To open or close a roller shutter, you need a belt winder. This is often still used manually by hand, at a time when lights can be controlled with a smartphone. Surely you have wondered if a costly craftsman is necessary for retrofitting to an electric belt winder. You can save the craftsman by doing it yourself. Follow the listed steps, and it should be possible for anyone to accomplish the task independently.
The Right Belt Winder
Retrofitting is always possible as long as it involves roller shutters with a manual belt winder. Whether flush-mounted or surface-mounted, there are only 3 things you need to consider.
- The width, thickness, and length of the belt
- The pulling force
- The width and depth of the new model
For flush-mounted belt winders, it is important that the new electric belt winder has matching dimensions to the manual belt winder. Then it should be quite easy to fit the device into the existing opening. If the manual belt winder is a swivel winder mounted away from the wall, a new cutout can be made for the replacement winder.
For surface-mounted, nothing else needs to be considered.
Calculate Dimensions
The width and thickness of the band can be measured normally, unlike the length, for which there is a simple formula: Height of the window (in meters) x2 + half the window height (in meters)
For the pulling force, you should use this formula: Width of the roller shutter (in meters) x height of the roller shutter (in meters) x weight of the roller shutter (in kilograms)
- Aluminum: approx. 5.5 kg/m²
- Plastic: approx. 5 kg/m²
- Wood: approx. 11 kg/m²
How to: Retrofit Electric Belt Winder
- Completely close the roller shutter, this will make the work easier as the tension is reduced.
- Next, you need to loosen the screws of the old belt winder so that the winder can be removed from the wall.
- Make sure to bend the lock slightly upwards to prevent the spring from unwinding.
- After removing the old belt winder, the belt can be inserted and secured in the new winder.
- Before installing the belt winder, check if the power cable reaches the socket.
Warning: Do not plug in the power cable yet!
You can now insert the winder into the hole and screw it tight. - Finally, you can plug in the power cable and test the new electric belt winder.