5 Mistakes Homeowners Make When Installing Motorized Patio Screens

camachoblinds
Apr 5
3 min read

Mistake #1 - Choosing Cheap Materials

Not all screen fabrics are equal.

Low-quality materials:

Fade quickly
Tear easily
Offer poor UV protection

Premium options like using the SunPro who is America's premier manufacturer of motorized screens and retractable awnings. The have been considered "Best in Class" 2025: Consistently featured in independent "Top 10" lists for motorized screens due to their robust design and smooth operation.

Also SunPro uses high-end material fabrics like Phifer and Twitchell which are resistant to fade, mold, and mildew. Their motors are Somfy and Dooya tubular motors. These are considered the premium standard for SunPro systems.

Somfy features are obstacle detection and automatic adjustment, which prevents damage if the screen hits an object and ensures prefect fabric tension.

Dooya features high-performance motors yet budget-friendly alternative to clients.

We at Camacho Blinds established a partnership with SunPro where we offer clients this premier product.

👉🏽 Cutting corners here leads to early replacement.

Mistake #2 - Ignoring Electrical Planning

This is one of the biggest issues we see.

Many installs use:

Exposed conduit
Surface wiring

👉🏽 It works of course - but it looks unfinished.

At Camacho Blinds:

We coordinate with electricians
Run wiring through the attic when possible
Deliver a clean, seamless look

Let me tell you why hiding or routing electrical wiring through the attic/ceiling matters...

Motorized patio screens require a power source, and how that power gets there is as important as the screens themselves.

Aesthetics and Curb Appeal
Exposed wiring running down a wall or across a ceiling looks unfinished and cheap -- completely undermining the clean, upscale look that motorized screens are meant to provide. Concealed wiring keeps the installation looking intential and polished.

Weather and UV Exposure
Outdoor environment are harsh -- especially in Florida. Wiring left exposed to sun, rain, humidity, and temperature swings will degrade much faster than wire routed through protected conduit or better yet interior spaces like an attic or soffit which we at Camacho Blinds prefer to use. The exposed wire accelerates insulation breakdown and increases the risk of shorts or failures.

Check out our video in which we show how we go thru the attic to wire and power up a motorized patio screen in a home here in Westlake, FL.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/a54a9a_0fc74849798944008e9592807b9deb72/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Mistake #3 - Not Considering Wind Resistance

South Florida weather is no joke.

Lower-end systems:

Shake in the wind
Come off track
Wear down quickly

We at Camacho Blinds understood this would be a problem and partnered with SunPro in which they have high-wind technology that combats strong gusts of winds. They have Self-Adjusting Track systems in their motorized patio screens that when winds hit it the tracks that the fabric is connected to, the tracks itself adjust with the wind so the fabric doesn't get blown out of place.

Also SunPro has heavy-duty hardware where they offer a HD 2.5 Bar, which is 2.5 times heavier than the standard bottom bar, reducing horizontal deflection in the wind by up to 68%.

Here in this video, I talk about the Self-Adjusting Track system:

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/a54a9a_b7b2018671b0453abe5211d4041886ec/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

And here I talk about the HD 2.5 Bar:

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/a54a9a_a428e59a01f64a58aa6ed92afe26bed5/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Mistake #4 - Poor Measurements

Motorized screens are custom systems.

Incorrect measurements lead to:

Gaps
Uneven Operation
Poor Sealing

👉🏽 Precision matters more than people think.

We at Camacho Blinds when you decide to go with us to install your motorized patio shades will comeback again after the free estimate to measure again to make sure everything is good to go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6ex21IFqkI

Mistake #5 - Hiring the Wrong Installer

This is the biggest one.

A poor install leads to:

Mechanical issues
Electrical problems if it's not wired properly to a power source
Short lifespan

👉🏽 Experience + attention detail makes all the difference.

We at Camacho Blinds have went thru the extensive training at the SunPro facility in Bradenton, Florida to be able to install their top premier products to clients home with confidence and ease.