REMOTE CONTROL BLINDS FAQS
Click the questions to view the answers.
Control of your conservatory blinds varies enormously from type-to-type and even from range-to-range. Normally you won’t find this out until after they are fitted and you have begun using them with some regularity.
For manual blinds we would only recommend purpose-designed conservatory blind ranges such as pure™ Pleated Blinds and pure™ Pinoleum Blinds.
For remote control operation, there is only one system purpose-designed for conservatory blinds – our own unique puresolo™ remote control system.
Somfy™ is the industry-standard for motorisation in the blinds industry. They manufacture high quality tubular motors and market-leading control systems using Radio Frequency (called RTS at Somfy™).
We have even developed our own unique puresolo™ remote control system utilising concealed low voltage Somfy™ motors to operate the blinds.
We also offer a complete standard Somfy™ remote control system utilising their transformers, receivers and handsets which you will commonly find available with other blind retailers.
We use Somfy™ motors when selling remote control options on the following blinds:
- pure™ Pleated Blinds
- Duette®
- pure™ Pinoleum Blinds
No, puresolo™ remote control blinds are unique to Conservatory Blinds Limited and nothing else even comes close. We design, manufacture and install all of our own blinds completely in-house, so they are simply NOT available from any other retailer.
It is the only remote control system that has been specifically designed for conservatory blinds. No other control system has these benefits despite what might be claimed verbally by certain salespeople.
- 1 control box operates up to 36 blinds (2 boxes for up to 72 blinds)
- 1 handset controls up to 99 blinds
- 1 small low-voltage cable connects all the blinds
- The cable is completely concealed (not tucked away)
Unique operation and ease of controlling conservatory blinds.
- Operate all your blinds together at the same time
- Operate your blinds in up to 9 different zones
- Operate any blind individually
Our optional annual service is recommended for remote control installations to ensure that your blinds stay clean and in top operating condition.
We carry out a full check on your blinds, including:
- Blinds unclipped (normally from the top) and any loose debris shaken out
- Fixings, clips and brackets checked and replaced where necessary
- Cables wiped with silicone and re-tensioned as necessary
- Motors & drive cords checked to be fully operational
- Handset, programmers & transformer checked to be operational
- Blinds tested and work area swept clean on completion
- Battery replaced in your remote control handset
If you order a multi-year Annual Maintenance Contract when you buy your remote control roof blinds, you will receive a FREE year’s maintanance.
As most service calls arise due to incorrect care and operation, it is often cheaper to purchase a maintenance service agreement at order stage than to pay for reactive service calls that are not covered under guarantee.
You don’t need to stick to yearly visits either – they can be at any time. You can arrange your maintenance visit when you require – if you require a specific date, simply call or email us with at least 4 weeks’ notice.
Most people have their maintenance carried out before or after the summer ‘fly-season’ (before April or from late August onwards). You can even use up your visits to resolve items not covered by guarantee, thereby avoiding any service call costs.
We normally ask that you use your Annual Maintenance Service by no later than the end of the 5th year, so you are effectively making sure that your blinds are in top condition for at least 6 entire years.
Firstly, there aren’t that many cables if you opt for puresolo™ Remote Control Blinds and most are concealed anyway, nevertheless it is possible to conceal the power cable etc. depending on your property.
Using our puresolo™ remote control blinds we can completely conceal the low voltage cable that runs around the conservatory powering the blinds. The cable is concealed within a purpose-designed mounting profile so it is not only neat, but entirely safe from any damage.
The low voltage cable that runs from the transformer to the first blind is normally concealed within mini-trunking, but if your conservatory is unfinished the you can ask your electrician to install conduit within the wall so as to permanently conceal the low voltage cable. We can provide you with the cable at survey and even tell you the two locations required where the cable should enter/exit the wall.
If concealing the low voltage cable within the wall, note its location and avoid drilling into the wall at a later date. If it ever needs replacing then this will present an issue, as we will only replace a cable if it is surface-fitted.
If you are in any doubt, ask your electrician to attend the survey.
No, our remote control blinds are programmed via the control box and as long as it has power this programming will not be lost – the box even has a back up so that it would take an extremely long period of time for it to lose its “memory”.
Remote control blinds are designed to be used regularly and if being left for a long period of time they should be checked and the wires cleaned before use as fluff, dirt and dust will have built up, which could cause problems with smooth operation.
Yes, you can have a mixture of both manual and motorised blinds to help reduce the cost of blinds.
This is normally done by first selecting manual blinds fitted to the roof vents so that the blind moves with the vent itself, thus negating the need for the blind to operated very often. However if the vent blind cannot be fitted directly to the roof vent then these blinds should be motorised because they are the most likely to be used.
The next option would be to just motorise the blinds with the biggest surface area (the rectangular blinds) because they will have the biggest effect on the conservatory. The smaller shaped blinds would be best left as manually operated if you are having a part-motorised installation.
Before considering a part-manual, part-motorised installation you can also reduce the cost by “doubling up” blinds (have one blind covering 2 or more panes of glass) so that you reduce the number of motors required anyway.
It is not always easy because your conservatory may not be suited to this layout because of tie bars etc. preventing large blinds being possible, or the resultant doubled-up blinds may be oversized, but this is probably the best option to consider before selecting a part-manual installation.
In summary; ask for alternative quotations with varying blind layouts and to include different options for part-motorisation before making a final decision.
Finally, always bear in mind that many people do not move their roof blinds at all, so remote control blinds may not actually be required – consider a manual installation as it could be up to half the cost of remote control blinds.
This can be highly variable, depending on the type of blind, the number of blinds, whether they are adjacent (as in a conservatory) and the control system required.
Generally speaking, the extra cost per blind will probably range between £150-£250 to add remote control operation to conservatory blinds, but if you only want one or two motorised blinds the costs would be much higher.
Cheaper cost options for motorisation are available, but are not recommended for use in conservatories.
Although most blinds are available with optional remote control, it cannot be added afterwards because the blinds need to be manufactured completely differently, with different components and completely different architecture.
Each blind range has a limited number of motors that can be specified, but the control systems (the bit that makes them work and controls their operation) is often the most variable when it comes to cost. We offer the widest choice of control systems for motorised blinds, including:
puresolo™
pureduo™
purefusion™
purezero™
Somfy™
Like all technologically bespoke services, the cost should be somewhat ignored when compared to the suitability of the control system itself to your conservatory and personal needs.There are many things that can cause problems with motorised blinds, so be sure that you are dealing with true specialists.
There are a number of companies offering remote control operation, but they are often incorrectly specified because the salesmen are only interested in winning your order at any price, as opposed to having any technical understanding over what they are doing.
