Daynite Shade Cord

[arkaussie]

Well I see one of my cords is about to break on my long bedroom blind so I need to replace it. After doing some research I think I have either 0.9 or 1.2mm diameter chord.

My problem is I cannot decide which and need your help

I plan on buying the 300ft reel with a needle as I expect that my other blinds will need doing in due course as well. Also the supplier may know what I need but thought I would ask the experts to get the correct answer.

We are sitting in Lake George, NY with 18" of snow around us and we are keeping warm with very little propane use, just electric heat. The Horizon is doing well. I would like to insulate the water bay some but haven't figured out how to do it as it would have to be on the outside. Sorry, I digress.

Thanks,

 

[arkaussie]

Well I see one of my cords is about to break on my long bedroom blind so I need to replace it. After doing some research I think I have either 0.9 or 1.2mm diameter chord.

My problem is I cannot decide which and need your help

I plan on buying the 300ft reel with a needle as I expect that my other blinds will need doing in due course as well. Also the supplier may know what I need but thought I would ask the experts to get the correct answer.

We are sitting in Lake George, NY with 18" of snow around us and we are keeping warm with very little propane use, just electric heat. The Horizon is doing well. I would like to insulate the water bay some but haven't figured out how to do it as it would have to be on the outside. Sorry, I digress.

Thanks,

 

[Trek-Cyclist]

I've seen alot of treads on what string/line to use...My problem is going back and getting the same line that failed before just to fail again!

I took the easy and heavy duty way out. I went to Home Depot and bought levelers line. It's used to set a chalk line on surfaces.. I bought the white color and is woven cord. My wife had a heavy duty needle and away we went stringing along. That was 2 years ago and the Day/Night Shade we re-strung is working better then new. It gets a lot of sun which dried out the old one but hasn't affected this cord at all. The other windows have awnings on the outside and haven't been affected yet.. But when it does we'll be ready.

 

[Big Ben-WO]

If you look down several post you will see my post on the same thing. I ended up using 80# test Dacron fishing line.

 

[arkaussie]

Thanks Guys, I'm thinking I like the Levelers string as I feel the fishing line which I assume is like solid nylon may cause outer problems later. However you never know.

 

[Ding-a-ling]

After re-stringing all but two of our shades it is my opinion the cord is not the problem. The most important thing is to completely de-burr the holes in the aluminum channels. I've used OEM fabric cord and monofilament fishing line and if the holes are still rough either will break.

 

[arkaussie]

Thanks Frank,
I had read about the burr problem and was going to address it when I pulled the blind apart.

The blind in our bedroom is almost floor to ceiling and my wife tends to open it pretty quick which I also think adds to problem, but I cannot fix that.

 

[Big Ben-WO]

Dacron fishing line is braided it is not monofilment. I was hoping for some thing that would last longer than what the blind company uses.

 

[arkaussie]

Shows what I know about fishing.

Thanks Ben

 

[tomsm]

Lindsay,

In addition to de-burring, take a look at the way the grommets are installed. They are mushroom shaped with the "stem" going through the hole and the "cap" providing a smooth surface for the cord to make a turn. Look at where the cords make a turn and make sure you have the "cap" protecting that turn.

At least on all mine so far, the grommet "cap" was on the wrong side of the channel which provided no protection for the cord. Even if de-burred, the cord was still rubbing against the edge of the hole. The grommets just pop out of the hole, so it's easy to re-install them properly. In addition to protecting the cord, the shades operate much smoother. I think you can use most any kind of cord, if those edges are protected. Good luck - the first one is the hardest. I've done 4 of mine and each one gets easier and faster...

 

[Cheryl Bisson]

The problem with the shade I fixed was the plastic stiffener that fits in the length of the channel in the middle rail. There are four prepunched holes in it which should line up with the four holes in the rail. Two of the four did not line up, so two plastic grommets did not fit into those holes and the cord then rubbed on the metal holes and broke. I enlarged the holes just enough to make them line up using a paper hole punch. I used cord from Jo-Ann's. This shade now works much easier than any of the others.

 

[wagonmaster2]

Tomsn - When you restrung your blinds did you pull the old string completely out then re-thread the new cord or were you able to fasten the new onto the old while its still in place then pull the old out bringing the new into place at the same time. Did I state that very good. On our old coach we took the blinds to a company in Tulsa and he just kind of melted to new to the end of the old and just pulled it all through into place. Those were different kind of blinds but I thought maybe the same principle would work on the day/night shades. I got 3 of my blinds replaced under warranty two years ago and deburred the new ones before installing them. After seeing how badly they were made I removed 3 of the shades that hadn't frayed too badly yet and did a good deburring job on them and put them back up. Hoping I won't have to do anything for a couple years yet but like to keep up on the procedure.
Wagonmaster2
2004 Meridian 36G

 

[tomsm]

I completely removed the old cords so I could debur and move the grommets to where the cord makes a turn. The actual restringing of the cord is the easiest part of the operation. My wife had a big needle about 4 inches long with a big enough eye for the cord. By compressing the folds in the shade (like when it's retracted), I could pass the needle through the whole section of the shade. A couple of big rubberbands are helpful to hold the section compressed while you restring it.

The idea of using the old cord to pull in the new would be good, if it weren't for the other work to be done. I didn't have the problem that Cheryl had, but considering all the things you may need to correct, I think it's easier to just totally disassemble the thing.

 

[bobwallace]

arkaussie..What are you doing to keep your rig from freezing. I am not sure what my 06 can handle.

 

[arkaussie]

Bob, I replied in a new post titled "Cold Weather Camping.....No, Really Cold Weather Camping"

If you have more questions then ask away, hope I can help.

 

[wagonmaster2]

Thanks Tomsn -
Wagonmaster2