The convenience, ease and beauty of the PowerRise™ for skylight windows makes it easy and affordable to raise and lower skylight shades without any wiring.  The special long-life battery only needs to be changed every three years with typical use.  Getting a PowerRise shade into a skylight window starts with assembly on the ground.  This week looks at the assembly process.  Previously, the PowerRise for Skylights used tapes rather than the cords shown here. A few other changes have been made as well. This is the most current information.  Next week we'll take a look at what to do after it has been assembled --how to install it. 

Out of the Box
When you unpack the shade, you'll find the top and bottom rails wrapped together .  Separately the left and right rails will also be wrapped.  This is a product for which you will want to refer to the instructions during the installation until you've installed several of them, so be sure to keep a copy at hand.

Also packaged with the blind will be the corner covers, mounting brackets, the special skylight battery and a remote control, if it has been ordered.  Keep in mind that if there are other PowerRise shades in the room, they can be operated with the same remote control. 

Unwrap With Care And Lay It Out
As you remove the wrap, take care not to pull the power cord that you'll find on the side nearest to the remote eye on the headrail. Try to keep the corner and the corner brackets as they are inserted into the head and bottom rails.  It's no big deal if they come out, you'll just have to take some time to re-insert them. 

Once everything is unwrapped layout the headrail, bottom rail and side rails. The side rail that has the battery cord on it should be positioned at the side of the headrail nearest the remote receiver eye.  The short cord with a grey connector protrudes from the top of the side rail  The longer cord goes toward the bottom rail.

Unlock Spring Motors
The shade has TWO spring motors located in the bottom rail.  A red plastic motor lock is attached to the side of the spring motor.  This lock keeps the spool with the tension cord on it from turning.  Pull the motor lock from the spring motor on the side of the shade that has the receiver eye.

Pull Tension Cord
Then on the side of the shade that has the receiver eye, pull out enough tension cord to reach the moving rail, which is assembled to the shade fabric with the top rail.  Then place the red locking tool on the stem by the spring.  It goes between the spool and the casing of the spring motor assembly as shown below.

Attach All Rails
Now attach all of the rails together.  Start by attaching the rail at the top that has the battery cord to the side rail with the short cord and gray connector.  Here it is shown on the right side because of the right receiver eye.  If the receiver eye were toward the left side you would start there.  Then attach the bottom rail on the same side.  After that, attach the other side of the bottom rail to the other side rail.  Finally, the last side rail will be attached to the headrail.

Corner Brackets
The corner bracket assembly consists of  the corner bracket itself, which is metal, and a corner bracket cover, which is plastic.  The corner bracket slides into the slots near the outside of the rail.  The plastic cover slides into a slot in the center of the headrail.  There is an "F" stamped into one side of the plastic cover to indicate the side that should be situated toward the front of the shade.

Attach The Side Rail On The Power Side
Connect the power cord from the side rail to the connector that comes out of the headrail.  The green connector from the headrail plugs into the gray connector.  Using either a flat screwdriver or a ¼" nut driver, loosen the screw on the corner bracket slightly.

There is an equalizer attached to the tension cord you pulled from the spring motor.  It attaches rail by just sliding into the cradle on the end of the moving rail.  Then tuck the power cord and connector into the headrail.

Slide the side rail onto the corner bracket and corner cover.  Be careful not to pinch the power cable.  Once you have the side rail seated onto the corner bracket, turn the screw on the corner bracket clockwise to tighten it.

Then, at the bottom corner, rout the battery cord from the side rail into the bottom rail, where the battery will be stored.  It goes outside the roller and under the screw that attaches the two metal corner bracket pieces.  Pull any excess cord through and make sure that it is not caught or pinched and that it won't interfere with the operation of the spring motor assembly.

Attach The Sill (Bottom) Rail  
Insert the bottom corner bracket and cover into the side rail.  Make sure the tension cord is not pinched.  Tighten the corner bracket.

Attach The Side Rail On The Non-Power Side
Except for the power cords, the same basic steps are followed to attach the side rail on the other side of the shade.  Remove the motor lock from that side and pull  out enough tension cord to reach the moving rail.  Then lock the motor.  Insert the corner bracket from the bottom rail into the side rail.  It may be necessary to loosen the bracket slightly.  Place the tension equalizer into the cradle on the moving rail.  Then insert the corner bracket on the headrail into the topside of the side rail and tighten it. 

Next tip will be the easy part. Installing the skylight shade.