Guide · updated 9 September 2026
My metal shutter won't go up: what should I do?
Five causes explain almost every case. Here is how to recognise yours in two minutes, what we do on site, how much it costs, and the three things that make the fault worse — written by our craftsman, a qualified welder by training.
First: is it urgent?
Stuck in the closed position
Your premises remain secure. You can wait for a planned call-out at 300 €, but you won't be able to open until it has taken place. For a shop, that is the question to settle right away: a day closed often costs more than the difference in price.
The premises are no longer secure: it is an emergency, whatever the time. A hanging curtain or a torn-off slat also present a risk of falling and must be made safe before any quote.
The five causes, from the most common to the rarest
01 · Motor thermal cut-out tripped
The motor has gone into protection and refuses to restart
How to recognise it — the shutter was working then stopped dead, often after several operations in a row or in hot weather. The control no longer makes any sound, or just a faint click.
What we do — reset, check of the current draw and the motor brake, cleaning. If the cut-out keeps tripping, the motor is at the end of its life: replacement is then proposed and priced before fitting, never after.
Duration: 45 min · Cost: the slot's flat rate, + 1 200 € if the motor has to be replaced
02 · Broken torsion spring
The curtain is no longer balanced
How to recognise it — the curtain is very heavy on the crank handle, drops suddenly, or the motor strains without lifting the shutter. A sharp bang was sometimes heard in the preceding days.
What we do — making the curtain safe, replacing the spring and recalibrating the tension. On a shutter over three metres wide, both springs are checked: replacing one and leaving the other worn never lasts long.
Duration: 1 h to 1 h 30 · Cost: the slot's flat rate + spring on quote
03 · Curtain out of its guides or deformed slat
The shutter rubs and always jams in the same place
How to recognise it — the shutter is askew, rubs, or systematically stops at the same point of its travel. Often after an impact, a badly handled delivery or an attempted break-in.
What we do — putting the curtain back in its guides, cold straightening, replacing damaged slats. A torn-off guide rail is repaired by welding on site: that is the advantage of a craftsman trained as a welder, there is no second visit to wait for.
Duration: 1 h to 2 h · Cost: the slot's flat rate + slats on quote
04 · Faulty capacitor or limit switch
The motor hums but nothing moves
How to recognise it — the motor hums without turning, or the shutter stops too early and reverses. The remote responds but nothing happens.
What we do — electrical test, capacitor replacement, reprogramming of the limit switches and the remote. It is the cheapest fault to fix, and one of those most often mistaken for a dead motor.
Duration: 45 min · Cost: the slot's flat rate
05 · Seized floor bolt, cylinder or padlock
One locking point resists
How to recognise it — nothing moves at all and the shutter is manual, or one locking point resists while the rest works. Common by the sea, where salt and sand build up in low locks.
What we do — damage-free opening first, freeing the mechanism, then replacing the cylinder if necessary — priced before the work, never imposed on site.
Duration: 30 to 60 min · Cost: the slot's flat rate + cylinder on quote
Three things not to do
Every press on a jammed shutter bends one more slat, breaks a curtain fixing or burns out the motor. Two tries are enough to know: on the third, you pay to repair a fault you have just created.
If the spring is broken, the curtain can drop all at once. It is the most common accident with this type of fault, and the weight of a shop curtain is unforgiving.
A torsion spring under tension releases considerable energy. Dismantling it requires specific tools and two people; it is not a matter of skill but of safety.
What you can check in two minutes
These five checks carry no risk and resolve some jams without a call-out. Do them before writing to us: if they give nothing, their result already tells us about the fault.
- The circuit breaker and the key switch. A power cut or a key not fully turned explain a completely silent shutter, without the slightest sound at the control.
- The floor bolt and the padlocks. A single forgotten bolt blocks the whole curtain — and it is the first thing we check on arrival.
- The bottom of the guide rails. A pebble, a cigarette butt or a piece of cardboard is enough to jam a slat and suggest a mechanical fault.
- The sound at the control. A straining motor points to a mechanical cause; a click with no movement, to the capacitor or a limit switch; total silence, to the power supply.
- The emergency crank handle, if your shutter has one. If it turns freely, the spring or the shaft is at fault: don't force it any further.
How much it costs, precisely
| Situation | All-inclusive total |
|---|---|
| Release or repair possible on site, daytime 08:00–17:00 | 350 € |
| Same job in the evening, 17:00–20:00 | 500 € |
| Night 20:00–00:00 | 700 € |
| Late night 00:00–08:00 | 900 € |
| Planned call-out the day after tomorrow, daytime | 300 € |
| Motor replacement (part 800 € + labour 400 €) | + 1 200 € |
| Slats, curtain, spring, guide rail | quote on site |
The deposit corresponds to the call-out fee and is deducted from the invoice. If no work is possible within the flat rate, only the call-out fee is kept. See the full price list.
Stopping it happening again
A shop shutter is operated two to four times per opening day, one to two thousand cycles a year: at that pace, wear is not an accident, it is a deadline. Greasing the guide rails and checking the spring tension once a year prevents most of the faults we see as emergencies. And a spring replaced before it breaks costs the price of a planned call-out, not that of a late-night one — the gap, between 300 € and 900 €, speaks for itself. An annual maintenance contract with automatic reminder is being set up; its price will be published in the non-emergency price list.
Frequently asked questions
Can you open my shop without breaking the shutter?
That is always the aim: damage-free opening first, repair second. Replacement is only proposed if a repair would not last, and it is priced before any fitting.
Does the flat rate really cover the repair?
Yes: opening, release and repair when it is possible on site, whatever the duration, as long as the fault found matches the one you described. If parts have to be ordered, a second quote is drawn up and fitting is guaranteed within a short time of signing.
And if the shutter is beyond repair?
The premises are secured the same night — boards, sheet metal, temporary welding — then a new shutter is ordered. Supply and fitting follow within a few days, at a price calculated from your dimensions; the new equipment estimator gives you the order of magnitude.
How long before the technician arrives?
You receive a two-hour window, never a precise time: the journey and the previous job are taken into account so that the commitment can be kept. A text message warns you when the technician sets off.
Is your shutter stuck right now?
Describe the fault: a few questions, your photos if you can take some, and the exact price for your time slot appears before we set off.
Area covered: Nice and Saint-Laurent-du-Var, 24/7.
Every shop shutter fault, district by district: roller shutter repair in Nice.