by Myron McConnell
If you’re planning to purchase a retractable awning for your home or business or even your RV, travel trailer, or mobile home, you’ll definitely want to consider getting a motorized retractable awning. The motorized option provides ultimate ease of use and convenience!
A retractable awning is perfect for most climates because you can extend it when you need it on bright, sunny hot days and retract it when the weather is overcast, cloudy, or rainy to let more light into the room if you wish. However, it can be somewhat of a pain to have to go outside and retract the awning manually if you forget about it until after dark; it’s drizzling, raining, storming, or snowing; it’s cold or damp outside; or you just don’t feel like doing it - for whatever the reason.
The motor idles.
Over the immense upland
the pulse of their blossoming
thunders through us.
—Denise Levertov (b. 1923)
Motorized retractable awnings make life much easier and many are operated via either a wall switch or button and/or a remote control, so you can retract or extend them easily from inside the comfort of your home or business without ever stepping outside.
Motorized retractable awnings are powered by electric motors, and you want to look for a model that conceals the motor so it is unobtrusive, such as the Sunsetter Motorized Awning which utilizes a compact SOMFY motor contained, sealed, and hidden inside the roller tube. This model uses dual cables and sturdy "lateral arm" supports that open and close so you don’t need any type of unsightly vertical supports and also utilizes a system of dual cables. Most should allow you to open or close the awning either partially or completely, as desired.
The electric motor simply plugs into an outdoor style, weatherproof outlet. You can generally choose whether you want a motor with the power cord coming from the left side or the right side for convenience based on where your outlet will be placed or is already located on the building.
What is this that roareth thus?
Can it be a motor Bus?
Yes, the smell and hideous hum
Indicat motorem Bum ...
Domine, defende nos Contra hos motores Bos!
—Alfred Godley (1856–1925)
Designed for easy owner installation in just a few hours, you can install your motorized retractable awning on most surfaces including siding (vinyl and aluminum), brick, wood, and stucco. You can even install them on eaves or overhangs using soffit mount brackets. The only thing you might need assistance with is if you don’t already have an outlet installed on the exterior near the location where the awning will be installed. You may need to call an electrician for this.
It’s also ideal if you can select a model that includes a manual gear driven override so that you can manually operate your retractable awning without electricity. In most cases, if you want to pay for the motorized option on your awning, you’re going to want to use it, but there may be occasions when you do not have power accessible - such as if the power goes out in a storm, and you still want the option to go outside and manually retract the awning. Or if it is mounted on the side of your RV and you’re in a camping area without electricity.
Motorized retractable awnings are usually available in widths starting at about 10 feet since shorter awnings are typically easy to retract manually and less expensive without the motor. Just as with retractable awnings that are not motor driven, these awnings are available in many fabric styles and colors, so you can select the perfect design to match your exterior decor.