Somfy Cord Lift WireFree CL32 RTS Motor Fit and Setup

The Somfy Cord Lift WireFree CL32 RTS motorizes a shade that already lifts on cords. It sits inside the headrail, turns the lift shaft, and answers an RTS remote. No wire runs to the window. Somfy sells it under reference 1002422 as the Cord Lift WireFree CL32 RTS (External Battery), and the words in parentheses carry the whole ordering decision: the battery ships separately.

Headrail clearance comes before torque

Somfy publishes the CL32 at 4.51 inches long, 1.22 inches wide and 0.91 inches tall, with a 1.26 inch diameter across the drive body. Those figures decide the job before any torque number does. A cord-lifted cellular shade carries its lift mechanism inside a headrail that a fabricator sized for a cord loop, so an installer measures the channel first and reads the spec sheet second. Head into that measurement with the 1.26 inch diameter in hand.

Somfy built the CL32 to the envelope of the legacy CT32, reference 1000494, and kept the headrail and drive components common between them. A shop replacing a failed CT32 keeps the hardware it already has on the shelf. That continuity explains why the CL32 shows up in retrofit work more than in new fabrication.

Shades the CL32 drives

Somfy lists one application family for this motor: interior window coverings, shades. Cellular and pleated shades sit at the center of that range. Roman styles that lift on a cord loop mount the same way, since the motor drives the shaft rather than the fabric. Cord friction and fabric weight set the practical ceiling on any given shade.

Shade Motors Direct publishes a 15 lb lift figure for the CL32, and distributors repeat it. Somfy's own e-cat page prints torque and speed without a pound rating, and the WireFree Databook does the same. Treat 15 lb as a working guide from the trade, and confirm your own build against the Databook before you commit a wide cellular shade to it. Somfy links that Databook from the product page, so the reference travels with the motor.

Verified specifications

Every figure below comes from Somfy's published record for reference 1002422.

The IP 20 rating and the 32 F floor keep this motor indoors. A sunroom that drops below freezing in January falls outside the operating window Somfy publishes.

Power the CL32 with a Somfy battery

The motor draws 1.7 A and 20.4 W while it runs, and 0.001 W while it waits. That standby figure explains the service interval more than the running draw does. A shade that cycles twice a day spends almost all of its life in the 0.001 W state, and the cells drain on cycle count rather than on calendar time.

The Somfy Reloadable 12V DC Battery Wand (9018685) carries the cells inside a slim tube that tucks beside the motor in the headrail. Somfy requires Energizer Lithium L91 cells in that wand for their built-in safety protection, and names no substitute. Alkaline cells of the same size will not meet the requirement. Order the wand with the motor, since the CL32 ships without any power source.

RTS control, pairing, and electronic limits

Somfy puts the RTS receiver inside the CL32, so nothing external decodes the signal. The motor listens on 433.420 MHz and holds a documented open field range of 65.62 ft. Walls and metal headrails cut into that number in a real room, which is the reason installers program the remote at the shade and then walk the room to confirm.

A Situo 1 Channel RTS Pure remote handles a single shade and stays the simplest pairing for a bedroom or an office. Rooms with a bank of shades take a multi-channel handheld instead. For a fixed control point, the DecoFlex 1 Channel RTS Wireless Wall Switch in white mounts on drywall with adhesive or screws and needs no box behind it, which suits a retrofit where the walls stay closed. Adding a TaHoma hub later brings the same motor onto a phone and into schedules, and the RTS pairing you set today carries forward.

The CL32 sets its limits electronically and holds a 180 turn capacity between them. An installer drives the shade to the top position, records it, drives to the bottom, records that, and the motor repeats the pair on every cycle after. No mechanical limit screws sit on this head. A shade that later needs a new bottom stop, after a hem adjustment, takes a reprogram at the remote rather than a tool at the headrail.

Headrail adaptors and ordering the CL32

Manufacturer headrails differ in how the cord loop drive seats, and a bare CL32 will not always bridge that gap. Somfy sells adaptors for the common profiles. The Headrail Adaptor for Graber and Bali EasyUp Cord Loop fits the CL32 and no other Somfy motor, which the part name states outright. Confirm the adaptor against the headrail brand and the shaft on the shade you are retrofitting, rather than against the shade's fabric type.

Shaft engagement is the second half of that check. The CL32 turns a shaft that the shade's own lift cords wrap, so the shaft profile has to match the drive. Somfy's WireFree Databook prints the drive dimensions for that comparison.

The Somfy Cord Lift WireFree CL32 RTS (External Battery), reference 1002422 ships as the motor alone. Pair it with the battery wand, an RTS control, and the headrail adaptor your shade brand calls for. Somfy engineers this platform for quiet indoor work at 56 dB, and the 5 year warranty reflects the confidence behind it.

Frequently asked questions

Does the CL32 come with a battery?

No. Somfy names this motor Cord Lift WireFree CL32 RTS (External Battery), and the external battery ships separately. The Reloadable 12V DC Battery Wand (9018685) holds Energizer Lithium L91 cells and supplies the 12V DC the motor needs. Order the power source with the motor so the shade works on the day you install it.

Can the CL32 replace an older Somfy CT32?

Yes. Somfy designs the CL32 as the direct replacement for the CT32, reference 1000494, at the same size and with the same headrail and drive components. A shop swapping a failed CT32 reuses the hardware already in the headrail and pairs a remote to the new motor.

Which shades suit the CL32 motor?

Somfy lists interior window coverings, shades, as the application. Cellular and pleated shades make up most installs, with cord-loop Roman styles fitting the same drive. The motor produces 0.34 Nm at 72 rpm. Check fabric weight and cord friction against the Somfy WireFree Databook before you size a wide shade to it.

How far does the RTS signal reach?

Somfy publishes 65.62 ft of open field range at 433.420 MHz. A room with drywall, metal headrails, and furniture returns less than that figure. Program the remote near the shade, then test from the spot where the customer will stand, and add a repeater or a TaHoma hub if the far corner drops out.

Shade Motors Direct is an authorized source for genuine Somfy motorized window shade, blind, and drapery parts.