Will Water Collect On My Patio Awning?

If you’ve ever owned a patio awning, you’ll know that winter can be cruel. As the days pass by and it gets closer and closer to Christmas, it’s natural to forget about your garden. It’s unlikely that you’re thinking about it in any way, never mind actively using it. Yet the rigours of winter don’t have much sympathy for absent minds. If you don’t take care of your awning in winter, you might find that it’s in a pretty bad shape come summer time.

How to build to build a patio awning correctly:

Image Credit: Ivoryawningl

Fortunately, there are several important features built into patio awnings that protect them from the worst of the elements, says Life123.com journalist Erin Huffstetler. For example, every awning must have a ten degree fall between its back and its front. This is to prevent the build up of heavy rainwater. Whilst it’s possible to construct an awning at almost any height, you should never agree to a product that doesn’t have this inbuilt ten degree fall – this is the correct way to build a patio awning.

You will never get a build up of rainwater on your awning if it has been constructed correctly. This is one of the advantages of having a solid constructed awning, rather than a flimsy impermanent one. It doesn’t mean that you can shirk your duty of care – your patio awning still needs some attention in winter. It can be frustrating to have to add ‘awning maintenance’ to a lengthy list of household jobs, but it is more than worth the effort.

A few vital facts to know:

All that you’ve got to do is make sure that all retractable fixtures are wound away, the motor sensors are routinely replaced and the canvas surfaces are kept clean, says WikiHow.com. Before you retract your awning for the winter, it’s a good idea to give it a thorough once over. If you’re not going to see it again for five or six months, it really does need to be checked for holes, tears and leaks.

Getting the most out of your patio awning:

Image Credit: Spear-awning

If you can’t find any damage, just give the awning a good clean. This is an important part of its care -mildew can make an awning smell quite unpleasant. It’s also the only sure fire way to stop rust and mold from gaining a foothold on your garden fixtures. If you want to get the most out of your patio awning, don’t forget to retract it. It has been designed to be retractable for a good reason – it makes the structure much better at withstanding poor weather conditions.

This feature can only be beneficial if you use it at the correct times, say experts at DoItYourself.com.  It is your responsibility to make sure that an awning is properly stored for the winter. You can hardly complain about its poor condition if you haven’t taken the necessary steps to protect it against the changing seasons. This is the biggest mistake that a homeowner can make. If you do take care of an awning, it will last for a very long time.

Taking care of an awning:

You can’t expect to get the most out of a product if you don’t give it a bit of love and attention. If the awning is motorized, it’s essential that you keep its electric system in good condition. The value of a retractable awning will depreciate if its motor breaks down, so make sure that it is working properly before you store it away for the winter. The sensors on an electric motor will need to be replaced from time to time – every six to eight months or so.

Author Bio: Kyle Haldane is a freelance journalist from Manchester. For the best deals on standard and motorized patio awnings, he recommends Patio Awnings 4 Less. Kyle can usually be found blogging about his enthusiasm for landscape gardening, sports and chess.