An outdoor area such as a patio or a porch could be beautifully set underneath the sun but there are times that those areas would benefit more from cover.
While roofs and other permanent fixtures remove the feature of the area to receive and enjoy the great outdoors, retractable awnings offer the absolute best of both worlds: people can put up the retractable awning when they want additional cover or shade, but they can also hide it for some fun in the sun.
Do Retractable Awnings Protect Your Home From Weather Elements Effectively?
While motorized manual retractable screens can easily shield people from the harsh rays of the sun, can they also protect you and your home from other weather elements? Surely retractable awnings are more effective in protecting the home compared to an umbrella, but how about comparing them to a retractable roof? Or a glass veranda? Here are some things to consider about the strength of your retractable awning.
Sun
If there’s one weather element that a retractable awning can protect you and your home against most effectively, it would be the sun. Arguably, retractable awnings are specifically designed to be able to shield direct sunlight and harmful UV rays from the sun.
One thing to look into is the quality and material of the fabric used by the retractable awning. Over time, the heat and UV rays of the sun can cause the material to fade, flake, and weaken. While awning fabric materials are often developed to be able to withstand the harsh conditions of the sun, commercial products are available that can be applied to the fabrics once in a while to make sure they stay protected.
The last thing you want is to pick a fabric that goes beautifully with the rest of the house just to have the color fade over time.
Ultimately, retractable awnings are great functional pieces that can totally protect people from harmful UV rays, thus preventing sunburn and providing a cool and shady area for comfortable lounging.
Wind
While a cool breeze can make an afternoon session of outdoor lounging like a dream, caution should be observed when it comes to wind and retractable awnings. Depending on the material of the fabric, wide retractable awnings can really act like giant umbrellas or parachutes – they will catch the wind.
With sufficient supports, retractable awnings can withstand light breezes just fine. However, stronger winds might prove dangerous to the retractable awning and your home.
One way to combat the wind is to situate the retractable awning in a way that does not hit the wind at a certain angle. Imagine how a sailboat would have to position their sail to catch the wind, the installation of the retractable awning should be the opposite of that. This way, light to moderate gusts of wind can come by but not affect the retractable awning as much.
For modern retractable awnings, sensors can be installed that can help automatically trigger the awning to retract when strong gusts of winds are detected.
Precipitation
Playing the role of a roof, an awning horizontally spreads across the sky to cover as much surface area as it can. However, this means that they are subject to collecting elements of weather precipitation such as rain and snow. Due to its wide spread, these precipitations can accumulate on top of the retractable awning, especially since the flexible material of the awning will droop due to the burden of weight. This droop will then promote further accumulation.
However, light rain and snow should be no problem at all since they often come with a degree of water resistance.
Some awnings are specifically designed to be taut and angled when used so that precipitation such as rain and snow can fall down instead of accumulating on top. It is recommended to angle the pitch to at least 14 degrees for rain to roll down without a problem.
Unfortunately, the support strength of a retractable awning will rely on several factors. Firstly, the build material of the fabric and the support beams will gauge how much precipitation it can hold. Furthermore, the angle by which the awning is installed will also play a role on its ability to withstand weather elements.
Some modern retractable awnings actually come with a rain sensor that will automatically retract and close the awning when the sensor is triggered by rain. If a sensor is not installed, then retractable awnings are highly recommended to be closed during rain and snow to prevent them from getting damaged.
Another factor that will affect the strength of the retractable awning is the number of available support beams. Depending on the situation and the model of retractable awnings, the number can vary to fit the customer’s preferences. Thus, retractable awnings installed with more support beams and poles should be more sturdy than those with less.
Storms
It’s not surprising that retractable awnings are not suggested to withstand this level of weather – regardless of build material and quality. When storm alerts begin, it is highly recommended to close and secure your retractable awnings. Strong wind and rain that accompany storms will easily damage extended and unsecured awnings. Furthermore, weather elements this strong can potentially pull the retractable awnings out of their mounts, thus damaging your property and putting yourself at risk as well.
If you cannot secure these retractable awnings, then it is recommended to consider uninstalling them in preparation for a heavy storm.
Conclusion
In the end, it shouldn’t be forgotten that retractable awnings have their advantages and disadvantages at the same time. For protection from the sun and the heat, they are wonderful choices for the home. However, their lightweight and flexible traits that make them retractable also brings about their physical weakness. While they may be able to withstand light precipitation and wind, they are not recommended to be relied on for harsher weather elements.
