WE DO NOT OFFER MAINTENANCE FOR SHUTTERS NOT INSTALLED BY ASSURED STORM PROTECTION
Why Maintenance Is Crucial
You may be very happy with your purchase knowing you can secure your home one hour prior to the storm, but suddenly something goes wrong – the wheel(s) seize, the lock will not engage, locking rods will not release, dirt or other debris in the bottom or top track prevent the wheels from rolling properly. This is all due to a lack of proper maintenance. When you call the company that installed your hurricane protection, there is no answer because they are closed to protecting their own home. This is why it is so important to maintain your hurricane protection products once or twice a year. This will avoid repairs that could be very costly and will ensure that, when the time comes, your protection will work properly. Accordions and Roll Downs are just like a car, if properly maintained, they will last for many, many years.
Maintaining accordions requires many steps and it is very important to use the correct products. One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is using WD-40 or a spray with oil. The oil actually holds the dirt to the wheels, thumbscrews, and locks. This causes buildup which causes parts to fail. The proper product for lubricating the mechanical parts for accordion shutters is a dry silicone spray such as Dura-Wax or similar products that contain no oil.
Accordion Shutters
Here is the proper way to maintain accordion shutter. First, if accordions have locking rods with thumbscrews, pull the thumbscrew all the way out of the locking rod (if hole for rod is larger than rod, be sure to hold rod with finger), spray a little dry silicone in the threaded hole and then screw thumbscrew back in. Once all lock rods for have been lubricated, lubricate all of the wheels, then open and close the shutters a couple times. (Make sure tracks are free of debris.) The next step is lubricating the lock. (Some accordions do not have locks and use either a thumbscrew or locking rods to hold the shutter closed.) If it has a thumbscrew, then repeat the procedure as the thumbscrew for lock rods. Spray a light amount of lubricant into key slot and slide key in and out a couple of times. For turn locks, spray a little lubricant on lock arm located in center mate and turn lock back and forth a couple of times. For push locks, when lock is unlocked, there is a small opening on side. Spray a small amount of lubricant into the slot, and push lock in and release with key a couple of times. Once these steps are complete with any push lock, push into locked position and this will help eliminate dirt from getting into slot on lock.
Roll-Down Shutters
Here is the proper way to maintain roll-down shutters. First, spray your lubricant on the inside of the tracks on the left and right side of the openings. Make sure to lubricate all of the felt inside track from top to bottom. Next, if the roll-down is manual, spray a little lubricant on the universal, (either coming out of hood of roll down or on interior wall). Then run the shutter up and down two or three times. Be sure that there is nothing below the slats when coming down to floor or angle.
If the maintenance is done properly and once to twice a year depending on location (east of Federal Hwy. twice a year, west of Federal Hwy. once a year) then you will have the peace of mind knowing that they will be ready when the time comes to secure your home. If the maintenance is not done properly and regularly – once or twice a year – parts may fail or break. This could be costly and is easily avoidable by simply maintaining your hurricane shutters.
What can happen without proper maintenance?
Accordion Shutters:
Locks
– Locks could freeze up or get jammed by dirt getting into the springs of push locks and not allowing the push locks to be pushed in all the way to engage to hold center mates together. Turn locks freeze up and will not turn allowing the locking arm to lock into the keeper to hold center mates together. Once these issues occur, there is no proper way to lock your accordions to protect you and your family from the storm. Locks will have to be replaced with a cost of time and material.
Wheels
– Wheels could seize up and then break when you try to pull accordion closed, and the accordion will then drag through the top track causing more damage to more wheels or other parts of the accordion shutters. In order to replace wheel(s), shutter will have to be taken down to get access to wheel(s). Wheels will have to replaced with a cost of time and material.
Locking Rods – Thumbscrews can become seized in the lock rod and break when you try to remove it. If the thumbscrew breaks off in the lock rod, the rod will have to be removed from the accordion, cut down and re-tapped or replaced. If thumbscrews are frozen in rod, you will not be able to slide up or down to release from lock rod hole to allow accordion to operate. Cutting down and re-tapping rods, or replacing rods will be required. In some cases, the accordion has to be taken down to service. Replacing or cutting down and re-tapping rods will have to be done. This will incur time and material costs
Tracks
– Be sure top and bottom tracks are free of debris. If not, this could cause damage to wheels or bottom pins.
Roll Downs:
Tracks
– If tracks are not lubricated properly, or felt is not secured in the track properly, as slats are lowered, they will get hung up and will not allow the roll-down to work properly. In most cases when roll-downs gets hung up in track, the roll starts to unwind in the hood causing damage to parts inside the hood. Repair incurs time and material costs.
Universals
– If not properly lubricated or not operated correctly, the universal could snap and break. If that occurs, universal will have to be replaced at a time and material cost.
Recommendations:
*Accordions that are located east of Federal Hwy. should have all the wheels replaced 10 years after installation.
*Accordions that are located west of Federal Hwy. should have all wheels replaced 15 years after installation.
*Open and close accordions once a month.