Motorising a roller shutter on commercial premises
Electric roller shutters for shops, workshops and yards
Most commercial roller shutters we fit are electrically operated. On a shop front that is opened and locked twice a day, or a workshop bay that goes up and down every time a van arrives, hand-winding stops being practical very quickly.
Going electric is not just adding a motor. It changes how the shutter is controlled, what safety devices it needs and how it behaves when the power goes. This page walks through those decisions for commercial premises; motorising a home garage door is covered separately on our automation page.
- Typical control
- Key switch or internal control
- Power cut
- Manual override fitted
- Busy doors need
- Heavy-duty, cycle-rated motor
- Pricing
- Quoted per opening
How staff open and close it
The control has to match who uses the door. An external key switch suits a shop or unit where only keyholders should be able to raise the shutter from outside. An internal control suits a bay that is only operated from inside the building. Keypads are also available where a code is easier to manage than keys.
On a busy site it is worth thinking about where the control sits in relation to the door, so the person operating it can see the opening clearly while the curtain moves.
Safety devices on a motorised curtain
A powered curtain coming down across a doorway where people and vehicles pass needs protecting. Photocells across the opening, safety edges on the bottom of the curtain and, on vehicle routes, warning beacons are positioned around how the doorway is actually used.
These devices only work if they are kept clean and aligned. Dirty or knocked safety edges and photocells are one of the most common reasons a commercial door stops working without warning.
Duty rating: the part cheap installs get wrong
A shutter opened twice a day and one opened fifty times a day should not have the same motor. For high-cycle commercial doors we specify heavy-duty motors with cycle-rated bearings rather than domestic-grade kit. Undersized operators overheat, trip out and wear through bearings long before the curtain itself is worn.
- Tell us roughly how many times a day the door will open.
- Tell us whether it will be left open for long periods or cycled constantly.
- Mention any planned change of use, as a quiet store can become a busy dispatch bay.
When the power goes off
Every electric commercial shutter we fit has a manual override so the opening can still be raised or secured during a power failure. Make sure more than one member of staff knows where it is and how it works, and keep any winding handle somewhere sensible rather than in the building it locks.
Motorising an existing shutter
A hand-operated shutter can often be converted, but not always. The curtain, barrel and guides must be in good enough condition to take a motor, and on some older or non-standard shutters a compatible kit may not exist. In that case replacing the whole door can be the more sensible spend, and we will say so at survey.
Cost is driven by the opening size, curtain type, motor duty, controls, safety devices and any out-of-hours fitting. We quote each opening individually rather than publishing a price.
Questions we get asked
- Can a commercial roller shutter be opened in a power cut?
- Yes. The electric shutters we fit include a manual override so the door can still be raised or secured.
- Is a key switch or a keypad better for a shop?
- A key switch limits outside operation to keyholders, which suits most shops. A keypad works where a code is easier to share and change than keys.
- Can you add a motor to my existing manual shutter?
- Often, if the curtain, barrel and guides are sound. On some older or non-standard shutters no compatible kit exists, and we will tell you that at survey.
- Do you repair electric shutters as well?
- Yes, around the clock. A shutter that will not lock is treated as a security problem, not something to leave until Monday.
Tired of winding the shutter by hand?
Tell us the size of the opening, how often it is used and who needs to operate it, and we will say whether it can be motorised or should be replaced.
Based at 31 Mount Street, Dromore (BT25) · covering Northern Ireland · 24/7 emergency repairs