Corner blinds

[beetlebob]

Has anyone ever restrung one of the corner blinds. Second time for one to break and still under warranty but not for long. If so where did you get the string kit

[BAB]

Bob, I had an issue with the right front CS accordion shade. Fortunately, the dealer was able to fix it. I was told that A/S doesn't sell the shade as a subassembly. They replace the entire corner unit to the tune of over $1,000. Oh, and with the '17 Classics they are now somewhat deeper so the shades don't hit the window lifts. Uh, that mod took them only a couple of years to fix!

[Zybane]

Could you elaborate on what you mean by re-strung? Aren't the corner blinds just in a track?

[BAB]

The corner blinds, like all the others, are also strung. The stringing (top and bottom) connects to a mechanism inside the end with springs in it. The springs keep tension on the strings that cause the accordion to move in unison. In my case, the string had come loose from the spring and the accordion would not move in unison. If it doesn't accordion correctly, you can't get the shade open. I've also had two of the side slides come loose from the metal base. The screws that retain the base are very short (like 1/8") and loosen from the wooden frame. The OceanAir blinds are really nice, but I'm concerned about their longevity -- even though we are very, very careful with them. I had the roller blinds on all my windows in my last trailer. If you do not roll them absolutely straight into the cassette, the edges will fray VERY quickly (these are blinds at the Classic's galley window and in the bathroom). I removed the huge (and ugly) plastic silver painted surround from the galley window, removed the OceanAir roller blind and put up an aluminum mini-blind.

[Zybane]

Ohh, I see. Any preventative maintenance measures to help the shades last? Or just open/close them evenly and slowly?

[beetlebob]

Fast or slow I have found no difference. We fulltime and they are opened and closed everyday.

[BAB]

ALL of the Oceanair shades use string type mechanisms in order for the pleats, etc. to open and close accordion-style. It is some kind of synthetic product, and I think it'll wear well. (So far, I haven't heard/seen any reports of somebody actually breaking them.) We'll find out sooner or later what the life cycle looks like...and those who FT in their Classic (like Bob and Paige), will probably be the first to determine longevity. I REALLY like the shades -- especially with the option to both darken AND black out light. Far, far superior to any other window treatment Airstream is using...mainly because they deal with the wall curvature perfectly. No matter what I did in my 28 footer, there was ALWAYS a gap that let light in.

[beetlebob]

Well I am on my 5th corner blind string break. No longer under warranty so going to try and restring it. I was wondering if anyone knows what gauge string to use.

[NWRVR]

My curb, front, corner shade broke so I removed the valance and shade. Found the string knot had pulled through the keeper so I tied a larger knot after re-balancing the length on top and bottom so they would close and open evenly and reinstalled. All working well to date.


As to the vertical shades catching on the window opener levers I drilled the holes in the rubber ends so they would sit further onto the rods which helped clearance with the shades.

[beetlebob]

Well I finally restrung the corner blind. Took 2 hours to do from start to finish and did it inside the trailer since it is nasty outside and we are at the mothership. I used a 1.4 mm cord thinking a little bigger would be better. If you don’t have a wire drill set don’t go bigger use the next size smaller. Guessed we saved $1000.00. That is what they want for the corner blind. I voiced my concerns over that price to. There is a lot of plastic sliding parts on the blind and it is just a matter of time before they start to break. Since we fulltime we open and close them daily. Going to look into having some kind of curtains made to replace the blinds out when the plastic starts to break. The hardest part is getting the string through the blinds. I made a chase out of 20 gauge bare wire and it worked good. Happy happy joy joy it’s done

[NWRVR]

Originally Posted by beetlebob

Well I finally restrung the corner blind. Took 2 hours to do from start to finish and did it inside the trailer since it is nasty outside and we are at the mothership. I used a 1.4 mm cord thinking a little bigger would be better. If you don’t have a wire drill set don’t go bigger use the next size smaller. Guessed we saved $1000.00. That is what they want for the corner blind. I voiced my concerns over that price to. There is a lot of plastic sliding parts on the blind and it is just a matter of time before they start to break. Since we fulltime we open and close them daily. Going to look into having some kind of curtains made to replace the blinds out when the plastic starts to break. The hardest part is getting the string through the blinds. I made a chase out of 20 gauge bare wire and it worked good. Happy happy joy joy it’s done

Congratulations on the repair.


A few days after my post my curb side, front, corner jammed and I just finished adjusting and reinstalling the unit. I also lubricated the tracks with a little silicone spray. The strings were still all correctly strung and in place but two of the bottom plastic balls came out of the aluminum track, probably from wear and forcing it when the shade jammed. The driver's side works smoothly so I wonder if the string tension on the curb side is too much or too little. If it fails again, I plan to remove both sides to compare. I will also check with OceanAir to see if they sell just the shade component.

[beetlebob]

Originally Posted by NWRVR

Congratulations on the repair.


A few days after my post my curb side, front, corner jammed and I just finished adjusting and reinstalling the unit. I also lubricated the tracks with a little silicone spray. The strings were still all correctly strung and in place but two of the bottom plastic balls came out of the aluminum track, probably from wear and forcing it when the shade jammed. The driver's side works smoothly so I wonder if the string tension on the curb side is too much or too little. If it fails again, I plan to remove both sides to compare. I will also check with OceanAir to see if they sell just the shade component.

Please keep us informed about buying just the shade. I have one starting to loose the night shading from the inside

[Tom_Cooper]

Perhaps you should check the entire mechanism for performance. Such frequent damage is not normal. Maybe you have some bad part or something.

[NWRVR]

Originally Posted by Tom_Cooper

Perhaps you should check the entire mechanism for performance. Such frequent damage is not normal. Maybe you have some bad part or something.

I found that small stop screw at the end of the top track was not screwed down far enough to stop the sliders from coming out of the end of the track thus losing all string tension and causing the shade to jam. Sixty days of use since then and all smoothly working as designed.