Forced roller shutter motor, what to do?

Does your roller shutter motor lack power? The shutter does not go up without help or it does not go up any more? This problem can become annoying very quickly. And unfortunately, it never resolves itself since it comes from a failure of a component on the roller shutter or directly on the motor. So, to avoid making the situation worse, find out what to do when your roller shutter motor is too strong? Et how to know if the failure is really from the engine?

How do you know if a roller shutter motor is dead?

Generally, the age of an electric roller shutter motor is estimated at 10/15 years. However, depending on the quality of the engine and the vagaries of the weather, it can be damaged much more quickly. If you observe that your shutter lack of power, that he fails to ascend without help from you or at all, this is often a sign that the roller shutter motor starts to tire and that you will have to repair or replace it for your shutter to regain its full capacity.

But then, in order not to make a mistake in the diagnosis, What tests and tips exist to know if your roller shutter motor is really dead?

Check other components that may be responsible for the shutter raising problem

It will be interesting initially toeliminate other causes which could potentially be the cause of a roller shutter which forces and which has difficulty in going up or which does not go up at all:

  • damaged, bent, badly positioned, jammed blades, which rub or defective apron (rusted, deformed, etc.)
  • clogged or insufficiently greased slides
  • faulty or damaged components in the trunk: tulips, flanges, winch, winding shaft, apron attachments

For more details on how to test these different elements, we invite you to read our article: roller shutter that no longer goes up, what to do?

Control the engine that forces

To find out if your roller shutter motor is straining because it is at the end of its life, you can also carry out tests and checks directly on it:

The motor is in the winding tube, which is itself in the box of the roller shutter. Obviously, it is therefore accessible by your own means only if the safe is not built into the wall and if it can be opened. Since there are different types of safes, you will find tutorials on the internet explaining how to open each type of safe. 

Initially, note that signs identifiable by all and by all are rarely misleading concerning the state of form of the engine. If the rolling steering wheel doesn't go up properly, you have to help it up to halfway up, or it doesn't move at all and/or that you don't hear any engine noise when you try to operate it or a jerky noise, jammed, muffled, unusual, the engine is certainly to blame.

For the more DIY enthusiasts among you, you can also remove the winding shaft to access the motor and test it electrically. Note that to disassemble the axis, you will most certainly have to remove the apron upstream. Once the motor power supply is accessible, you can test its voltage using a multimeter. It should be around 220V. If not, you are certain that the motor is faulty.

What to do to repair a roller shutter motor that forces?

When the force roller shutter motor, it may come from engine itself which is in the process of giving up the ghost, but also limit switches which are deprogrammed or capacitor internal to the motor which is faulty. Depending on the breakdown, the repairs (and their cost) will not be identical. We therefore advise you to follow the troubleshooting steps below in order to try to correctly identify the engine fault, and thus, to repair it as best as possible.

Important : the manipulations that follow require electrical clearances. Indeed, they are not obvious because they require the dismantling, reassembly and testing of the electrical components. In addition to the risk of electrocution and cutting, there is also a risk of irreversible damage to your roller shutter. If you are not competent for one or more manipulations, call a professional repairer. In addition, don't forget to check if your roller shutter or the broken down motor is still eligible for the guarantee (which can range from 1 year to 10 years). In this case, do not dismantle the component because you will lose your eligibility. Call the manufacturer's or shutter installer's customer service immediately.

Adjust the end stops of the roller shutter

Following a power outage, or simply a bug, it may be that the limit switches are deprogrammed. In this case, your rolling shutter force when reaching the stops. To solve this problem, you will need to reset the motor (if the function exists on the model), then reprogram the limit switches. The manipulation to do this can be found on the instructions for use or the manufacturer's website.

Replace roller shutter capacitor

When the roller shutter motor forces and struggles to go up, that it stops a few centimeters from the bottom, and/or that it has to be helped to go up, the problem comes, in the vast majority of cases, from its capacitor who is tired. If the roller shutter motor pulls (you hear a whirring noise from the motor) but does not manage to raise the shutter at all, it could also be the capacitor that is completely out of order (short circuit). The capacitor is a cylindrical piece that sits inside the motor tube. It stores energy and provides power to the motor. It is a relatively sensitive part that eventually wears out over time.

– Test the capacitor

To make sure that your roller shutter motor forces because of the capacitor, test it. To do this, use a multimeter set to capacitance. Disconnect the capacitor and discharge it (with a screwdriver to short it). Put the test probes of the multimeters on the terminals (they are not polarized so there is no direction for the test probes). If it displays a value approximately equal to the unit microfarad (μF) indicated above, it works. Otherwise, if it displays nothing, zero or a lower value, it means that the capacitor is tired or defective. It is then necessary to replace.

– Replace capacitor

In addition to being more ecological, replacing the capacitor for about fifteen euros is generally enough to regain the strength necessary for the motor to start and operate normally. The advantage is that if you are a minimum handyman, you can certainly easily replace it. You just have to make sure to change it with another capacitor with the same original value (expressed in micro Farad, µF). Note that a capacitor with too low a capacitance will have trouble starting your motor. Conversely, it may burn out if it has a higher capacity.

Once again, to help you replace the motor capacitor, we invite you to watch the piecevolet.com video: Replacing the capacitor in a Somfy motor

Replace the roller shutter motor which is forcing

If the capacitor is not defective, and therefore does not explain the fact that the motor of the electric shutter is forcing, then the problem most certainly comes from the motor itself (breakage, faulty lubrication, deformation, carbon wear, etc.). In this case, you will need replace the entire motor.

Count between 150 euros and 350 euros, depending on the model and the age of the engine. Be careful to replace the defective motor with an identical or compatible motor! Avoid counterfeits which can be dangerous for you and your roller shutter. Once again, video tutorials exist to help you with the procedure for dismantling, reassembling and adjusting the new engine.

Call a professional repairer

roller shutter motor which forces what to do?

If unfortunately the shutter of your roller shutter continues to force and you have not managed to find the origin of the problem or to solve it, you will need to call a professional :

  • In case your shutter is under guarantee, call the manufacturer or the company that installed the shutter for you to obtain a repair at less or no cost.
  • If your roller shutter, which is struggling to go up, is no longer under warranty, you can also contact the manufacturer or the shutter installation company to obtain more specific information about your equipment and your situation. And do not hesitate if you need to have the engine repaired to contact different independent companies to obtain an estimate and the best price.

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