Day & Night Blinds Product Characteristics

This document has been produced by the British Blind and Shutter Association (BBSA) to highlight the key characteristics of day & night roller blinds to help you make an informed choice when buying your blinds.

Fabrics that are cotton or have a high cotton content absorb moisture and can shrink. For this reason, these fabrics are not suitable for high moisture environments. With multiple blinds the stripe effect on the fabrics may not 
exactly line up with adjacent blinds, especially when there are differences in the drop of the blinds. 

Day & night roller blinds need to be fitted level to prevent fabric running off to one side during operation, particularly on long drop blinds and/or woven fabrics. However, with some fabrics the blinds may not run absolutely square and this may also cause the hem bar on the blind to be slightly out of level.

Day & night roller blinds with opaque fabrics provide a good degree of dim-out but there will be light coming around the extremities of the blind. This is more apparent with blinds fitted inside a reveal than those fitted outside.
Due to their product specification, standard day & night roller blinds do not offer blackout.

When fitted in a bay window, there will be some gaps where the blind brackets meet each other. The size of any gap will depend on several factors including; the shape of the bay, the style of the window and the specification of the blind system. Similarly, at the edge of the fabric of each blind and at the edge of the bay, there may be light gaps/potential loss of privacy depending on the angle of the bay and the adjoining walls.

To allow for operating clearance, the width of the blind must be narrower than the width of the reveal. If there are any obstructions in the reveal, for example tiles at the base or a dado rail, the blind will need to be made to accommodate the narrowest width.

A day & night roller blind is made square, however in reality reveals are often not. The head of the window or sill may not be level and the distances between the side walls throughout often vary. The distance from the edge of the reveal to the window may also vary, so blinds will either be fitted to run parallel to the window or to the edge of the reveal. 

There is a wide range of motorised solutions available for your comfort and convenience and each system will have its own characteristics. Some points to consider are:
• Speed and alignment: Blinds in the same installation may not travel at the same speed and may not line up if stopped during the travel of the blinds due to mechanical and 
electrical tolerances.
•  Noise: Being operated by a motor, some noise will be emitted. Quiet motors may be available.

•  Wiring: Some surface wiring may be required. Where 240V mains power is involved, a competent person will be required to provide a power feed unless the blinds can be powered from a plug inserted into an existing socket.
•  Motor protection: For safety reasons, most motors are fitted with a thermal cut-out to protect them from getting too hot (usually from over-use). When cooled sufficiently, the motor will start working again. 

Where a smart home hub is used the signals to the blinds may get occasionally interrupted by other wireless devices in the home such as smart speakers or doorbells. This can affect the operation, or seamless operation of the blind.

All blinds with cords or chains could pose a risk of strangulation to young children. The BBSA recommends inherently safe products (Safe by Design). If you choose a product with additional child safety devices, these 
must be securely fitted as required. For further information on window blind safety visit: www.makeitsafe.org.uk