While you wanted to bring light into your home, your roller shutter decided otherwise. Does it not go all the way up or, in the worst case, does it not open at all? This failure can have different more or less serious origins. Fortunately, some can be solved by your own means because the Somfy after-sales service has planned everything for you to be as independent as possible in the repair. Others, unfortunately, will require the intervention of a professional. So, without further ado, discover what to do when your Somfy roller shutter no longer goes up? How to diagnose the problem? And how to fix it effectively?
How to repair a Somfy roller shutter that no longer goes up?
Several factors may be responsible for the fact that your Somfy roller shutter no longer goes up to the top or at all : damaged or misaligned blades, damaged components in the winding mechanism, a faulty power supply, a remote control that no longer works, or a motor that is tired or completely out of order.
To attempt to repair your shutter on your own, we invite you to follow the troubleshooting steps below in order. If a manipulation seems too complicated or does not seem to be the cause of the problem, then go to the next one or call a professional.
You have been warned! : Risks of electrical shock as well as irreversible deterioration of the shutter. Do not force the mechanism at the risk of damaging the system. Think of cut power when you work on a component inside the boot and/or electrical. If your Somfy shutter which does not open is under guarantee, you can now contact Somfy support to obtain the intervention of a technician free of charge.
Check the condition of the Somfy roller shutter slats
When your Somfy roller shutter does not go up completely or at all but you hear the engine running, the first check to be carried out concerns its blades. In fact, if the shutter slats are too damaged or misaligned, they may interfere with the raising of the flap.
1 – Check the general condition of the blades
First of all, check if the blades appear damaged (broken, bent, cracked, bent, rusted, chewed ends etc) or deformed or swollen apron. If this is the case, you will certainly have to change the damaged blades, if your model allows you to replace them individually, or change the entire apron with a new compatible one (same size and same weight).
Also remember to check if the apron has not accidentally derailed. Indeed, it may happen that it leaves the backstage axis. If this is the case, you will have to open the box and dismantle the apron of the winding axis to then put it back in the guide tulips of the slides.
2 – Reposition the roller shutter slats
It can also happen that the slats of the Somfy roller shutter are misaligned (shifted laterally). A bad alignment of the blades can then block the mechanism of the deck which will no longer be able to go up, or will be more difficult.
Note: This is only possible on aprons that are not fitted with fasteners (storm clips or end caps). Planks that have fasteners cannot shift because they are attached to each other. To find out if your shutter has a fixing, check directly visually on the apron by opening the boot or try to shift the lower slat laterally if the apron is not completely locked in the low position. If you manage to shift it left or right easily, the blades are not fixed and the manipulation concerns you.
For replace the slats of a shutter that does not go up completely, you will need to do the following:
• If the apron openings are open and/or that you can raise the shutter sufficiently so that it does not touch the bottom of the window: replace the slats one by one in the center, i.e. so that the slats are placed at the same distance from both backstage. To do this, shift them each in turn with your hand. Start with the bottom blade for simplicity. All blades should end up being roughly centered and aligned. Open the box to replace the high blade of the apron. The high blade is the one attached to the winding axis.
• If the apron openings are completely closed : you will need to open the trunk with the power cut off beforehand, then unscrew the apron fasteners to remove the apron from the winding shaft. Then replace the slats and put the apron back on the winding shaft. But before carrying out this operation, and now that you have the trunk open, first check the condition of the components present in the trunk which may also be responsible for the fact that your Somfy roller shutter does not go back up.
Check the winding mechanism in the trunk
When your Somfy roller shutter no longer goes up, it is also possible that a component present in the trunk is no longer functional and then hinders the ascent of the apron. This hypothesis is all the more likely if you hear the sound of the shutter motor operating normally, but it does not move. Here are the components to check:
Warning: switch off the current before opening the safe. Note that according to the Somfy safe that you have (tunnel chests, built-in safes at the window (window block) or traditional chests), the manipulation to open it will be more or less obvious. On most traditional safes, all you have to do is unclip the roller shutter access hatch. On some models, you have to unscrew.
- Check that the apron clips are properly aligned, undamaged, and securely attached to the roller tube and high blade.
