, but if the C-channel is on the power half of the rail, the rail can be removed and flipped, so the C-channel is on top. This isn't going to make a huge difference in height, like about 1/2", but even that may be enough to allow water to go where it's supposed to.

Aside from that, the only other thing that would help your situation is to move the brackets down. Like you said, the window really limits the options for placement. There might be a little bit of room though, and even if they could be moved 1/2" or 1" it would make a big difference. I have included a few pictures of the more ideal bracket location, but again, with that window, you might not be able to move them much if at all.

Ultimately, there might not be anything that can be done. The awning will still keep leaves and debris off of your slide out so its still serving an important purpose.

Feel free to reach out if you have any other comments or questions for me.

expert reply by: Jesse M