Dometic 9100 awning Free Falling

[Selanative]

Anyone ever have a dometic power awning pretty much free fall while extending out if you let go of the switch? Only way to stop it, is to hit the retract button.

Motor break works fine while retracting and letting go of switch

I’ve swapped switches with a known good one.

Voltage is good and does the same thing if hooked directly to a 12v source.

Fabric will be getting changed soon and trying to fix this problem as well.

Thanks

 

[Second Chance]

Sounds like a mechanical issue rather than an electrical one. I would suspect the motor and/or gears rather than anything in the wiring or switch.

Rob

 

[Selanative]

Update:

Swapped motors, still having the same problem.

Looking at changing the torsion arm but there isn’t much information out there on how to re-wind them.

 

[Selanative]

Final update for future references

The tensioner arm was rolled the wrong way. After correcting the problem, everything is working as it should.

 

[WhittleBurner]

Final update for future references

The tensioner arm was rolled the wrong way. After correcting the problem, everything is working as it should.

Our awning does not stop but keeps winding backwards once you reach the extension length, but has never fallen. Is the winding baackwards what caused the free fall?

 

[Selanative]

When I let off my extend and didn’t hit retract immediately, the awning would free fall until it ran out of fabric “over extended” fixing the rotation of the spring winding fixed this issue for me.

If I’m reading your situation correctly, yours never stops running once it’s extended “and let off the switch” but starts to roll up backwards on its own? If so, I’d start with the switch.

 

[WhittleBurner]

When I let off my extend and didn’t hit retract immediately, the awning would free fall until it ran out of fabric “over extended” fixing the rotation of the spring winding fixed this issue for me.

If I’m reading your situation correctly, yours never stops running once it’s extended “and let off the switch” but starts to roll up backwards on its own? If so, I’d start with the switch.

Not quite, it runs that way while holding the switch. Like there is no break at the end, one fluid motion. It has done this since we have had the trailer, even after GD replaced the motor at the factory (they also installed the switch upside down LOL) we know it does it and are used to letting off the switch once extended.

I just wondered if your situation was simular.. If you are still under warranty why not let either GD or Dometic replace the motor and spring before it happens again. Those springs are wicked if they let loose near someone

 

[Selanative]

I think all of them will do what you’re explaining if you keep holding it.

I bought mine used and the original owner didn’t have any kind of extended warranty.

The spring wasn’t to bad, just have to be expecting it.

 

[deb&ken]

The manual says this is normal. If will roll up backwards if you hold the switch. Mine is now wrinkled very bad and the dealer told me it was due to rolling it with the fabric under the tube instead of on top. I'm not sure if that's the problem but it will happen if it extends all the way while holding the extend button and not stopping it. I am going to try another dealer to see if this is true.

One more note. The arms will not fully engage but stay out about 2" from the side if rolled backwards. I did find this to be true. Had to roll up with the fabric always on top of the tube to correct it.