Why I Automated My Select Blinds Vertical Blinds After Just One Week

I stood there at 6:45 AM, squinting against a laser beam of sunlight hitting my face while I desperately yanked on a plastic bead chain. My new 12-foot select blinds vertical blinds looked fantastic, but they were a literal heavy lift. I had just spent a weekend installing them, and I already hated the manual labor involved in simply seeing my own backyard.

• The Setup: 144-inch wide custom vertical track from Select Blinds.
• The Problem: Friction and weight made manual opening a total chore.
• The Fix: A Zigbee-based retrofit motor that drives the existing chain.
• The Result: Full automation via voice commands and sunrise schedules.

The Honeymoon Phase with My New Custom Slats

Finding window treatments for a 12-foot sliding glass door is a special kind of hell. Most big-box stores stop at 72 or 96 inches. You end up trying to 'sister' two tracks together, which looks cheap and leaves a light gap right in the middle. I finally bit the bullet and ordered custom select blinds sliding glass doors treatments to get the exact width I needed.

The delivery arrived in a box the size of a kayak, but the fit was millimetric. Installing the track was straightforward enough: snap in the brackets, level the headrail, and click in the vanes. For about 48 hours, I was obsessed. The fabric vanes had that high-end textured look I wanted, and they finally blocked the glare on my TV. But then the novelty wore off, and the physical reality of moving 40 plus vertical slats set in.

The Reality Check: Pulling a 12-Foot Track is a Workout

Vertical blinds don't just slide; they fight you. When you have a track this wide, the friction builds up across every single carrier. By the time you have pulled the chain halfway, you are exerting enough force that you start worrying about the brackets ripping out of the drywall. It is not just heavy—it is awkward.

I found myself leaving them closed all day because I did not want to deal with the 30-second struggle of hauling them open. That is the irony of big windows: if they are too hard to manage, you stop using them. I needed a way to make a motor do the heavy lifting before I snapped the bead chain or my own patience. Leaving a 12-foot view hidden behind fabric felt like a waste of the house.

Finding a Retrofit Motor That Actually Works

I did not want to replace the headrail I just bought. That would be a massive waste of money. I started looking into smart upgrades for sliding door blinds that could work with what I already had. The solution is a side-mounted drive motor. These little boxes mount to the wall and use a geared wheel to pull your existing bead chain for you.

I looked at a few Bluetooth options, but I settled on a Zigbee model for better range and reliability. It is rated for up to 10lbs of pull force, which is plenty for my heavy vanes. The motor noise is under 40dB—quieter than my dishwasher—and it meant I could keep my brand-new custom hardware. I wanted something that would actually respond when I told it to, not something that would drop off the network every time I used the microwave.

The 30-Minute Installation (No Drilling Required)

If you can use a screwdriver, you can automate vertical blinds for large sliding glass doors in about the time it takes to finish a cup of coffee. I chose to use high-bond adhesive tape instead of drilling into my window trim. You just loop the bead chain around the motor gear, pull it taut, and stick the motor to the wall.

Calibration is the most important part. You hold the pairing button for 5 seconds until the LED flashes blue, then you set your upper and lower limits. I spent a few minutes fine-tuning the 'open' limit so the vanes did not bunch up too tightly against the motor housing. Now, saying 'Alexa, open the patio' actually does something useful while I am still making coffee.

Was Retrofitting Cheaper Than Buying Smart Blinds?

Let's talk numbers. A factory-motorized 144-inch track would have cost me an extra $300 to $500 over the base price. My retrofit motor cost me about $80. While why choosing smart blinds outright might offer a cleaner look with hidden internal motors, the DIY route saved me a significant chunk of change and let me keep the high-quality track I liked.

The real win is the scheduling. I have them set to open to 20% at sunrise to let the dog see the yard, and they close fully at 8 PM for privacy. One minor annoyance? The motor struggled once when a vane got slightly crooked, but a quick spray of silicone lubricant on the track fixed the friction immediately. If you are tired of the morning tug-of-war with your patio doors, just automate it.

FAQ

Will this work with plastic bead chains?

Yes, most retrofit motors come with three or four different gear wheels to fit various sizes of plastic or metal bead chains. Just ensure the chain is pulled tight during installation so it doesn't slip.

How long does the battery last?

I get about three months on a single charge with twice-daily use. I eventually just ran a slim USB cable to a nearby outlet so I never have to climb a ladder to charge it again.

Can I still pull the blinds manually?

Generally, no. Once the motor is attached to the chain, the gear holds it in place. You will need to use the buttons on the motor, a remote, or your phone to move them.