There’s a lot to be said about the value of shade in your favorite summer hangout spot around the house. Sunsetter awnings are highly valued because of the ease of installation, the shade that they provide during hot, summer months, and their longevity.
The standard warranty on a Sunsetter awning covers you for about ten years, however, awnings will last a lot longer than that with proper maintenance and routine cleaning, especially when it comes to mold and mildew build-up.
If you want to get a better and more precise idea of how long your Sunsetter awning will last, the details are important, such as the material of the awning, the framework, and whether it’s hand-cranked or motorized.
Sunsetter Awning Fabric
The fabric material of your Sunsetter awning will come in a variety of materials, namely acrylic, vinyl, or canvas. Of the three, vinyl has the shortest lifespan, followed by a modest increase with canvas, and the longest lifespan with acrylic.
- Acrylic: Anywhere between 8 and 12 years
- Canvas: Anywhere between 8 and 10 years
- Vinyl: Anywhere between 5 and 8 years
Canvas Awnings
Canvas awnings are a good go-between with vinyl just below and acrylic being the superior option. Fortunately, canvas awnings aren’t as expensive as acrylic, so you will save a little money in the process.
Canvas is highly heat resistant, so it will shed a lot of the heat generated from the sunlight and keep that heat from baking you while you relax on your patio. There are a lot of good color options and aesthetic variations to choose from as well.
If you use it for your windows, it will efficiently protect them from the sun and the rain, as well as withstand generally high winds; nothing hurricane-level, mind you, but you should retract or remove all of your awnings before such an event anyway.
Speaking of winds and rain, a quality, sunsetter canvas awning will protect your windows and patio from debris, heavy rain, and even minor hail storms. That is, of course, so long as the awning was installed properly and well maintained.
Acrylic Awnings
Acrylic awnings are the superior awnings of the bunch and you will get the most out of one when it comes to comparisons with the competition. In fact, Sunsetter markets their acrylic as the best in their entire lineup, especially the Sunsetter Platinum Series.
These awnings come with either 5 or 10-year warranties and the 5-year versions will last a lot longer with proper maintenance and handling. Acrylic is not necessarily what the awning is made of so much as it is a treatment of the existing fabric.
Acrylic is painted onto the existing canvas and it penetrates the fabrics, almost creating a fabric that is entirely it’s own. This solution makes the canvas material extremely resilient to all weather types, whether it’s a vicious storm or a sprinkling rain.
The best part is, that the microfibers and acrylic resin combination make for a very lightweight awning that is incredibly strong considering its low weight class.
They’re also very easy to clean since the acrylic coating resists mold, mildew, algae, and moss growth. Oftentimes, it will only require a good hose-down with the water hose and that’ll be enough.
Lastly, it’s extremely flexible, so acrylic awnings can come in a large variety of configurations.
Vinyl Awnings
The last and least of the awning types is vinyl. Don’t let the terminology fool you, however, as vinyl isn’t a slouch in the awning department. It simply can’t compete with the other classes of awning types offered by Sunsetter.
Vinyl awnings are fortunately highly resistant to mold, mildew, algae, and moss growth because of their vinyl coating. But it’s not in the same class as the acrylic variations.
It does protect against these build-ups better than canvas but doesn’t shed heat the way canvas and acrylic do. Also, vinyl is prone to fading over time, which is something that canvas material does much slower and acrylic hardly at all.
It is waterproof and weatherproof, offers good sun protection, and is fairly resistant to wear and tear, which is more than canvas can say. Overall, this is the cheapest option of the three as well, and you can expect a minimum of 5-years of use.
Vinyl fabric awnings come with 5-year warranties and you can make them last a whole lot longer with routine, preventative maintenance, and routine cleaning.
How to Extend Your Sunsetter Awning’s Lifespan
Sunsetter awnings are already quality designed awnings that will last you for years. However, you can ensure that their lifespan is doubled, if not tripled, by preventative maintenance and a few care tips.
- Make sure that you take your awning down in the winter
- Repair it when it’s necessary without delay
- Keep it free of debris
- Routinely clean it
- Use formulas that kill mold, mildew, algae, and moss
Even if your awning is rated for resistance to the winter elements, you should still take it down when it gets cold. Unless you plan on spending time grilling out on the patio in freezing temperatures.
Below freezing temperatures, snow, and ice melt can cause damage over time, so it’s best to simply take it down unless you know that you are going to use it throughout the winter.
Stay on top of any repairs. There are plenty of repair kits out there for awnings that are made of acrylic, vinyl, or canvas, so you should be able to get your hands on them when you need them. Don’t wait and allow the damage time to extend.
Always keep it free of debris and keep it clean by washing it and routinely spraying it with something that kills and prevents mold, mildew, algae, and moss growth.
Final Thoughts
Sunsetter Awnings typically come with a 10-year warranty and, of course, as is true with any warranty, it only covers malfunction or defects from Sunsetter Awning, not neglect or misuse.
Sunsetter Awnings already arrive with high-quality materials and are easy to set up. Practice preventative maintenance, along with routine cleanings, and you can seriously extend the lifespan of your awning.
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