Preparing for the Installation of Motorised Roller Blinds
Today more than ever people are turning to home automation to make there lives simpler, easier and even safer. Certain technologies may seem new and innovative but have in fact been around for many years. This is certainly the case with automation in the window furnishing industry. Motorisation and automation of window furnishings has been around for over 30 years. In that time the technology in blinds, curtains and awning motors has gotten more advanced, quieter, cheaper and integrate well with other automation within the home and office. I would say affordability has been the main driver for the growth in motorised blinds in Australia. It is no longer just in the realms of the wealthy.
Improved technology, main stream consumer demand and the increase of manufacturers especially from China has really driven the price of motors down.
For the purpose of this blog I will be specifically looking at the preparation required leading up to the installation of motorised roller blinds here in Australia.
With more and more people looking to automate their homes or business ...the question that needs to be asked is...."what preparation needs to be made prior to the installation of the motorised roller blinds?"
With over 25 years in motorisation in the this Blind, Curtain and Awning Industry and thousands upon thousands of blind, curtain and awning installations under my belt I can confidently say this is probably one of the most important questions you could ask. I cannot tell you how many countless times I have been called out to repair and rectify blinds awnings or curtains which have fallen down, failed, or required expensive building or electrical works to rectify motorised window furnishings issues due to inadequate planning and preparation.Some of these costs have exceeded into the tens of thousands of dollars.
It may seem an obvious question but all too often it is not asked by the parties who are involved in a particular build or project. This can be the owner, architect, draftsmen, carpenter, electrician even the blind company who is being engaged. This is sometimes due the the parties involved not thinking it is their responsibility to ask the question or it was simply forgotten about ...blinds, awning or curtains are sometimes an after thought and people will always get caught out in the end when they cannot install or need to perform rectification work to install the desired product.
Step - 1 Fixing Location Of Roller Blinds?:
In the planning stages of a new structure or maybe even an existing structure the very first step that must be determined for preparation of motorised roller blinds installation is the fixing location of the blinds.
(i)Are the blinds going to be face fitted to the wall, architrave or top fixed under a pelmet, ceiling, behind a bulkhead or in the recess of a window? Each location will have it positive and negative benefits and aesthetic impact.
Step 2 - What Is The Blinds Finished Width?
Once you have determined exactly where you are fitting the motorised roller blinds you should be able get an accurate indication as to the near to approximate future finished width of the blinds. E.g Are the motorised roller blinds going to be fitted to the architrave edge to edge? Will the motorised roller blinds be fitted onto the wall with some overlap going past each side of the window. Or are the final measurement contained within the recess of the window frame etc.
Step 3 - Determine the Motor Side of the Roller Blind.
Assuming you are using a 240v powered tubular roller blind motor...you will need to determine which side the motorised roller blinds tubular motor is to be located on. This may need to be a discussion best done with your elected electrician or builder to determine which side is best, easiest or most cost effective side to get the power cable to the motor.
Step 4 - Set Out Exact Locations For The Motorised Roller Blind Cable.
Now that you have (i)Fixing Location ((ii) Roller Blind Width and (iii)Motor Side.
You will now be able to mark out the location of where it is that you will need the electrical cable to come out from for the roller blind tubular motor. The best location is best directly behind the tubular motor head, or if top fixed from the top of the recess behind the motor head as far back away from the motor as possible.
There are many reasons why you need to know where the roller blind motor cable exits from...such as; it ensures the cable looks tidy once the roller blind is installed, the cable is hidden mostly from view, the cable hole is not located where the roller blind bracket needs to be fitted, the cable is not located where it can rub against the roller blind when it is being operated and the cable is easy to get too so that the blind can be easily connected and reconnected.
This location needs to be clearly marked out for your electrician. If you are building ...then it is best you notify your electrician or your builder before the plasterboard has been sheeted or with solid brick or concrete construction that provisions are put in place. This will make running power cables easier, save time and money.
Important Note- make sure the electrician drills a large enough hole into the wall cavity and it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that the motor cable and any inline connections that have been wired by the electrician can be fed entirely back into the hole. We will sometime go to a job were excess cable cannot be fed back into the wall or ceiling cavity and the builder and electrician need to come back to perform rectification work.
Step 5 - Installation Of A Solid Fixing Substrate To Install Your Motorised Roller Blinds Too.
All Blind, Curtain or Awning products requires a solid substrate for the installer to fix too. Some products are more forgiving than others and some can even be fitted to just plasterboard. It is especially important with motorised roller blinds that they are fitted to a solid substrate such as timber, metal, brickwork(not the crumbly kind) or concrete. If you are fixing to an architrave ....you need to make sure the architraves are also fixed securely. I have seen cheaply and poorly installed architraves fall off the windows.
We never, never, never fit our motorised blinds to just plasterboard.However we still regularly see motorised window furnishings installed by cowboy blind installers to plasterboard without timber. We see this because we are often called in to re-install a fallen blind. It is quite common to see a roller blind bottom bar catch a piece of furniture even held by a child rip out from the plaster and fall to the floor or on someones head. Plaster only fitted blinds have also simply fallen from the ceiling after the roof space has been flooded by water.
It is always best if early in the construction phase and using plasterboard to place timber noggins or internal batons where you will be fixing your motorised roller blind brackets too. If the walls are already sheeted you can install timber batons, bracket support plates etc to get support from the stud frame behind the plaster etc.
Step 6 - Paint The Area Prior To The Motorised Roller Blinds Being Installed.
It is all too often that we will be called out to install blinds, curtains or awnings to an area which has not yet been painted. Against our wishes we will still be instructed by the builder, owner, architect etc to continue with the installation. Only to be contacted later to remake, re-install, remove or repair blinds which have been damaged or painted on by someone trying to paint around or remove the blind. This all comes at an extra and unnecessary cost to the client or trade involved with the damage.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article and hopefully is goes some way in helping you plan and prepare for your motorised blinds installation. At the end of the day if you are still unsure... it always pays to call in the experts. At Installco Windowfurnishing Installations we have performed tens of thousands of Blind, Awning and Curtain Installations.
