Sunsetter Awning

[veremchuka]

Anyone familiar with the 1000XT, 900XT or the Vista models? These are all manually operated awnings. Durability, longevity, easy of use, etc?

Thanks

[Sue J]

I have one of these. We've had it since 1991. I don't remember the model number but I could look for that if you need it. It's manually operated.

We've been VERY PLEASED with our awning. It truly transformed a blazing hot deck on the south and west of the house into my favorite shady place. In 1991 (before internet) these weren't very well known and I sent in for an info packet and VHS video which answered most of my questions. I also called and talked to someone at the company before we ordered.

The awning material itself has held up very well. There is some fading but after 20 years that's to be expected. Hardware wise, the arms and rafters are holding up very well but we've had periodic replacements of knobs and brackets. A few years ago they stopped supporting the older models since they use different parts now. All interactions with the company have been very positive, such as ordering new parts.

We installed this ourselves, it took about 1 full day and a few hours the next day to finish it up. All instructions and parts list were complete and clear. It was not hard to install but we did need two people.

Ours is the older model that rolls down like a shade and then you rotate a lever and the clutch reverses for the roll up. My understanding is that they no longer use this kind and it's unrolled with a crank and a rod.

Our awning is very well made, but that makes it very heavy. Rolling up or down is not impacted by the weight but taking the arm off the house, lifting each end of the awning to it's height can be awkward. The reverse is also awkward as you support one side as it lowers down, then the other side. I don't know the weight but it's hefty. I open and close this alone and once I got used to it I just need to be careful when bearing the weight.

Ours is mounted just under a gutter on the first story of the house. The deck is the height of the floor so we had the minimal height needed. When the awning is open there is just enough slant. If it was higher we probably could leave it open in a light rain and the water would run off. Instead I lower one arm and it's enough to shed the water. If there is wind I close it up. I've had a storm come up fast and if I'm out there trying to roll up the awning and it's windy the awning can get whipped in the wind and get damaged. Rolling it up takes a few steps so you want to do it before it gets too windy.

I think our awning is 9 feet depth and 18 feet wide. The deck is 14x20 but 9x18 was the largest awning size at the time. One drawback is that to open and close the awning the middle of the deck has to be clear. Keep that in mind when planning for outdoor furniture. I clean this once a year in the fall. I hose down both surfaces and then use a bucket of water and Spic and Span on a mop to scrub a little, hose it with water and let it dry before rolling it up for the winter.

Let me know if you need more info or would like some pictures. I had it open for the first time yesterday but we had storms so it's rolled up again.

Overall , it was a very good purchase for us.

[calmloki]

No, been fighting against that idea for years. Will probably spring for Coolaroo exterior shade roller curtains next hot season down here - we are dealing with 6'x2' transom type windows that give great view of the mountains but blast the sun as they are East and West located.
Shop Coolaroo 120"W x 72"L Premier Shade at Lowes.com

[Purron]

Awnings are nice, but you still have to worry about bugs and our indoor-only cats couldn't hang out with us. Therefore, we're thinking about a sunroom like this:

SunPorch & ShadePorch Sunrooms, Patio Enclosures, Patio Rooms, Sun Rooms and Sunroom kits shipped all over the United States.

[Moemg]

I bought the shade tree canopy system which we installed on a pergola over our deck . It was easy to install and it's great for shading from the hot summer sun . The only problem we have encountered is the wind . We live on the bay so in high wind the canopy would release . Gary modified it with so it stays in place . It is made of sun setter fabric which is holding up well .

[veremchuka]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calmloki No, been fighting against that idea for years. Will probably spring for Coolaroo exterior shade roller curtains next hot season down here - we are dealing with 6'x2' transom type windows that give great view of the mountains but blast the sun as they are East and West located. Shop Coolaroo 120"W x 72"L Premier Shade at Lowes.com

This looks very interesting because is 1/10th to 1/20th the price of the Sunsetter! However, it appears to mount inside the window frame inside the house. Am I correct? I have Duettete shades by Hunter Douglas and can't use an interior shade. If this is for the outside then this looks like a good choice because I do not need a shaded place, I have a screened porch on the north side of the house, but rather I want to block the sun and stop the heat build up in the house that even central A/C has trouble overcoming.

[veremchuka]

Sue J, thank you for such a detailed description. I am surprised that you have the original fabric, I assumed that the fabric would tear or wear out from the sun in 4 or 5 years.

I hear you about the wind, these are a big sail!

I'm not sure I want to drop $1000 to $1500 just to block the sun because I use a heavy duty tarp as an exterior window shade. However, it too has issues with wind and the Sunsetter is so much easier to use but so much more than the cost of a tarp!

[Buckeye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calmloki No, been fighting against that idea for years. Will probably spring for Coolaroo exterior shade roller curtains next hot season down here - we are dealing with 6'x2' transom type windows that give great view of the mountains but blast the sun as they are East and West located. Shop Coolaroo 120"W x 72"L Premier Shade at Lowes.com

Mom just bought two of these for her apartment lanai from www.blindsgalore.com. 42" x 96" was about $200 and 62" x 96" was about $250. They look nice and do the job and she loves them! My husband wasn't quite as excited since he got to install them into concrete. Read carefully how the dimensions are calculated.

[chinaco]

BIL has had one for about 5 years. So far so good.

I like the idea of being able to retract it!

[calmloki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by veremchuka This looks very interesting because is 1/10th to 1/20th the price of the Sunsetter! However, it appears to mount inside the window frame inside the house. Am I correct? I have Duettete shades by Hunter Douglas and can't use an interior shade. If this is for the outside then this looks like a good choice because I do not need a shaded place, I have a screened porch on the north side of the house, but rather I want to block the sun and stop the heat build up in the house that even central A/C has trouble overcoming.

Down here in the SoCal La Quinta area Lowes has the Coolaroo external mount see through shades for under $100 - no metal covering for the rolled up shade though. The local Costco has an 8' x 8' external roller shade with a nice metal eyebrow for $80 or so - too big for our location. Hold downs are available for the bottom of the shade, which would be good for us to install, as we get unexpected high winds from multiple directions here - woke to leaves all over the floor (open back door for cooling last night), a pool full of debris, and chairs knocked over outside.

Think there is a 3-4 year warranty on the shades, so they may not be as sturdy stuff as the Sunsetter shades, but I can imagine the Sunsetter awnings getting bent up by sudden errant winds here.

[KimAndi]

We also have an older Sunsetter awning, which we love and has made an unusable deck in the hot sun, usable. Ours is 11 ft long which is perfect for the area in which we use it. I am considering getting a second one for the other end of our deck.

I have been in contact with Sunsetter and other resellers, have checked Craig's List and Ebay with no luck. I am trying to get a Floor Mount Adaptor Kit or a Deck Plate Kit for my 1000 awning (not XT).

Sue - do you have this with your awning? Could you do me a huge favor and measure the plate, including thickness and tell me how the awning actually hooks up to the plate.
Do the 2 spring loaded devices on the arm go into the holes on the plate? Does the arm somehow wrap around the plate?

Thanks!

If anyone knows where I can get this older model's Floor Adaptor kit (a definite location please).

Thanks!