Day/night shades

[balfre1946]

After two expensive repair jobs on our day/night pleated shades where the strings are forever breaking in our Fleetwood Fiesta 34B 2010 we are looking to replace them. We still like the concept but all those puny little strings make it too complicated. Any ideas? Does Blinds to Go work on RVs?

[rgatijnet1]

Best option, if the fabric shades are still in usable condition, is to change the cord to a much stronger fishing line. This line will outlast the coach and there is always someone around who can restring it for you. It is not that complicated and it is easier to restring them than to remove, buy, and install a different type of blind, especially if your day/night shades are the black out type. Heavy duty fishing line is very inexpensive and one roll will do all of the blinds in any coach.

[sowego]

For everyone but the OP who obviously wants a change, and I don't blame them
FYI on day/night shades:

*be sure heavy duty cord is used not the lighter weight stuff
*the proper tension will make the string last. The shade should go up and down easy enough to not pull hard but tight enough they don't fall down.
*I was told by one RV tech...always use 2 hands to operate them to avoid stressing one side more than the other

OP: our best option:

Mini blinds and other blinds available from retailers are ok but we have an old fashioned idea...curtains! A light weight semi-sheer layer using a tension rod within the valance will give you privacy during the day then a heavier layer will add insulation and privacy at night. If the valance is deep enough 2 tension rods with curtains will fit up there once the shade is removed. The best thing is curtains are much easier to clean than shades of any kind. Even with regular dusting and a yearly washing shades are hard to keep clean. Day night shades grab and hold dust like crazy. Curtains can be taken down to wash them as often as desired.

The only downside to these types of window coverings...you will have to make them yourself of find someone else to do it because the sizes you will need aren't available ready-made.

[balfre1946]

I appreciate the many comments but I am looking for alternatives to the present, complicated system.

[Gjac]

This subject comes up frequently. When my string broke I tied it back together with a square knot.It took me 30 mins to figure out how it worked and to tie it back together. It broke because I over tightened the string to keep it from vibrating downwards. After re adjusting the tension on all the windows I had no more failures. I don't know if newer MH's had a different design or weaker string or what. But in 9 years of ownership I only had one broken string which I caused. I don't understand the need to restring or buy new shades unless you want the room darker.

[balfre1946]

WIT link Cloudriver..what is that?

[rockhillmanor]

balfre1946 wrote:
The stringing system in our shades is complicated beyond belief and our capabilities..we can't even figure out there it begins, where it is strung through etc etc all is hidden under a very upholstered valenance which makes the top inaccessable

There is a diagram on the internet that shows how the string is strung inside. When you see it printed out it really is very easy to do.

Yes the shade is mounted under the valance but it IS accessible! The top of the shade has a hard bar that is 'clipped' with a 2 metal clips to the top. Take a flashlight and look it is very easy to remove!

[camper_ron]

Just did one blind after 10 years of use. It was daunting but we did it and felt some sense of pride afterwards. Make sure you get the correct WT sting as my wife purchased that was a bit smaller making the job more difficult. This video was of the utmost help.
Good luck, r0n…..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=398wcJoR8ws

VIDEO

[jerseyjim]

The day/nite shades my motorhome came with (4), the strings were constantly breaking. Under the warranty, my dealer re-strung them. 3 times.
Found out that after the warranty was over, it would cost me 90 bucks (1 hour labor) to do the job. No way. I went to "Blinds to Go". Had them make 4 "mini-shades", (same sizes, of course). They work fine and look great. And....only $130 !
The little plastic anchors break once in a while, but "Blinds to Go" has no problem giving me replacements. In fact, the lady gave me a bag of 12! That'll keep me forever!

[F1bNorm]

CloudDriver wrote:
We like our pleated day/night shades. In 11 years I have had to restring one shade twice and the other once due to frayed strings. In all cases, the strings had frayed because one of the nylon grommets that provide a slippery surface where the strings go through the metal top, middle or bottom bars popped out. This allowed the string to wear and fray against the sharp edge of the hole in the metal bar and eventually break. A little epoxy glue to better hold the grommets in the metal bars resolved the problem.

The other reason for breaking strings is that they are tightened too much. The strings should be just tight enough to keep the shades up going down the road.

Restringing these shades is a relatively easy DIY job. After doing it once, the next one gets even easier.

How to do it here.

X2. The WIT link Cloudriver gives was the easiest for me to use. I also glued the plastic bushings in place using instant glue. The holes drilled in the aluminum rails were very rough so they were deburred. I purchased a repair kit, but it wasn't needed. You just need the replacement line. They mention using a threader/needle to guide the line through the holes. I used the same thin instant glue to harden a couple inches of the string. Works great.

[RV_CONUS]

I installed those small plastic hooks that hold the bottom of each side of the blind down against the wall.
We don't have a problem with them while traveling

[ncrowley]

If you use commercial blinds, how do you keep the bottoms from flopping around while you are driving?

[dons2346]

Macktee wrote:
Just had Dave and Lj's put new Auto-motion shades in the cockpit area of the coach. Wow, I love these new shades, and getting rid of the front cloth glide around shade makes such a difference. Also got rid of some of the valances. It sure opened up the area. I am going to change every one in the coach. A little spendy, but what a difference. Macktee

We had the MCD shades and replaced them with the Auto Motion shades. It was a 100% improvement over MCD

[Macktee]

Just had Dave and Lj's put new Auto-motion shades in the cockpit area of the coach. Wow, I love these new shades, and getting rid of the front cloth glide around shade makes such a difference. Also got rid of some of the valances. It sure opened up the area. I am going to change every one in the coach. A little spendy, but what a difference. Macktee

[Bill_Satellite]

Yep, MCD!
http://www.mcdinnovations.com/

[balfre1946]

MCD shades??