Girard Lateral-Arm Awning Family (G1500, G2000, G2085, G5000, GG750): Operation, Adjustment and Troubleshooting

Overview

Girard's lateral-arm awnings share one architecture: a powder-coated aluminum cassette that fully encloses the rolled fabric, a roller tube with a tubular motor inside it, spring-loaded folding arms, and a lead rail that seals against the cassette when closed. The family covers the G2000 cassette patio awning, the smaller G1500 door awning, the G2085/G2185 window awnings, the 12 V GG750 patio awning, and the G5000 slide-out topper (which is spring-driven rather than motorized). Motors and controls talk over Girard's G-Link RF network at 433.92 MHz, so a single handheld remote can run up to 15 Girard products on one coach.

Motor and electrical basics

The G2000 normally runs a 120 VAC, 60 Hz tubular motor with manual override: 13 RPM, 2.2 A (235 W), 50 Nm output, thermally protected. The G1500 typically uses a 12 VDC motor: 7 RPM, 7 A (84 W), 35 Nm. Either model can be ordered with the other voltage. Roller tube diameter is 3 inches. The high-torque motor is rated for intermittent duty only, roughly 4 minutes of run time per hour on the patio models (2 minutes per hour on the G2085 window awning, 6 minutes per hour on the GG750); an internal thermal breaker trips on overheat and can take up to an hour to reset in hot weather. The awning motor needs a minimum of about 10 A available (8 A on the GG750), so weak inverter output is a classic cause of an awning that moves a foot and quits. The GG750 12 VDC version can also be wired to simple rocker switches: a 20 A DPDT on/off/on rocker for the motor and a 20 A SPST rocker for the LED strip, on a 20 A protected circuit.

Wind and motion auto-retract

Two protection devices exist. The roof-mounted anemometer (wind sensor) needs constant 12 VDC whenever awnings are extended and transmits a retract command when wind speed exceeds its threshold. One anemometer commands at most two awnings; coaches with more awnings need a second unit. Pressing the UP button on the anemometer manually triggers a retract but then disables the sensor for 5 minutes. The alternative motion sensor mounts on the lead rail and retracts only the awning it is attached to; test it by pushing the extended lead rail up about 12 inches and letting it drop. Girard is explicit that neither device is a substitute for closing the awning ahead of storms - wind and rain damage is excluded from warranty.

Adjusting the motor limit switches

Limits are set at the factory but drift as fabric stretches, and must be reset after any motor or fabric replacement. Use the black plastic key shipped with the awning or a 4 mm Allen wrench in the two adjustment ports on the motor head (standard motor position is the right-hand end). One quarter turn of an adjuster moves the stop point roughly 1 inch of travel. On the G2085/Ultra style motors, with a right-hand motor the red port is the IN limit and the white port is OUT; reversed for left-hand motors.

1. OUT limit: run the awning out until it stops. If the arms lock past 90 degrees, back the OUT adjuster toward minus; if the arms never fully extend, add travel toward plus. The correct stop leaves the fabric taut with the elbows slightly bent - about a 1/8 inch gap (1/4 inch on Nova-style arms) so the arms never slam into their locks.
2. IN limit (safe method): stop the awning about 6 inches from closed, wind the IN adjuster about 20 turns toward minus so it cannot over-close, then close and observe. Walk the limit back in: 3/4 turn toward plus moves the stop about 1 inch closer, and repeat small corrections until the motor stops at the exact moment the lead rail seats in the cassette. A motor that keeps driving after the box is closed will fail early.

Pitch and elbow-height adjustment

Elbow height (needed when a closing arm elbow droops and hits the cassette): extend about 18 inches, loosen the two 19 mm lock nuts on the shoulder assembly, then turn the small 10 mm arm-elevator bolt clockwise to raise the arm inside the cassette, counter-clockwise to lower it. Retighten the lock nuts (the arm rises slightly as you do) and confirm a clean close. Pitch: same lock nuts, but turn the large 19 mm adjustment bolt under the shoulder - counter-clockwise lowers pitch, clockwise raises it. Never overtighten. The lead rail itself is preset at plus/minus 3 degrees; a 5 mm Allen in the pitch-angle screw at each lead-rail connector fine-tunes how the rail seats and seals for travel.

G5000 slide-out awning service

The G5000 is a spring-tensioned slide-out topper that mounts to the coach sidewall, not the slide room. Torsion spring preload is 7 to 8 full turns from the factory. To retension or replace the spring, remove the left-hand end cap, engage the Girard tension tool (part 1511100-19T) in a 3/8 ratchet, hold the spring load, and only then remove the two center screws in the spring support - the spring will spin the ratchet violently if you let go. Super Slide units over 244 inches carry a spring at each end; the right-hand spring winds opposite to the left, and both must carry the identical number of turns. Fabric can be changed without removing the cassette: unwind spring tension, free the poly rope through the end-plate slot, swap fabric into the roller tube and articulation channel, then rewind 7 to 8 turns. The pivot-cover slide brush that sweeps debris off the fabric is field-replaceable by removing the strike plates and driving the old brush out of its channel.

Fabric care

Girard tops are woven acrylic (Sunbrella on many models). Clean with mild natural soap in cold to lukewarm water, soft brush, thorough rinse, and air dry only - heat shrinks the fabric. Mildew responds to 1/2 cup bleach plus mild soap per gallon; iron rust to oxalic or citric acid solution; sap to turpentine. Close the awning dry whenever possible and always before travel.

Emergency manual operation

Patio motors with manual override accept a crank in the override port at the end of the cassette: push in, quarter-turn clockwise to engage, then wind clockwise to extend or counter-clockwise to retract. Use the crank whenever the motor is heat-tripped rather than cycling power against it.