Roller Shades Won't Stay Down
HerHusband
installing them this weekend. The installation seems simple enough, I held
up the blind to find out where the brackets should be mounted on each side,
screwed them to the wall, and slipped the shades in place. We installed
four other blinds the same way and they work great. Unfortunately, these
three blinds won't stay down.
I've tried tightening and loosening the spring tension by rolling or
unrolling the shade by hand, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on
whether the shade "catches" when we pull it down. It rolls up and down
fine (other than occasionally winding crooked), it just won't stay where we
want it.
I personally hate roller shades, I had nothing but problems with them
growing up, but they're what my in-laws wanted. Unfortunately, we ordered
them months ago but weren't able to install them till now. I've contacted
the company about exchanging them, but it's probably unlikely after so much
time has passed.
So, are these shades defective, or am I just missing something really
simple?
Stumped by the simplest of things... :)
Anthony
LouB
Tied reversing the roll on the roller?
hr(bob) hofmann@att.net
You cn look at the locking mechanism if you take them down, the
mechanism is at one end or the other.
Colbyt
The little gear that controls the locking is located on the end of the shade
that has the rectangle pin. There are several things to look at:
Are the brackets a little tight on this blind preventing the gear from
working?
Sticky part? Add a little silicone to free the movement.
The height of the window is such that you are trying to stop at a point
where the gear can not engage.
Excess tension will sometimes cause this problem. Why I still don't know.
Winding crooked usually says that the a) shade is not level, adjust one of
your brackets; b) the shade is not attached properly to the roller,
defective, return to vendor. Most of the better made ones have a defects
policy. Wal-Mart shade throw it away and buy a new one.
--
Colbyt
Please come visit http://www.househomerepair.com
HerHusband
> The little gear that controls the locking is located on
> the end of the shade that has the rectangle pin.
Yes, I have examined the locking end and can't see anything wrong. I may
take some lubricant the next time we visit the in-laws and try spraying a
little in the end.
> Are the brackets a little tight on this blind preventing
> the gear from working?
I don't think so. I changed the spacing of the brackets and it didn't
make any difference.
> The height of the window is such that you are trying to
> stop at a point where the gear can not engage.
It's the same five foot height the other windows in the house are. The
other blinds are narrower or wider and seem to work fine. But for some
reason all three of the blinds that are this middle width (about 36"
wide) won't lock in place.
> Excess tension will sometimes cause this problem.
I tried increasing and decreasing the tension (to the point that it
wouldn't wind back up all the way), but it still wouldn't stay where we
stopped it.
> Winding crooked usually says that the a) shade is not level,
> adjust one of your brackets; b) the shade is not attached
> properly to the roller, defective
I'm fairly sure the shade is level, as it's mounted equal distance from
the top trim on each side. Of course, there's a chance the window itself
is not level, but I didn't have a level with me last week to verify. I
will check it next time we visit.
I tried the "tape shim" suggested in the instructions, but it didn't seem
to help.
Worse yet, it seems to wind differently depending on where you hold it.
Grab the lift bar on the left and it winds OK, grab it on the right and
it veers to the left.
> return to vendor. Most of the better made ones have
> a defects policy. Wal-Mart shade throw it away and
> buy a new one.
I bought these shades online from JC Penney. Unfortunately, my in-laws
are more concerned with "pretty" and "cheap" than they are with quality.
:) So with those limits, I had to buy the lowest end shades available.
I have contacted JC Penney about it, but considering we bought the blinds
6 months ago, I'm not expecting they'll do much about it.
They are both in poor health, and I honestly think they're going to have
a hard time fighting with these spring loaded shades. I'm thinking of
switching to roller shades that have the adjuster chain instead. I've
never used these before, but I would think it would be easier to sit in
their chair and slowly raise or lower the shade as needed. Do you know
how this type of lift mechanism compares with the spring loaded type as
far as ease of use and longevity are concerned?
Thanks,
Anthony
Colbyt
"HerHusband" <unk...@unknown.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9DFA4B54A4...@85.214.73.210...
There are a couple of different mechanisms out there for roll up shades. I
doubt you will find any in the bargain brands but I will tell you about them
anyway.
The clutch wind with a control chain is a very nice one and the other newer
one is a no chain type of clutch system with all the mechanics built into
the headrail. The chain is a continuous loop with stops that are added
during install to control the maximum up and down. The no chain model you
simply pull down or gently raise with you hand. Older folks with arthritis
in the hands may find the no chain one easier to use.
You can stop either of these at any point in the travel so shade can be
adjusted exactly the way you want.
Pennys may sell one or both in their custom department. I also suspect they
can be purchased at HD or Lowes.
At the high end of the scale there are remote controlled battery operated
motors to raise and lower shades/blinds.
The chain models are quite durable. They are used in TGI Fridays, Starbucks
and some of the other chains. Those commercial installs are using the heavy
duty version which looks a little "commercial". The only callback I ever had
was due to the stop button coming off the chain. I suspect that was
installer error. The other is too new for me to have an opinion about as I
have not installed that many of them.
At one time Pennys had a decent quality ready-made pleated shade; maybe they
still do. It was a good value for the money. Those raise and lower like a
metal blind using a cord and can stop at any point in the travel.
Lightweight some even old folks could handle a 36" wide one with no
problems.
HerHusband
> The clutch wind with a control chain is a very nice one and the other
> newer one is a no chain type of clutch system with all the mechanics
> built into the headrail. The chain is a continuous loop with stops
> that are added during install to control the maximum up and down. The
> no chain model you simply pull down or gently raise with you hand.
> Older folks with arthritis in the hands may find the no chain one
> easier to use.
> The chain models are quite durable.
Thanks for the info, I appreciate it!
If Penny's will take the shades back after all this time, I will probably
go with the clutch type with the chain. It's what I wanted to go with from
the beginning, but my wife and inlaws pushed the spring loaded type. Now
we're having the exact problems I expected to have... :)
Anthony