Why Long, Skinny Faux Wood Blinds 23 x 72 Are a Nightmare to Automate

I spent three hours last Saturday balanced on a step ladder, trying to shove a Zigbee motor into a headrail that clearly didn't want it there. My fireplace is flanked by these beautiful, narrow windows, but they are a nightmare to reach. If you have faux wood blinds 23 x 72, you know the struggle of trying to tilt those heavy slats while leaning over a mantel. You want the convenience of saying 'Alexa, close the blinds' when the afternoon glare hits the TV, but the physics of this specific window size are working against you.

• Weight is the enemy: A 72-inch drop of PVC slats is incredibly heavy for a small motor.
• Cramped Quarters: The 23-inch width leaves almost zero room for internal batteries and tilt mechanisms.
• Torque Requirements: You need high-torque motors that usually require more physical space than these headrails provide.
• Cable Management: Routing wires in a narrow rail often leads to 'cable spaghetti' that jams the tilt rod.

The Tall, Skinny Window Trap

Architects love flanking fireplaces or front doors with tall, narrow windows. They look great and let in slivers of natural light, but they are the most annoying windows in the house to manage manually. When you have 23x72 faux wood blinds, you are dealing with a massive vertical span. Reaching up to the tilt wand usually involves gymnastics or moving a couch.

Naturally, you think automation is the fix. But the 'faux' in faux wood means PVC, and PVC is dense. Lifting or even tilting 72 inches of those slats requires a motor with some serious backbone. Most off-the-shelf retrofit kits are designed for standard windows, not these skinny giants.

Why 23x72 faux wood blinds defy smart motor physics

The math is simple and brutal. A standard smart motor needs a certain amount of torque to flip a 72-inch stack of slats. To get that torque, you need a larger motor body and a beefier power supply. In a 23-inch headrail, you are already fighting for space against the existing string ladders, the tilt rod, and the mounting brackets.

I tried installing a budget RF motor last year, and the sound was horrifying. It sounded like a coffee grinder full of gravel. The motor was struggling so hard against the weight of the PVC that it stripped its own plastic gears within a month. You need a motor with metal internals and a slow-start feature to handle that 72-inch drop without burning out.

The dreaded battery wand problem

Here is the part the product photos never show you. Most 23-inch headrails are too narrow to house an internal lithium-ion battery alongside the motor and the tilt rod. This means you are stuck with an external battery wand. These are long, plastic tubes filled with AA batteries that you have to clip behind the headrail.

On a wide window, you can hide a battery wand easily. On a narrow 23-inch frame, that wand is always visible from some angle. It ruins the clean look of the window. Plus, those AA batteries die fast when they are hauling the weight of a 72-inch blind. I found myself changing batteries every three months until I finally gave up and ran a power adapter to a nearby outlet.

Finding a high-torque motor that actually fits

If you are committed to the retrofit life, you have to be picky. Look for motors specifically rated for 'high-load' or 'large-drop' blinds. If you were retrofitting slightly wider standard blinds, you would have an extra six inches of breathing room to tuck away your controller. At 23 inches, every millimeter counts.

I recommend Zigbee-based motors over WiFi. WiFi chips are power-hungry and the modules are often larger. A slim Zigbee tilt motor with a 1.5Nm torque rating is usually the sweet spot. Just make sure the motor diameter matches your tilt rod—most are high-profile (2 inches), but some older 23x72 sets use a low-profile rail that makes automation nearly impossible.

Wiring and hiding the ugly bits

Installation in a 23-inch rail is a game of Tetris. You have to route the antenna wire away from the metal headrail to get any signal, but you also have to keep it clear of the tilt rod. If the rod catches a wire, it will snap it instantly. Use small zip ties or even electrical tape to pin the wires to the very bottom of the rail.

If you use a solar charging panel, the cable management gets even trickier. You have to thread that wire out the back of the headrail and up to the glass. In a narrow window, that wire is a total eyesore. My advice? Paint the wire the same color as your window trim before you install it. It sounds obsessive, but it's the only way to keep the setup from looking like a science project.

When to ditch PVC for woven wood entirely

Sometimes, you have to admit defeat. If your motor is screaming every time you trigger a routine, the blind is simply too heavy. This is why many smart home enthusiasts eventually swap their heavy faux wood for woven wood shades which weigh a fraction of the weight and offer much better light filtration.

I eventually swapped my fireplace blinds for motorized woven wood shades and the difference was night and day. The motor doesn't strain, the batteries last a full year, and the 'skinny window' look is preserved without the bulk of PVC slats. If your 23x72 setup is eating motors for breakfast, it might be time to change the material, not the motor.

FAQ

Can I use a solar charger on a 23x72 blind?

Yes, but it's tough to hide. Because the window is narrow, the solar strip will take up a significant portion of the glass. It works best if you have a deep window casing where you can tuck the panel at the very top.

Will a 23-inch blind work with an internal battery?

Rarely. Most internal battery motors require at least 25 to 27 inches of headrail width to accommodate the battery cells and the motor housing. For 23-inch widths, expect to use an external power source.

Is Zigbee or Bluetooth better for narrow blinds?

Go with Zigbee. It handles the 'handshake' with your hub faster, which is important when you're running multiple narrow blinds in a group (like flanking a fireplace). Bluetooth range can be spotty if the motor is tucked deep inside a metal headrail.