Parts identification · Rolling Shutter Guide
Can a Somfy or Gaposa motor in another company’s shutter be serviced or replaced?
Yes. A Gaposa or Somfy tubular motor works the same whoever built the shutter: pairing, limits and remotes follow the motor brand. A replacement has to match the brand, the control type (switch or radio), the axle size with its crown and drive, the mounting bracket and the lift the curtain needs. Roll-A-Shield services shutters it did not build.
Key facts
- Pairing and limits are stored in the motor, so Gaposa's and Somfy's own programming steps apply whoever built the shutter.
- Roll-A-Shield replaces like for like and never swaps a Somfy motor for a Gaposa or the reverse: crowns, drives and remotes are all brand-specific. Roll-A-Shield data
- On the 120 V motors of both brands, a switch (wired) motor has a 4-conductor cable and a radio motor a 3-conductor cable, which is the quickest check before ordering the right type.
- Choose the replacement by curtain weight, not square feet: weight in lb = width in x height in x the slat's weight per sq ft / 144. Roll-A-Shield data
- A motor bought from Roll-A-Shield can be returned within 30 days. Roll-A-Shield data
Applies to: Rolling shutters of any make driven by a Gaposa or Somfy 120 V AC tubular motor, switch-operated, radio or manual-override. OZRoll battery and solar motors are covered on their own pages.
Does it matter who built the shutter?
For programming, no. A Gaposa or Somfy motor keeps its own pairing and limits, so the brand's procedures apply whoever built the box around it. Use the brand pages: programming a Gaposa motor, resetting a Gaposa motor and Somfy RTS limits.
For a replacement, the shutter maker matters more, because the motor has to fit that maker's axle, end cap and bracket. Those are the parts to identify before ordering.
What has to match in a replacement motor?
| Item | Why it matters | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Remotes, crowns and drives are brand-specific, and Roll-A-Shield replaces like for like | The name on the motor head or the remote |
| Switch or radio | A switch motor has no receiver; a radio motor needs a remote | The label, or the cable where it is visible: 4 conductors for a switch motor, 3 for a radio motor |
| Manual override | An override motor can be cranked open in a power cut; a plain motor cannot | A hanging universal joint for a bell-ended wand, or a hole in the box for a hex wand |
| Axle size and profile | The crown and drive must suit the tube and the motor family | Measure across the tube; current tubes are octagonal 40, 60 or 70 mm |
| Mounting bracket | The motor head seats in a bracket on the end cap and is held there by a retainer clip | A photo of the motor head and bracket |
| Lift | Too small a motor will not raise the curtain | Work out the curtain weight (below) |
Check switch versus radio before ordering: a motor of the wrong type will not run from the control already on the wall.
How do I work out the lift I need?
Size the motor by the curtain's weight, not its square footage: weight in lb = width in × height in × the slat's weight per sq ft / 144. Roll-A-Shield's own slats are set out on the motor size chart. For another maker's slat the weight per square foot is not known in advance, so send the width, the height and a photo of the slat, and the motor is sized from that.
Will the new motor fit the old axle?
If the axle is octagonal, usually yes, once the motor has the crown and drive made for that tube and that motor family. Very old shutters with a round axle are the exception: Roll-A-Shield no longer carries adapters for round axles, so the axle is usually replaced too, and the box can often stay. Before quoting a retrofit, Roll-A-Shield collects the box height, width and depth, the guide-rail thickness, the current motor's details and the tube type. More on what a swap involves is in can a new motor go in an old shutter.
Can I buy the motor and fit it myself?
You can buy it. Gaposa Sense radio tubular motors are in the online store; Somfy motors are ordered by phone. The mechanical swap is on how to replace a rolling shutter motor. The connection to the house supply is a different matter:
Stop: These are 120 V AC mains motors. Follow the motor maker's instructions: terminate in a listed junction box; do not run the motor cable through the wall. Mains wiring by a licensed electrician.
If the motor turns out to be the wrong one, a motor bought from Roll-A-Shield can be returned within 30 days.
Will Roll-A-Shield work on another company's shutter?
Yes. Roll-A-Shield services rolling shutters regardless of who built them. Send photos of the shutter, the box end and the motor label or remote before booking, so the technician arrives with the right motor, crown and drive, and so you know up front if the shutter is in poor enough condition to need replacing instead. Call (480) 921-0200.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Gaposa motor replace a Somfy one, or the other way round?
Physically it can sometimes be made to fit, because some Somfy and Gaposa motors share a bracket pattern, but it takes the new brand's crown and drive, new remotes, and on a switch motor reconnection to the new brand's color chart by an electrician. Roll-A-Shield does not do brand swaps; it replaces like for like.
Do I need new remotes after the motor is replaced?
Usually not, if the replacement is the same brand and works with the same remotes: pair your existing remotes to the new motor and set its limits with the brand's own steps.
The company that installed my shutters is gone. Who can service them?
Roll-A-Shield services rolling shutters regardless of who built them. Send photos first: the technician needs to know the motor, the axle and the box before the visit.
Parts and next step
Need a part or a hand?
Send a photo of the motor label (or the remote), the shutter's width and height and its slat type, and call (480) 921-0200 before ordering a motor for another company's shutter. Call (480) 921-0200; the factory answers technical questions for any rolling shutter, not only ours.