General Awning Information

What should I know about buying an awning? When purchasing an awning from anyone, there a few things a person should pay special attention to. By doing so, you can be assured that the product you are purchasing will give you many years of reliable service. We encourage you to view our photo gallery to see what a truly quality awning product looks like. Please visit our FAQ's page which contains additional information of interest.

The History of the Manufacturer
Be sure that the manufacturer of your awning has been around for a number of years. There are many companies that will turn out a product (some good / some not so good) for a few years and then they will disappear. This is not a problem for you unless you need parts for your awning. ( Common examples where parts could be needed include; trees falling, car bumpers attacking posts, severe wind bursts, etc.)

Amerimax's long-lasting, classy alumawood awnings

We receive many requests for some very unusual awning pieces from all over the U.S. and Canada. These are due to the homeowner not being able to locate the original manufacturer. With a Rontimco awning, this is not a problem! Our factory, Amerimax, is one of the largest and best equipped in the world, and is "wet stamped" in almost every state in the U.S.

The posts which are used
A good part of the strength and "Quality Appearance" of your awning will be determined by the posts used to support it. Typically an awning company will try to save a couple of dollars (for themselves) by using an inexpensive post system in their awning kits. You have probably seen awnings and carports "supported" by "scroll posts". These are nothing more than two 1-1/2 inch by 1-1/2 inch square thin-walled tubes separated by 2 to 3 thin pieces of aluminum in the shape of an "S". Unfortunately they are not very strong and the appearance leaves much to be desired. By using a full 3" square post, we achieve not only a VERY STRONG support for your new awning, the appearance of them looks very much like actual wood 4x4 's. These posts allow for usage in high "snow-load" areas and are required for areas with severe potential wind conditions.

The Configuration of the awning "pans"
Strength in an aluminum awning is achieved in part from the configuration or the "bends" that a manufacturer uses to make a particular awning pan design. Generally speaking, the more bends formed into the pan, the stronger the awning. The number of bends determine the rigidity of the awning. With more bends, more metal will be used in the finished product.

The Pans
The awning pans come to you in thickness (or gauge) of .018, .020, .024, .032, and .036. Remember the "pan" thickness is only one part of an engineering equation that includes live load, wind factor, projection, width, and height.

Engineering the proper awning for you
Rontimco aluminum awnings and lattice units are individually designed so as to meet or exceed the "live load" and "wind factors" required in your location.

How does Live Load and Wind Factor affect me?
Live load is noted as pounds per square foot. This generally means the downward pressure your awning roof must hold. As an example, through much of the South and West, a 10lb per square foot live load is fairly common. Moving north, this may go up to 20lb, 30lb, and even 60lb per square foot. In most instances, the live load comes into play when we deal with snow and/or ice accumulations.

Wind Factor is noted as miles per hour. This generally means the pressure of the wind on your awning as an uplift force, and/or a horizontal push. Wind Factor is usually noted as 70 MPH or 90MPH. Most often, wind comes into play when it comes across the ground and gets under the unit, causing an uplifting action, or what is known in some areas as an "umbrella effect."

Your local building inspector will have the live load and wind factor requirements for your area.

Perimeter side fascias and raingutter
Basically there are 2 types of perimeter assemblies that manufacturers provide: Roll-formed and Extruded.

Roll-formed : This type is made by feeding a flat piece of aluminum sheeting coming from a large coil or roll of material through a series of "rollers" that crease or bend the material into a shape. You may have observed this process by watching a "seamless" raingutter installation. The strength is derived from the thickness of the metal and the bends that add some rigidity to the finished product.

Extruded : An extruded perimeter is formed by pouring a molten metal into an extruding machine which "squeezes" out the desired shape. The extruded pieces have their rigidity "molded" right into the product.

Your Rontimco awning will retain its original strength for many years to come. In our main office, we subjected our Extruded Perimeter to the direct weight of 260 lbs. ( he was the biggest guy in the office ) and the product didn't even begin to bend !

Kit Contents
Every Rontimco aluminum awning kit comes complete with every piece needed to complete a successful project. All components are included in the pricing listed on our pages ! Click here to view the parts.

Engineering
In some instances your local area may require an engineered set of plans in order to approve the installation of your awning. Every Rontimco awning has been fully engineered to the highest standards of materials quality and structural integrity. A set of the actual engineering reports is available should you need them.

We're here to help!

Toll Free 800-578-8385

Rontimco
P.O. Box 1696
Chico, California 95927
Int'l phone 530-589-9000
fax 530-5267-7729
email: info@rontimco.com