Our Dometic 9100 power awning is now 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 desert southwest. 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 vinyl layer has become so dried out it’s beginning to crack. 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 the 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 went slowly a few inches at a time trying to avoid any creases or bubbles. I firmly rubbed the tape on with my fingers then went over it with a small seam roller hoping to get maximum adhesion.
I then added a second strip beside it covering most of the spots where peeling and flaking are occurring. Finally, I added a couple of pieces here and there to cover the rest of the damage.
Video Detailing the Awning Repair Patch
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. Next is to figure out the best way to change the fabric. Stay tuned.
*UPDATE* 9 Months Later
In this video, I update you on last summers temp patch to my Dometic 9100 RV power awning. I used clear Gorilla tape for the job.
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