how can i repair the cord that opens and closes the umberella

margaret, June 2009

The rope attached to the interior crank has snapped so the parasol will not wind up.

Kevin Hughes, June 2013

afer searching for quite a while to find replacement cord suitable for the broken cord replaced with steel core washing line wont rot or snap and only cost me £2.00 from any tesco main store for 15 meters plenty left over if needed hope this helps

hopalong hitch, August 2011

Needs two people to make it easy.
Need tweezers or such like.
Half an hour max.

Take parasol off the base. Unscrew winding mechanism cover. Take parasol off arm by unscrewing plastic 'trumpet' attaching it to the arm. If the cord has snapped you need to buy about 4m x 1.5mm (40-45kg break) nylon (sash) cord from hardware store. If the cord has just slipped off the guide wheel you only need to slip it back on.

Fit new cord by pushing one end of nylon cord through the hole in the winding mechanism and tying a good double knot.
Turn plastic arm upside down, stand on a chair and jiggle the cord through. (Still to find a better way of doing this! This is where person 2 comes into their own with the tweezers!!) Make sure cord goes over the guide wheel.
Push cord through the 'trumpet' shaped top.
Offer parasol up to plastic trumpet top and push cord through and down the plastic 'tunnel' with the hole in the end. Pull cord through the hole and push through the bottom bit of plastic on the parasol. Tie a very firm double knot!!!

Instructions become obvious when you take it apart...

Sue Powis, July 2009