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Thread: Electric awnings….

  1. #1
    Master
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    Electric awnings….

    We currently have a parasol that came with our garden furniture but it doesn’t offer enough sun protection and when it’s very windy can lift out of the table. It’s not possible to weight it down due to the design of set.

    We have looked at the free standing cantilever parasols but not keen on the look and the extra garden space they take up.

    Very much like the look and functionality of electric awnings. Hillary’s seem to be good and our friends have had one installed recently.

    Any recommendations as we know nothing about this!

    Stu

  2. #2
    Master TKH's Avatar
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    https://www.primrose.co.uk/awnings

    Sensible prices when I bought from them

  3. #3
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
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    If the wind can lift your parasol it may not need to be much stronger to deal with your extended awning. I think my neighbour is on her third in 5 or 6 years.
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  4. #4
    Master
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    Every second home in Spain has at least one awning and I would guess that about 99% of them are manually operated because they are robust, cheap and above all, reliable.

  5. #5
    Master
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    Another Primrose awning owner here.

    Mine covers my bbq set up, but I went manual vs the electric - really does not take much effort & did not want the extra hassle.

    Equally some retract automatically in high wind, which I didn't want happening overnight when cooking.

  6. #6
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Saint-Just View Post
    If the wind can lift your parasol it may not need to be much stronger to deal with your extended awning. I think my neighbour is on her third in 5 or 6 years.
    Issue is it’s a 3m parasol with no weight at all as it’s a cube furniture set design. Doesn’t take a lot to lift it.
    Last edited by Stuno1; 11th June 2022 at 21:39.

  7. #7
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
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    I understand. An awning is a very large sail with no mainsheet to keep it in position. They are great in most places but wind can be an issue. The automatic ones sound ideal but either my neighbours did not get them or they don’t work
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  8. #8
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stuno1 View Post
    Issue is it’s a 3m parasol with no weight at all as it’s a cube furniture set design. Doesn’t take a lot to lift it.
    Aren’t you supposed to use a heavy base with those parasols, rather than just relying on the furniture to weigh it down?


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  9. #9
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by stuie-t View Post
    Aren’t you supposed to use a heavy base with those parasols, rather than just relying on the furniture to weigh it down?


    Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
    Exactly that. Unfortunately the cube rattan set doesn’t allow for a base weight. Daft and an oversight on our part.

  10. #10
    I have a Markilux MX1 awning which is just under 5m wide and extends out 4.8m. All operated electrically and can be controlled via Somfy Tahoma and IFTTT. It has a wind sensor which will automatically retract the awning if the wind picks up. It also has a front sheer sunshield which is electric and internal LED light strip plus front valance light for use into evenings.
    Used to have a big 2.5mx3.5m parasol which it replaced. Awning is much more practical and provides much better shade.

  11. #11
    Master
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    Could you drill through the pole of the parasol just below the table hole and insert a long bolt so it doesn’t pull through the table?

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by oiljam View Post
    Could you drill through the pole of the parasol just below the table hole and insert a long bolt so it doesn’t pull through the table?
    Unless the table is very heavy won't it just take that with it?

  13. #13
    Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stuno1 View Post
    Exactly that. Unfortunately the cube rattan set doesn’t allow for a base weight. Daft and an oversight on our part.
    Fill the pole with lead shot and plug the base.

  14. #14
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by seadog1408 View Post
    Fill the pole with lead shot and plug the base.
    Depleted uranium?
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  15. #15
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kingstepper View Post
    Unless the table is very heavy won't it just take that with it?
    Exacrly that. This is something I experimented with but the table is not that heavy.

  16. #16
    Master
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    Thanks for all the responses. Good to know many are thinking the same way in terms of trialing ideas before reaching our current conclusion. I think we defiantly want a electric awning. Just need to find a good company.

  17. #17
    I like the awning idea and have considered one myself. Just for the sake of suggesting something different though, a sun sail is worth looking at as an alternative. More manual and semi-fixed, but fairly robust with the right anchors and fixings. If you have a solid wall to fix it to and appropriate places for poles (or another solid wall) they can be quite robust.

  18. #18
    Master
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    We went with a German made awning from a local company,far cheaper than Hillary’s.Fifteen years and still going strong,just a clean with warm soapy water once a year.Battery for wind sensor changed every other year.

  19. #19
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by RobM View Post
    I like the awning idea and have considered one myself. Just for the sake of suggesting something different though, a sun sail is worth looking at as an alternative. More manual and semi-fixed, but fairly robust with the right anchors and fixings. If you have a solid wall to fix it to and appropriate places for poles (or another solid wall) they can be quite robust.
    The size you need to create shade in the right place is often huge unfortunately. I had one to use as a rain cover on the bbq and was amazed how small the dry patch was!

    Oh and even with full on mounts into brickwork they got ripped out when there was a storm. I was shocked at the mess it made of a brick. Luckily the brick on the substation and not my house.

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