How the heck do you adjust the Day-Night Shades so they stay up?

[Mike Shumack]

I finally got around to (trying) fixing the Day-Night Shades at the head of the bed. These are the pleated shades that have a Night section at the top, a divider bar, and a Day shade at the bottom. The shades would not move. And they were cocked. So last night I removed them and disassembled. I found nothing wrong. All the ropes are good. They seem to work fine on the kitchen floor. I reinstalled but they will not stay in position (up).

Then I went on-line and found the manufacturers' website (United Shade Inc.). They sell a repair kit (new ropes) which I don't need - but the repair kit had instructions. I read the repair instructions for clues. It talks about "tensioning" the ropes. I have excess rope hanging out the bottom - but I can't seem to get any more tension (or don't understand how to)

 I tried several times to get some tension that would hold the shade up - but I'm having no luck. How the heck does this thing work?

I want to be able to lift the day shade portion up to open window and have it stay up. 
At least it is not cocked anymore.

[Joel Ashley]

So the cord ends are properly secured on the clear plastic “doughnuts” at the bottom inside of the valance frame?    https://www.rvautoparts.com/81735-JR-Products-Window-Shade-Cord-Retainer-Used-To-Secure-The_p_9848.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4efc_f3-2wIVmLjACh0j5QKvEAQYEyABEgIGtfD_BwE

The only real issues we’ve had is when the cord ends on one or both sides come loose because those hold downs (spools) weren’t set up right at the factory and break.  If the cord doesn’t wrap around the fastener core at least half a turn or more before passing through the holes, the strain sooner or later will crack out a chunk between the holes.  I’ve replaced and/or rewound a slew of them on our coach, and drilled new holes in others.

Joel

[Mike Shumack]

Joel, the attachment things at the bottom of the window are broken. I took two "sewing bobbins" from my wifes sewing machine kit and attached those were the OEM plastic things were. Then I tied the rope around the bobbins. I tried a couple of different ways to wrap the rope, to add tension, before tying it off.

Maybe I should just get the correct pieces. Thanks for the link.

If it just a matter of getting the tension correct, I would think I could just keep making it tighter till it works, but if feels pretty tight now and I don't want to break the rope - but shades still dont want to stay up. But if that what it takes. I'll try again.

[Joel Ashley]

Everything online seems to be restringing advice, which you apparently don’t need.  Not having tackled our blinds for a few years, I don’t recall the exact mechanics, but the support strings from the bottom ends of the lower bar to the bobbins are pretty taut, I know.  The mid-blind strings must route through the rail to the nearest end and down to the bobbin.  Perhaps the mechanism the string(s) negotiate inside the rail has failed?  Perhaps a call to United on the next business day would be helpful.  tel:877.262.0954

You might check the video on their site or YouTube ones for a clue to the rail mechanism.  Are the springs okay?  Are the cords crossed as they’re supposed to be?  The factory did not wrap the cord around our bobbin shafts, which is why they break.  Also our bobbins don’t have retainers as in the United video.  The video at the end does note tying a shorter cord to deal with a shade that won’t stay put.    https://unitedshade.com/how-to-videos/

Joel

[Mike Shumack]

I have the four cord model. Everything inside is in good shape, and the cords are routed properly, and the spring is good.

In the video at the 6 minute mark, it is said to tie a knot in the cord string at the "proper place according to the length measurement taken". I'm not sure what that measurement is. The video doesn't explain it.
 
However after the watching the video and reading the instructions a few times - I think the length measurement is the "length from top header to bottom of shade" with shade fully down.
And there should be a knot at the bottom of the shade (where the cord comes out of the shade) - and not just tied off to the bobbins at the bottom of window opening.

I think that is the step I'm missing. So the tying of the cord to the bobbin is just to keep shade from moving around while driving and has nothing to do with the tensioning.

thanks