Roller shutter repair

Roller shutters are part of every home in Torrevieja and the Vega Baja. They give shade in summer, close up the house when you are away and, on the ground floor, they are the first barrier on every window. So when one stops working, it is not just a nuisance. We repair manual roller shutters: strap-operated, with PVC or aluminium slats, on windows and terrace doors.

The most common faults

The strap has broken or is frayed

This is the most common. The strap works every day, rubs where it comes out of the box and dries out in the sun. Once it starts to fray it is only a matter of time before it snaps, and it usually does so with the shutter down. Replacing the strap in time stops the shutter from crashing down.

The winder will not wind

The winder is the box in the wall, next to the window, where the strap rolls up. Inside it has a spring that wears out or breaks over the years. You will notice that the strap stays slack, does not go back in or has to be guided by hand. Sometimes replacing the winder is enough, and sometimes the strap needs replacing too.

Shutter stuck halfway

It stops and will neither go up nor down. It is usually a twisted slat caught in the guide, sand or dirt built up in the track, or a guide that has moved. If you pull hard on the strap at that point, you will most likely snap it or damage more slats.

Shutter detached or fallen

The shutter has come loose from the axle inside the box and dropped all the way down. It happens when the clips joining the top slat to the axle break or when the axle has come out of place. The access panel in the box has to be opened and the shutter reattached.

Broken slats or slats coming out

In the sun, PVC becomes brittle and slats crack or break. One or two broken slats can be replaced without changing the whole shutter, as long as compatible slats are available. If most of them are bad, we will tell you.

What to do and what not to do

While you wait for the repair:

• Do not pull hard on the strap if the shutter has stuck. Lower it a little and raise it again gently.
• Do not hold it up with string or clips to stop it falling. If the strap breaks completely, the shutter will come down anyway.
• Do not put your hand inside the box with the shutter loose: the axle can spin suddenly.
• If it has been left open on a ground floor and you are worried about leaving the window like that overnight, tell us when you message us.

Coastal quirks

On the coast, roller shutters suffer more. Long hours of strong sun dry out the strap and make PVC slats brittle. Salt air corrodes the axles and the springs in the winders. Windblown sand gets into the guides and slows the shutter down.

In homes that stay shut for several months, another typical fault is the shutter that has stuck down. If it is not raised in all that time, the slats stiffen and the strap hardens. When you come back, it is better to raise it little by little than in one pull.

A simple maintenance tip: clean the guides from time to time with a brush or a vacuum cleaner and spray on a little silicone spray. Never use oil, which traps dust and sand.

What we do not do

We work on manual roller shutters. We do not repair or install shutter motors. If your shutter is motorised and the motor fails, you need a motor technician. Nor do we make made-to-measure shutters or replace built-in shutter boxes.

If what you need is to open a jammed shutter that you cannot lift, for example with the house locked up, you will find that in shutter and roller shutter opening.

Repair and protect it at the same time

When we have the shutter in our hands, it is a good moment to think about its security. On ground floors, in bungalows and in houses that stand empty for long periods, the roller shutter is where many people try to get in by lifting it from below. We reinforce roller shutters so they cannot be lifted or bent: you have it explained in roller shutter reinforcement. If one of yours has been forced, also see what to do in forced or lifted roller shutter.

How we work

Send us a photo of the shutter and the winder on WhatsApp, and if you can, a short video of what it does. With that we give you a fixed quote before we start. If something different turns up when we open the box, we show you and you decide.