Want to feel and understand what the wind is doing on a sail area? Then take a small sailing dingy out in force 3 wind or upwards.
I have been sailing and racing boats since I was five years old and have been involved with SGB (Scaffolding Great Britain)and Youngmans in cantilever tower design as well as the building industry for fifteen years so perhaps that’s why I know you should take the understanding of construction verses physics and science of the awning
seriously.
Get things right and you can really enjoy years of performance from your awning.
The awning must be a pitch of a minimum of 10 degrees not only to allow the wind to deflect but also for the rain to run off. I would also like to make it clear that the make up of the fabric and how the sun reflects works better when the awning fabric is pitched down. I must stress this is a minimum so bearing this in mind on a single story elevation where the height on the back wall is not that high be careful of the projection you are having. Normally the correct projection is 2.5 metres. All the leading manufacturers of awnings will not guarantee the awning unless they have a minimum of 10 degree pitch. Generally the greater the fall off the stronger the awning.
Many sales representatives do not understand how a retractable awning works so I will explain. A retractable awning with no gas piston struts fitted performs best at keeping the tension on the textile when fully out or closed. The awning will be at its very strongest when it is fully retracted out, not half way out. This is because the way the arm is sprung when semi retracted it is easier to push the front profile in, try it at a local awning showroom then try with the awning at full extension. So when the wind and rain is pushing on the sail area of the textile and the front profile you dont want with inferior awnings the textile to dip and collect the rain water.
 Always understand the construction you are fitting to. The cantilever and physics of the awning verses wind rain and construction. So the more width and projection the awning has, more wind and rain force the better the understanding of the construction is required and the way the awning must be fixed. You can not always take the same awning and fit the same way as the next. Certain wall constructions need different types of awnings to be installed. This is also why we do not just do one type of manufacture of awning. It is a case of horses for courses. Any awning will stay on the wall for a short while one or two years even. Kover-it only install awnings that will stay up indefinitely or we will refuse to install.
Understand the make up of the wall construction where the strength in the wall is. This means know the brick make up, how good the morter is, the way the wall is tied in and how many courses of brick are left above the fixings.
There is a big difference between how bricks are manufactured for sample hand made bricks to mass produced red-land bricks to engineering bricks. Make sure you know what is behind pebble dash or rendered walls before you install any awning. Kover-it staff are trained to know how to establish this. Before I go on remember it does not matter how good your awning is, it is only as good as the way it is installed.
 Awnings of quality are Safe ,Protect – Reliable look good and give performance and longevity.
 Awnings of quality can last over 20 years depending on make up and brand.
Awnings of quality dont rust and look great for years.
Awnings of quality installed correctly can preform in adverse weather conditions.
Awnings of quality come with quality textiles that can be used in sensible wet weather.
Awnings with quality textile give proper protection against the suns harmful UV and UVB Rays.
Awnings of quality you can always get parts for.
Awnings of quality if motorised have Somfy Motors.
Textiles of quality on awnings averagely used in the UK will generally at the moment last fifteen years plus before a recover is required.(This of course depends on weather you are facing south and how much you use the awning because I have customers out there at twenty years plus ).
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