motorized vent or window opener
Bulletin

RollerTrol™ Skylight and Window Openers: Our window and skylight openers are very unobtrusive, blending well with your decor as there are no exposed rods or levers. The chain emerges at right angles from the housing to form a semi-rigid arm that will open a window or skylight, using our simple wall mount or hand held remotes.

Please Note: We have developed a new window/skylight opener with a built-in rain sensor! This unit is a very simple unit that is very easy to install, but we have kept this article here in case you prefer a more complex approach.

If you are interested in voice control systems, such as Alexa and Google Home or Google Assistant, Zwave is one of the easiest ways to do this. Almost all Zwave hubs support voice control these days. We have developed a Z-Wave group controller that can be used to operate our window opener motors (and blind motors).

Motorized Window Openers: Horizontal & Vertical Sliders

remote control window openers for horizontal and vertical slider windows Our remote control 12v electric window openers will open and close horizontal and single hung (or double hung) vertical sliders.

You can also use these units to activate sliding cupboard doors, counter-top sliding glass partitions, or anything else you want to move.

These units are custom made for you at our manufacturing facility, with any stroke length up to 30 inches (800 mm). Lead time is approximately 3 weeks.

If you are opening windows, they can be made ADA compliant at 4 inches (~100 mm). To calculate the actual physical length of the housing, please add 10.5 inches (267mm) to the stroke length. For example, a 24 inch stroke would require a housing that is 24 + 10.5 = 34.5 inches long (~876 mm).

The actual physical length of the housing for the RF remote control version is slightly different: please add 14 inches (356mm) to the stroke length. For example, a 24 inch stroke would require a housing that is 24 + 14 = 38 inches long (~965 mm).

Here is a short video showing the actuator motor closing a horizontal slider window (opens in a new browser tab):

motorized horizontal sliding window

We offer numerous control options for all our motorized products, including blind motors (all using the same digital radio protocol):

Alternate Chain Drive Type

zwave remote control window openers for horizontal slider windows You can also use our standard 12v electric window openers to open and close horizontal slider windows and single hung (or double hung) vertical sliders. The stroke is also adjustable: 4" (100mm), 8" (200mm), 10" (250mm), 12" (300mm).

The installations on this page were done by Bruce Sterling at Sterling Renaissance, Inc., Construction Managers and General Contractors in Lake Zurich, Illinois, using Pella® "Impervia" fiberglass windows.

These very unobtrusive window openers use a chain actuator that emerges from the housing at right angles, exterting a 20lb push/pull in any direction. The chain retracts neatly into the housing when closing the window.

Made from heavy duty metal components, these units are very strong, and the 12v AC/DC power adapter system virtually eliminates any shock hazard. They also work nicely with backup battery systems and/or solar powered systems.

They can be used with our wired wall switches for push button operation of open/close/stop functions. These switches have an internal header that can also be connected to a relay module for remote control with any home automation system, including those (such as Vera) that enable control by phone, tablet or PC.

We also have a ZWAVE interface for this unit; please see this instructional article series on how to add ZWAVE control to your window openers and roller blind motors.

zwave remote control window openers for vertical slider single hung windows zwave window openers for vertical slider single hung windows

These two pictures show how they can be used for vertical slider windows, single or double hung. On the left, the chain is fully retracted, and the window is closed. On the right, the chain is fully extended, and the window is open.

It really doesn't matter which way they are oriented; these actuator units can push/pull anything in any direction. We've had customers use them for sliding panel doors in a bar, tv lifts, greenhouse vents, small skylights, and all kinds of other applications.

These actuators have an adjustable stroke: 4" (100mm), 8" (200mm), 10" (250mm), 12" (300mm), and these units work well with motorized awning windows because most of the weight is supported by the hinges. The opening/closing force is approximately 20 lb (9 kg), current consumption is ~1.5 A.

Here's a set of pictures kindly provided by one of our customers, showing some details of his awning window installation:

motorized awning window opener installation pictures

Here's an example of these actuators used to replace worn out Velux™ skylight motors:

Velux™ skylight motor replacement

electric window opener installation example - awning typeIt can be adapted to work with most types of windows: single hung, double hung, hinged casement, skylights, etc. The internal electronics provide motor overload cutoff and travel limit stops.

It should also be noted that the window, skylight or whatever object you want to move should be able to move freely. In the case of windows, for instance, you may have to remove the existing manual mechanism in order to allow the window to move freely.

Please see below for more details and photographs showing how to install these units. The installation is quite simple and you can use these with our ZWAVE controller, which gives you the ability to control these units with phones, tablets and laptops.

motorized window opener for awning windowwindow types

This article discusses home automation

Skylight and window motorized automation

Care should be exercised when these units are installed where adults or children could get fingers caught in a closing window - serious injury could result. Use of insect screens can help eliminate this possibility.

These units do use safe low voltage (12v DC), with no high voltage shock hazard present.

motorized skylight opener
motorized window opener for casement window motorized window opener for hopper window
motorized skylight opener

We sincerely hope you enjoy using these advanced motors; if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at any time!