Stuck shop shutter

A stuck metal shutter means a business that cannot open, or cannot close. In Torrevieja we see it a lot in seafront premises, where the salty air and the sand punish guides and locks.

What to do now

• Check whether it is the lock or the shutter. If the key will not turn or the bolt will not come out of the floor, it is the lock. If the lock opens but the shutter will not go up, it is the mechanism.
• See whether a slat has come out of the guide or whether the shutter is twisted.
• If the shutter will not come down and you have to leave, do not leave the premises open: send us a message and we will find a solution for that night.
• If you see signs of forcing on the lock or the slats, call the police first and do not touch anything until they have been.

What not to do

• Do not yank the shutter or lever it up with a crowbar. It bends the slats and can release the spring on the axle.
• Do not bang it to make it come down.
• Do not put ordinary oil in the lock: it traps the sand and seizes it up even more.
• Do not try to take the axle apart yourself: shutter springs are under a lot of tension and are dangerous.

How we sort it out

We work 24 hours a day, every day, in Torrevieja and the Vega Baja. With a video on WhatsApp we can almost always tell where the problem lies and give you a fixed quote.

If the lock will not open, we open it and repair or replace it. If the shutter is jammed, we release it carefully, put any loose slats back in place, clean and adjust the guides and check the axle. We tell you before we replace any part. When we finish, we check that it goes all the way up and all the way down.

You will find the details under metal shutter repair. If the problem is just the lock, see locks for metal shutters.

If your shutter is motorised

We do not work on shutter motors. If the fault is in the motor or the control box, we will tell you when we see the video so you can call whoever installed it. If what has failed is a slat, a guide or the lock, we can help.

Before the season

Many shops in Torrevieja stay shut through the winter. A shutter that does not move for months reaches spring seized up. A check before reopening saves you a nasty surprise on the first day.

Pay by card, Bizum or cash, and talk to us on WhatsApp in your own language.