Fitting an awning

chrisblack

I'm currently looking at a MH without an awning - my wife would prefer a van with an awning so..

Is it relatively easy to fit one, or is it specialised... and roughly how much would it cost?

Thanks

Chris

sandyg

Id price around for them. Below is what charles camping are charging. I'd ring some motorhome dealers as they may do a better price including fitting.

http://www.charlescamping.ie/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2_69_135

peasant

Both major awning brands (Fiamma & Omnistor) come with special fixing brackets, so theoretically fixing one to your motorhome is simple.

The devil is in the detail though

Awnings have to be fixed level and tension free or they won't work properly.

The fixing brackets have to be screwed into a bit of motorhome that actually has some "meat" underneath and not just styrofoam.

The brackets have to be fixed carefully so as not to leak later on.

So when buying an awning, it is a good idea to buy it from someone who knows how to fix it properly to your particular motorhome and make the fixing part of the purchase.



Having said all that ...an awning is not necessarily a "must have" item.
Depends very much on the use you have in mind for your motorhome.

If you do a lot of "wild" camping, rolling out the awning isn't really an option in most of the spots.

If you do a lot of camping in windy Ireland, an awning can be a bit of a bother as you have to constantly worry about it with the wind.

*Kol*

You should do a poll to see how many times people have used their awnings since they have had a motorhome. I bet the result would be surprisingly low!

peasant

yepp ...twice in as many years

chrisblack

Thanks Guys... some interesting thoughts there.... wind, wild camping etc... I'll relay it back to my wife... however now she's seen some photo's of the van and its got everything else on it we need, maybe the awning can wait...

Going to make a decision over the weekend... '92 Defthless Globetrotter, Fiat 2.5 straight, with 2 tables inside (so the single bed at the rear for when the kids are arguing), 4 forward facing seatbelts in the rear.

Took it for a spin and drives well, no creaks, rattles or wandering... can't seem to find any sign of damp, but there is a slight smell inside, which concerns me a little... guy selling van (a mechanic - but that probably don't mean anything) assures me it is totally dry... suggests the smell is because it has been stood a while??? He's had it 2 years and was in France with it in the summer... wants to upgrade to a 6 berth..

I've been under the van, had all the seats out etc... and can't find any "soft patches"..

The size seems to be "Beara Way proof", which is good 'cos we spend a lot of time down in Allihies...

Chris

chrisblack

A couple of photo's... any comments on this type of van???

Chris

peasant

chrisblack wrote: »

any comments on this type of van???

Chris

Decent make, decent layout, decent base vehicle, plenty of them around...once everything is ok and in good condition it should keep going for another while and parts/spares shouldn't be hard to get if needed.

As for the smell ...have you checked (under) the mattress in the alcove? Even if there is no water damage/leakage, due to the fact that the mattress sits on a cold "outside wall" damp/condensation from sleeping on it can get caught underneath. If it doesn't get aired properly/regularly it can go "musty".

chrisblack

Which do you mean by the alcove?? - Over the cab, rear or middle?

Chris

peasant

over the cab...

*Kol*

Looks nice and bright inside, plenty of windows. Is there a window on the front of the alcove too?

I'm looking at something similar at the moment too

chrisblack

Yes front and side window in the alcove...

It is bright, due to the neutral colorscheme, which appeals to my wife!! - Give her some scope to personalise it.

Just done some background on the seller and he's got some glowing reports, so it looks like it will be a yes..

Chris

chrisblack

Kol - front alcove...

Also like the idea that the roof is slightly sloped - maybe less chance of places for water to gather??

Chris

dudara

Looks like someone is already making himself at home there

Good luck with the purchase.

*Kol*

Best of luck with it.

Are there black out blinds and fly screens on all the windiws?

chrisblack

Blackouts, flyscreens and curtains

Chris

chrisblack

any suggestions on Insurers.... Dolmen???

Chris

*Kol*

Dolmen seems to be the place where the majority of people have their motorhomes insured. There isn't much choice and the price seems to be fairly standard. €350ish

*Kol*

Is this your first motorhome?

chrisblack

Yes - been loking round for about 2 months now..

Chris

*Kol*

chrisblack wrote: »

Yes - been loking round for about 2 months now..

Chris

Same here.

TigerTim

The smell could be from the grey/waste water tank. Mine was stinking when we used the camper last weekend. The water had been in the tank for about 4 weeks. Usually gets worse when you drive it as the water gets tossed around. Should have left the drain plugs in.

Good luck with the purchase,

Tim

chrisblack

That looks a reasonable van Kol - largeish?? and newer than the one I'm looking at... Good Luck...

Cheers Tim.. I do remember him saying he hadn't drained the tanks for winter yet.. and if the water had been in there since the summer, it could account for a faint odour...

I'm not aware of any manuals with the van - any idea where I may be able to download something.. how to work the 3 way, light the fridge, empty the thetford loo etc, I'm sure he'll show me and I'm sure I'll forget!!!

Chris

*Kol*

I downloaded a fridge manual (Domotec/Electrolux) from the weblink below:
http://www.dometicmanuals.com:8080/dometic/masterdometic.nsf?Opendatabase

I didn't look for the loo or the water heater/heating. It's fairly straightforward though. I got them working with some tips from peasant!

Malta1

Manuals.....who needs manuals??

The fun is trying to figure it all out without instructions
Then youve always got boards.ie as the ultimate manual

*Kol*

Just in case here is the site for downloading manuals for the heating/water heaters (Truma).

http://www.truma.com/truma05/en/downloads/index_downloads_uebersicht_en_107833.html