- Make sure nothing is jamming the mechanism of the apron or the winding shaft.
- Check that the tulips or guide flanges are in good condition: not broken and not clogged. Make sure that the apron is well fitted in the guide tulips on each side of the entrance to the slides.
- Check that the high blade is in good condition and that the apron is well centered on the winding axis.
- Finally, check that the flap or winding axis shows no visible damage (blows, cracks, deformation, expansion, rust, depression, etc.). If so, you will need to replace the apron or the entire winding mechanism.
Remarks:
- If the Somfy shutter manages to raise, think to clean and grease slides and tulips so that he can go up and down easily.
– After a power outage or replacement of a component, you sometimes need to carry out the limit switch adjustment of the Somfy roller shutter.
Check the power supply and motorization of the Somfy roller shutter
Finally, when your Somfy roller shutter does not go up correctly or at all, this is very often due to a malfunction in its power supply or in its motorization and more specifically:
- Of a home power supply fault (circuit breaker, socket, current).
- From the switch or remote control not working (remember to replace the battery to make sure that the problem does not come from the control).
- Of a roller shutter system bug which requires reprogramming of the motor and its limit switches. If your Somfy roller shutter no longer goes up after a power cut, this often requires reprogramming.
- Of a faulty capacitor. Generally, when your Somfy roller shutter no longer goes up but goes down, needs help to go up, only goes up a few centimeters, stops in the middle of going up, or finally you hear a hissing noise, it means that the fault is in the capacitor. Similarly, if your Somfy shutter refuses to rise after a power cut or overvoltage (example: storm), then the capacitor has probably charged too much and is faulty.
- Of a engine completely out of order.
To diagnose the problem potentially proving to come from the power supply or the motor, and thus repair it effectively, we invite you to read our complete article on this subject: Somfy roller shutter motorization problem, what to do?
What if, despite everything, the Somfy roller shutter does not go up?
Contact Somfy support
If you are not competent to carry out manipulations, if you are unable to diagnose the origin of the problem or if the Somfy roller shutter which no longer opens has the right to warranty (between 5 and 7 years old), then contact Somfy assistance. In the case of the guarantee, you will have the right to a rapid and free intervention by a Somfy technician. Note that if your shutter is completely stuck in the closed position, Somfy guarantees an intervention within 72 hours.
Si the Somfy shutter which refuses to go up is no longer entitled to the guarantee, you can then call on Somfy assistance or an independent repairer specializing in joinery. However, you will have to pay the intervention and repair costs. So, do not hesitate to contact several of them to be able to make an informed choice. Also remember to check if you are entitled to the ten-year guarantee (France) or if a clause in your home insurance contract covers the repair of your roller shutters.
In the meantime, how do you reassemble a roller shutter stuck at the bottom?
It can be very restrictive to have a roller shutter which refuses to go up and which is blocked in closed position. So, to see the light of day before an intervention, three solutions exist, more or less laborious and permanent, to try to raise the flap stuck at the bottom :
1 - Use an emergency crank. However, this crank is supplied only with the Somfy CSI motors. It attaches to an emergency attachment point provided in the boot. In principle, it was provided to you at the time of installation.
2 - Remove the apron from the winding axis. To do this, you will need to have access to the winding shaft which is located inside the boot after having cut off the power supply beforehand. Then, unscrew the apron fasteners visible when the shutter is completely down, and remove the apron by sliding it.
3 - Rewind the apron on the motor winding shaft. To do this, open the chest. Then, in order to rewind the winding shaft, you must first disconnect the motor because otherwise, a safety mechanism will prevent you from winding it up manually. For rewind the Somfy roller shutter around the axis :
- Open the trunk
- Remove the motor shaft starting from the side opposite the motor (unscrew the nut with a spanner)
- Once the nut has been removed, take the axis out of its wall bracket, and push the telescopic axis (black part) inside the tube
- On the other side of the axle, remove the gray hook-shaped metal part that holds the motor to the support
- You can now roll up the apron by manually rotating the winding shaft
You have been warned! : The last two manipulations should not be carried out if your Somfy shutter which does not go up is still entitled to the guarantee! In fact, you risk losing your rights.
