*This is a collaborative post.
Investing in a set of industrial roller shutters for your shop is one of the simplest, smartest security decisions you can make. They’ll massively reduce the chances that anyone is able to break into your premises, in no small part through their function as an effective deterrent.
These kinds of systems don’t just look after themselves, however, and to get the most out of your shop shutters, you do need to implement some kind of maintenance schedule. Let’s take a look at how you can put your maintenance checklist in place.
Check the manufacturer’s recommendations
Before you start creating a maintenance checklist, it’s important to check with the manufacturer’s recommendations. The kind of schedule we’ve outlined below will apply to most shutters, but it’s still worth checking whether there are any specific recommendations for yours.
For example, there may be certain parts that need to be replaced at certain intervals, like motors or bearings, and these intervals can differ slightly from shutter to shutter.
Three timeframes
In most cases, you can break your maintenance schedule down into three separate timeframes.
Short (weekly)
Your weekly checks will be the most basic. These will consist of basic visual inspections, looking for obvious issues like missing slats or big dents, and looking for any bit of debris in the rails that could cause jamming.
You’ll also want to check that the shutters are working properly. This could include checking that there are no new grinding or squeaking noises, and no new jerking movements.
Medium (once a month)
Every few months (or potentially in some cases, more like every month), you’ll want to lubricate the tracks, rollers and bearings. You might also want to thoroughly clean the curtains themselves, with a detergent and some more specialist cleaning products, to prevent corrosion and smarten them up a little.
You may want to test additional security features as well, such as emergency overrides, blockage sensors, and manual operation functions.
Long (annual)
At certain intervals – often biannually or annually – you’ll need to have a more thorough professional service completed. A trained technician will be able to check whether any parts need replacing, carry out a proper safety audit, and ensure that the shutters are still able to do their job.
These services are imperative both to ensure the effective security function of the shutters, and to maximise their longevity.
Contact a professional
You’ll need to schedule in some professional maintenance visits from a company like LBS Group at some point anyway, so you might as well contact them early on and check whether your planned maintenance checklist is appropriate.
They’ll likely be able to give you a few pieces of useful advice, based on their experience with your specific roller shutter system.
Putting together an effective maintenance checklist is a critical intervention if you want to get the most out of your investment. It can easily double the effective lifespan of your shutters, increasing the security of your premises while also saving you money in the long run.
It does seem that more and more shops are opting for shutters