Girard Awning Adjustment and Troubleshooting (Repair Guide)
There are small adjustments you can make that will open or close the awning a little bit. For those adjustments, you will need an Allen wrench. The screws are marked with as + and a - so you know which direction the awning will go in.
According to the manual the motor limit switches are set at the factory. After installation, you should check to make sure everything works correctly. Then because awnings stretch a little you may need to adjust the OUT limit switch to keep the awning taut.
To learn more about these adjustment tips, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about so you can make the adjustments easily and correctly. When in doubt make sure to consult the manual or your local Girard dealer.
Girard Awning Troubleshooting
Can You Adjust The Pitch on a Girard Awning?
Yes, you can adjust the pitch on this awning type. The instructions for it are found on page 24 or 27 of the manual depending on which website you are using to view the instructions.
Or you can just use the table of contents and press the right title to be sent to the right page. The instructions are very clear and the only tools you should need will be a 3/4” open-end wrench and a 3/8 open-end wrench. In metric, those wrenches will be 19 and 10 mm.
According to the manual, the adjustment may be needed after you replace the arm of the awning. Another time you will have to adjust the awning will be when the elbow hits the bottom of the casing as the lead rail closes.
The process does not seem to be too difficult and it may only take a few times doing it to master the process. If you are too old to be climbing up and down ladders, etc., then you should be able to find a dealer near you.
How do You Adjust a Girard Awning?
The company says that they provide a black plastic key to make the adjustment but if you have misplaced that tool, you can use a 5/32 Allen wrench instead.
There is an out + and an in - limit setting on each of the motors. You should extend the awning about 18 inches first then make your adjustments either way. You want the awning to be taut at all times.
The tricky part comes with timing the motor limits to the awning box closing. The motor limits must turn off at that precise time or the motors will keep running and reduce the life of the motors.
The manual says to extend the awning a few feet to access the motors, but others have stated only 18 inches are needed. Then the adjustment screws are located on the head of the motor and once found make the adjustment in the direction you need to go.
Girard Nova Awning Adjustment
We have read the manual and so far there are no instructions on how to make adjustments to this awning model. The table of contents did not list any section detailing this procedure and nothing remotely close to making adjustments was mentioned.
The manual deals mostly with how to program your remotes and the awning with no special attention given to this topic. It may be a technician-only process.
You may be able to change the programming but if the awning does stretch, there are no instructions in the manual to adjust that problem. Your best bet would be to talk to the dealer when you buy this awning model or contact the company.
This is a motorized awning that runs off wall switches and remotes. There were no manual instructions to correct any errors or damage to this device. We will link to the manual at the end of this article so you can read it for yourself.
The instructions may be under the programming sections but we cannot be sure.
Girard G2000 Awning Adjustment
This is the easier of the two models to adjust. it is the manual version and it is not a hard process. In fact, we have already given you these instructions in an earlier section above. Those instructions were taken from the 2000 model manual.
To add to those instructions, you only need to turn the Allen screw 1/4 of an inch to get an inch of awning adjustment. You are not supposed to adjust the outward limit so that there is slack in the awning when the arm is fully extended.
A 1/8 of an inch gap will be present when you set the limit switch properly. The proper setting is for the limit switch o stop just before the arms lock. The gap will be seen at the elbow.
Pitch and arm height are adjusted a little bit differently and are found on the page after you get the awning adjusted.
Girard Awning Troubleshooting
In the Nova electronic awning manual, there was no troubleshooting section listed. That may tell everyone that they are not to do any repairs themselves. This awning model may be a dealer-only fix due to the electronics involved.
You have pages and pages of programming instructions but nothing for adjustment or repair work. On the other hand, the manual for the manual awning model has about 3 pages of troubleshooting help.
The drawback is that the number of issues listed is few. The solutions take up most of the space on those three pages. Some of those solutions simply refer you to the sections in the manual talking about adjusting the different parts of the awning.
That means that the problems may not be serious and you should be able to handle the repair work yourself by readjusting the motor limit switches, the arms, elbows, and so on.
There is a section after the troubleshooting pages called Common Repair Procedures. If we do not cover all those details in the following sections, you can refer to the manual and see if they cover your specific issue.
Those manuals will be linked to in the final section of this article.
Common Girard Awning Problems
We spoke too soon. The manual only mentions 3 common problems and they have to deal with the motors, the awning, and the arms. Those problems will be part of the common problems listed in the upcoming sections.
The company has provided a lot of detailed instructions to replace the motor, the awning, and the arms. There are too many to place here unfortunately for each one so we must refer you to the manual to get those instructions.
When it comes to motors, the company states in the manual the following:
“Replacement procedures vary due to motor styles, placement,
installation methods, and preferences of different vehicle manufacturers. These variations primarily affect how the motors are accessed, replacement operations are generally the same for any situation.”
The important information about replacing the fabric is as follows, and it is also from the manual:
“These procedures require the use of a manual crank. if no manual crank is available the motor limit switches must be used to create the settings. Please refer to the "adjusting the motor limit switches". use the motor sparingly to prevent overheating”
Then for the arm, the bad news is that there are no replaceable parts inside the arm. If the elbow breaks, then the arm has to be replaced. If you do not have the manual anymore, then download a copy at the links we will provide shortly.
