Girard Awning Maintenance Tips

[Tom and Doreen]

Girard uses #3 Phillips screws to secure the end caps to the awning, over time these screws can oxidize and become difficult to remove which may result in cam-out of the screws. Additionally the location of the bottom end cap screw closest to the hull prevents a normal sized screwdriver from positively engaging the screw head due to its proximity to hull roof.  To aide in removing the screws a short right-angle screw driver or a #3 Phillips bit with a 1/4" socket wrench allows sufficient force to be applied and clearance to break the screws loose.  Once out a coating of anti-seize on the screws will prevent future problems.  

My awning has only a single limit adjustment screw which is quite different than the illustration included in my Girard manual. I'll include a picture for reference.  

A little prevention goes a long way when your batteries in the remote go dead or the remote fails and you have no other choice than to pull the end cap off the awning and manually retract the awning.  

Notes: 

• The limit screw requires a 4mm Allen wrench ( 1/4 turn = 1" of travel )
• The retraction bolt requires a 13mm wrench
   

Edited 1 hour ago by Tom and Doreen