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Thread: External Pergola Weather Blinds (Electric Roller Type)

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    Default External Pergola Weather Blinds (Electric Roller Type)

    I am in the process of selecting a large external electric roller blind (4.8m wide) for my rear pergola. We expect this will make outdoor dining or entertainment more comfortable for those times when it gets a little cool or drafty ... of course we will not use it when a gale or storm breaks out for obvious reasons.

    Some friends as well as competitor blind suppliers that can not do the 4.8 m run in one piece say that at this length the blind will sag in the middle over time and look bad and potentially fail (obviously given the sag point)

    Does anyone here have experience or knowledge in this area. Tomorrow morning I will visit the showroom and see one of these in real life, hoping to make a decision on this soon



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    I take it this Blind is to be mounted horizontally, not vertically??
    While its 4.8 metres wide, how long is it ?

    Have a look at any shade cloth type coverings and from what I have see they are mostly on an angle, not flat.
    Even though they not generally waterproof, I noticed one I used on a shed as a temporary roof sagged until all the water had passed through it.
    Instead of a material blind that looks like its going to be major worry to find what you want, what about solid slats that can be turned from the vertical to the Horizontal?
    Our local McDonald's had an outdoor area where they used both fixed and open-able panels. I think they may have gone as far as including a devise that shut the panels when it rained.
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    What about 2 at 2.4m with a zipper to join them. I understand the sagging issue. Sadly, I don't think that you'll find an easy, or cheap, solution.
    I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...

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    What you want is a bigger version of those Caravan/Camper awnings that wind up with scissor legs as supports.

    Some years ago Clints/Crazy Prices/ Cut price/the Warehouse sold an electric roll up awning that was maybe 3 X 3 metres in size?

    Just think about what will be needed to support the one you want and maybe my idea is a possibility.

    One option I do NOT suggest is to have so many plain panels and one of opaque plastic /Fibre glass because in 2 instances, a shed and a verandah, they passed so much heat that they were eventually removed.

    If you go for a fixed roof version, ala Pergola style, you would never have to worry about sudden weather changes and have you rolled in the blind???
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    We are looking for Vertical blinds or awnings - in the past I have had a heavy duty clear plastic sheet purposely made but it is a manual tie up and handling job - a lot of effort. Even when I roll it up manually it looks like crap and collects dust and shit like a magnet - it is great in winter especially if we are having parties with family and friends - My children nowadays are no longer having parties at home, well they have grown but not quite moved out

    If I manage to find an electric job all compact non sagging that we are happy with, we will off load or throw out the clear plastic job. (currently shoved under the house in a box with wheels... still a pain to store though

    The vertical drop is about 2.5 to 3m

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    Sorry, I thought you were after a ROOF covering that you could roll up when it was finished with.
    What I dont understand is where the 'sagging' comes in unless you mean along the top support area.
    The way to prevent that is to use the same idea a 'Holland' blind uses in your house.
    It is mounted on a tube of either metal or wood and is attached to it along its whole length.
    Using a 'Pelmet' box, it would wind up inside it out of sight, out of mind.

    But the distance on 4.8 metres between the ends may need some engineering to stop the 'roller' bowing in the middle.

    I just had a thought, look carefully at a roller type garage door, motor on one end driving a Tube that rolls up the door.
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    yes they are correct , considering you will have a round tube that
    is fixed on either end it will over time bend in the center with its own weight.

    go to your local hardware store and pick up any length of round tube at roughly
    the length you mentioned and you will see that when supported at either end
    it bends in the middle.

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    If I had plenty of time on my hands I would work on fabricating something up myself.

    As a starting point square tubing instead of round ... thinking about this again some lightweight H or C beams that are fabricated together to minimise space but have maximum strength. At each end angled brackets (like a garage roller door) would give it somewhere to sit.

    Maybe a job for when the missus is away OS or something

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    Square tubing can suffer from Sag when placed horizontal too if the end supports are far apart.
    Consider mounting a roller on the middle on the beam or whatever holds the blind up.
    Problem there is it would have to be spring loaded to compensate for the changing diameter as the blind is wound up.
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    Quote Originally Posted by gordon_s1942 View Post
    Square tubing can suffer from Sag when placed horizontal too if the end supports are far apart.
    Consider mounting a roller on the middle on the beam or whatever holds the blind up.
    Problem there is it would have to be spring loaded to compensate for the changing diameter as the blind is wound up.
    Now that is a smart idea !

    I will have to have a think about this ... may be another lot of googling also to see if there is something available that I can purchase specifically for this function.

    Thanks

    Joe

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