The importance of roller shutter maintenance in winter

Throughout the winter months, the harsh and unpredictable UK weather can cause various challenges for homes and businesses.

While roller shutters are a popular choice for preventing unauthorised access while maintaining privacy and interior temperatures, it’s essential to take care of them properly during difficult seasonal conditions.

Without the appropriate maintenance, you might find one winter morning that your roller shutter has fallen victim to the freezing cold weather, leaving you with an inoperable barrier disrupting your daily business.

If you want to make sure they keep running smoothly year-round, you need to know how to maintain roller shutters in winter.

As suppliers and installers of new systems and providers of roller shutter repairs, we handle all kinds of issues at Roller Shutter UK – so here’s what you should know about roller shutter winter maintenance.

How does winter affect roller shutters?

Many of the common problems with roller shutters that we fix develop due to a lack of regular maintenance – such as sticking shutters, misaligned tracks, malfunctioning motors, and physical damage to components.

The risk of these problems occurring increases in winter because of the low temperatures, increased moisture, and debris like fallen leaves blown around by high winds. These conditions can lead to issues such as:

• Cold materials contracting so parts of the shutter become misaligned
• Trapped moisture causing rust and corrosion to metal parts
• Debris building up and preventing the shutter from moving smoothly
• Severe external wear and tear resulting in structural damage
• Freezing temperatures leading to sensor, power, or motor failures

Excessive rain can cause water damage, requiring roller shutter repairs after flood damage, while heavy snow and large hail can damage the surface and find their way inside the mechanisms to limit their lifespan.

This is why maintaining your roller shutters with regular servicing and repairs is vital to avoid these levels of deterioration in winter. 

Maintaining roller shutters in winter

You may have already seen our helpful list of maintenance tips for roller shutters that apply all year, but in the wintertime, weatherproofing is often overlooked – so there are a few elements you should pay special attention to.

Protective strips and paints

It’s crucial to check the seals in all vulnerable areas, including the bottom rail and guide channels, to ensure all insulation remains intact. Any damaged or peeling weather stripping must be removed and replaced.

While metal roller shutters, particularly galvanised ones, are corrosion-resistant to an extent, it can help to top up this protection by applying an anti-corrosion coating to exposed metal surfaces – including fixings like bolts and screws.

Lubrication and cleaning

Rust-inhibiting sealants can also help to keep stiff shutters at bay, but it’s important to remember that these treatments aren’t substitutes for regular cleaning and lubrication. You should be using silicone-based lubricants to avoid grease solidifying in cold dry air.

Cleaning away any debris or residue from precipitation like snow and hail is also key to prevent moisture from accumulating and getting inside the shutter system. Do this as gently as possible to prevent damaging more brittle materials.

Regular inspections

Of course, you should be operating your roller shutter carefully at all times, but even more so in winter weather. Always check the power source, motor, and sensor to make sure all electrical components are functioning as they should be.

You may also be obligated to schedule professional roller shutter servicing – which is legally required at least once a year for businesses, or every six months for fire shutters. This is why we also offer one-off and contract maintenance checks at Roller Shutter UK.

If you have been slacking in your roller shutter maintenance routine or your system has experienced sudden damage from an unexpected weather event, the best thing to do is contact the professionals for an immediate inspection and emergency repairs.

Professional inspections and roller shutter repairs

Following these roller shutter winter maintenance tips can help to reduce the chances of problems developing with your system over the chilly months ahead – but the most important thing is to schedule an inspection.

When you call experts like Roller Shutter UK to carry out comprehensive checks on your roller shutter system, you can rest easy knowing that we’ll pick up on any potential concerns before they can develop into something more serious.

We can then conduct any required roller shutter repairs, using our extensive knowledge and stock of genuine parts to get your shutters in the best possible shape to endure not just the winter, but the rest of the year ahead, too.

One of the many benefits of our professional roller shutter repairs is that our fast and cost-effective services can help to extend the longevity of your shutters and reduce long-term expenses. However, should a time come when your system needs replacing after years of wear and tear, we can also help with supplying and installing bespoke replacement shutters.

To avoid the negative impacts of insufficient maintenance and enjoy the benefits of our high-quality services, contact the Roller Shutter UK team by calling 0800 328 9356. You can also email enquiries to info@rollershutterservices.co.uk and we’ll be in touch with more details.