The Girard Awning Will Not Extend
For the Nova versions of this product, you need to make sure you have the proper power sources for them to operate. It seems that for some or all electric awnings, you need two power sources. One is 12 volts and the other will be 120 volts.
Then you need to check breakers, fuses, GFCI circuits, power supply, and so on. Usually, this will be an electrical issue. Or the motors burned out, the remote batteries lost power, and so on.
For the 2000 versions, there should be a manual way to operate those awnings. If the motors have burned out, then that is the only option you have until you replace those motors.
Because the motors are electronically powered, you should check all power sources to see if those are causing the problem. Also, the two relays may be causing the problems. They are connected to the control board and if they are broken or lost their connection, they may need to be replaced.
According to Girard for the 2000, you can also do this solution--
- Locate ACL Current Limiter box
- Open the junction box.
- there are 4 wires in and r wires out. All the same color.
- remove the control board and wire the four wires into the 4 wires out to each other of the same color. Should be Green white black & red. Use butt connectors.
- Use the junction box to keep the butt connectors in
The Girard Awning Will Not Retract
There is some good news here. It seems that the limiter switch Girard was using failed quite often. Girard stopped using those limiter switches. That is not the good news though.
The good news is that you can follow the last instructions we gave in the previous section. The ones directly from Girard. That will bypass the limiter switch and your awning should retract once again.
After doing this fix, you still have to make sure the limit switches turn off when the awning box or cover closes. If you do not do this, then you will be replacing the motor in the near future.
How To Replace Girard Awning Motor
There is some bad news here. The instructions for this procedure are 3 pages long. The good news is that part of those pages is taken up by some very good diagrams.
The removal of the motor has 8 steps to it and you do need to extend the awning to its full length to do this project. There should only be 3 screws to remove to remove the end cap giving you access to the motor.
When it comes to removing the bolts on the motor, mark the spots they come out of. Then lightly loosen the bolt that holds the roller tube support bracket to the main housing. DO NOT over-loosen it or remove it.
There are still five more steps involved in removing the old motor. The steps to installing the motor include testing so they are longer. But reverse what you did in removing the motor and you should be fine.
We highly recommend you go to the first page of the Common repair procedures section of the manual, look at the diagrams and follow those instructions. It is your best method to use.
How To Program Girard Awning Remote
For the 2000, and since it has a motor, there are no instructions for programming a remote. The reason for that is that there may not be a remote involved with that product.
There is for the Nova models and the instructions for programming are many. We say many because there are a variety of modules that require programming. The following instructions come from page 13 of the manual linked below:
Programming the GC274A to a Remote Control
- Press both sides of the cover to open the lid and have access to the programming button.
- Turn on the power to the GC274A
- Press the program button (Fig. 2): the Green LED will start blinking
- Press STOP (Fig.1 ): The Green LED will stop blinking and stay on solid
- Press the UP button on the REMOTE (Control or Unit): The Green LED will turn off.
- Press the UP or Down button to make sure the awning move
- Press the light Arrow on the Remote control to turn the LED Strip ON/OFF
You can use the table of contents to find and reach all the different programming instructions. The remote can be programmed into the motion sensors as well. Those instructions are included in the manual.
We suggest that you check the manual for your specific Girard awning manual to get the right instructions to program your remotes.
How To Manually Retract a Girard Awning
We are not sure if the Nova models have a manual crank. Its manual does not refer to it at all. But the 2000 model manual does mention it and there are some instructions to go with operating that device.
You do need to use the manual override function to be able to use the manual crank. Once that has been done, connect the manual crank to its proper location and gently and slowly retract or extend the awning fabric.
When you are replacing the awning, you need to use the manual crank and not the motors. It takes a little time to use this device but it does get your awning in and out safely.
Other than that, we found no other operating instructions for this procedure. It is straight forward operation so it is not that hard to figure out.
Girard Awning Manual Override
The GG750 service manual has the instructions concerning the manual override operation. Those instructions are as follows:
- In case of motor issues, the GG750 has a manual override to close the awning.
- Remove the endcap opposite the motor, by removing the 3 Philips head screws.
- Using a 13mm wrench, turn the manual override shaft to close the awning, see Figure 10. NOTE: The manual override is one-way, it can only close the awning.
- Figure 10 is showing a right-hand motor version of the GG750. If you have a left-hand version, the manual override will be on the opposite side
Download The Girard Awning Manual
We have talked about linking to the manuals throughout the article and we have 3 for you at this time. They all come from our go-to manual website but you can always contact Girard to get them if you are not a fan of this site.
You can use that website if we have not covered your specific awning or manual information. We are sure that Girard makes more than 3 awning types or contact Girard if you can’t find yours on the internet.
Some Final Words
Awnings are great when the weather gets hot. Not only do they provide you with shade, but they also help keep your RV or trailer cooler so you do not have to run your AC too much.
But there is a bad side to awnings. They can break down and the repairs are not always easy especially if you have a technologically friendly model. Then you may have to have a technician help as the repair may be beyond your skills.
In any case, the good does outweigh the bad aspects of awnings.
