Troubleshooting by symptom · Rolling Shutter Guide
Why does my shutter motor hum, click or clunk but the shutter doesn’t move?
A motor that hums, buzzes or clunks without moving the curtain is usually held by a jam, an off-track curtain or a backroll, or has a motor or gear failure. Stop pressing the button. If an override crank still moves it freely, nothing is jammed and the motor is the likely fault. Have it inspected before running it again.
Key facts
- On large shutters with a crank override, Roll-A-Shield has seen a recurring failure in which the crank still works and the drive engages, but the remote only produces a buzz; those cases ended in a motor replacement. Roll-A-Shield data
- A hum or buzz with no movement can mean a jam, an off-track curtain, or a motor or gear failure; the service desk tells owners to stop running it and books a technician. Roll-A-Shield data
- Never run a motor while the slat curtain is disconnected: a jam can burn out the motor and damage the entry guides. Roll-A-Shield data
- A motor that is dead with no noise at all after heavy use has usually overheated and resets in about 15 minutes; a humming motor is a different problem. Roll-A-Shield data
- Before a solar part is called defective, Roll-A-Shield tests the panel and battery under load and swaps them onto a known-good motor; a static voltage reading alone does not prove the motor is good. Roll-A-Shield data
Applies to: Motorized rolling shutters with tubular motors: Gaposa and Somfy wired, radio and manual-override (CMO) motors, and Gaposa solar motors.
A motor that makes a noise but leaves the curtain where it is needs a different approach from one that is completely silent. The job is to find out whether the curtain is held or the motor has failed, without making either worse.
What does each sound usually mean?
| What you hear and see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Hum or buzz, no movement, and an override crank still moves the curtain freely | Most likely the motor | Book a technician; on large shutters this has ended in a motor replacement. |
| Hum or buzz, no movement, no override (or the crank is stiff) | Jam, off-track curtain, or a motor or gear failure | Stop and have it inspected. |
| A clunk on the way down, then the curtain is slack or bunched | Shutter closed onto an object (backroll) | Do not run it up; follow the backroll steps. |
| Solar motor clicks or barely moves | Run-down battery, or a panel, battery or motor fault | Sun, clean panel, wall charger, reset; then a bench test. |
| No sound at all after a lot of use | Thermal cut-out | Wait about 15 minutes. |
| No sound at all, any time | Power, remote or pairing | Work through the basic checks. |
| Moves, but squeaks, grinds or bangs | Rails, fasteners or curtain fit | See Why is my shutter noisy? |
Why does a motor hum without moving?
Usually for one of three reasons. Roll-A-Shield's service desk treats a hum or buzz with no movement as a possible jam, a curtain that has come out of its rails, or a failure in the motor or its gearing. You cannot tell which from the sound alone, so the rule is the same for all three: stop pressing the button and look before anything else is run.
Inside the tube, the motor turns the axle through a drive adapter, and a crown locates the motor head in the tube; both are matched to the tube and to the motor family. On a replacement, these parts move from the old motor to the new one.
How do I tell a jam from a failed motor?
Take the motor out of the question, if you can.
- If the shutter has a manual override, try the crank. If the crank raises and lowers the curtain normally while the switch or remote only makes the motor buzz, nothing is jammed and the motor is the likely fault. Roll-A-Shield has seen this as a recurring failure on large override shutters, where it ended in a motor replacement. Book a technician to confirm it.
- If the crank is stiff, or there is no override, look at the curtain. Is it inside both guide rails along its whole height? Is anything in the opening, or wedged at the bottom? Did it come down onto something just before it stopped?
- Think about recent work. Problems that start right after window replacement, painting or other contractor work are a known pattern; the curtain may have been disconnected or disturbed. Have it inspected rather than running it.
- If the curtain looks normal and free and the motor still only hums, book a technician. That is the service desk's line for a humming motor.
The manual override page shows how to engage the crank.
What does a clunk mean?
A clunk followed by a slack or bunched curtain usually means the shutter came down onto something. That is a backroll, and the first rule is not to raise it with the motor, which causes more damage. Clear the object, let the curtain drop with no slack, run it fully down, then open the box: after a backroll the T-straps are usually disconnected from the slat roll and need replacing. The full steps are on My shutter came down on something.
My solar motor only clicks. Is it the battery, the panel or the motor?
Start with the battery, because it is the cheapest to fix. Make sure the panel gets enough direct sun (shade or ambient light is not enough) and has been cleaned; if the battery has ever run completely flat, it will not recover on sunlight alone and needs the wall charger. Then try the solar reset.
If it still only clicks, the next step is a bench test, not a new part. A static voltage reading proves only that the panel or battery makes voltage; Roll-A-Shield's test also checks the battery under load and then runs the suspect solar station on a known-good motor. If the station runs the good motor, the original motor is the fault. Dealers and installers can follow the multimeter test.
When should I stop and call?
Stop: Do not keep pressing the button on a motor that hums or clunks. Do not operate a shutter that is off its track, back-rolled, jammed or spinning at the top; each cycle does more damage.
Stop: Never run a motor while the slat curtain is disconnected. A jam can burn out the motor and damage the entry guides.
Safety: A large curtain is heavy; do not try to lift one back into its rails alone. Shutters over 9 ft wide need two technicians on a service visit.
If the motor has failed, see How do I replace a rolling shutter motor?, or Returning a failed motor under warranty.
What next
Replacement Gaposa motors are in the Roll-A-Shield parts store; the motor page compares Gaposa and Somfy. In metro Phoenix, Roll-A-Shield repairs rolling shutters of any brand; call (480) 921-0200.
Watch it done
Service tutorial: fixing a backrolled shutter
The written steps on this page are the reference; the video shows the same job.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to keep pressing the button to see if it frees itself?
No. Each run against a jam or an off-track curtain does more damage, and a motor run with the curtain disconnected can burn out. Stop and have it inspected.
Does a replacement motor need a new crown and drive?
Not usually on a like-for-like swap: the crown and drive come off the old motor and go onto the new one at the bench. They are matched to both the tube and the motor family, so a different motor family or tube size can need different ones.
Is a failed motor covered by the warranty?
Roll-A-Shield motors carry a 5-year warranty and electronic components 2 years, from the date of installation; a replacement motor gets its own term. See the warranty page for what is covered.
Parts and next step
Need a part or a hand?
Replacement motors, remotes, straps, slats and hardware ship from our Tempe, Arizona factory. Phoenix-area owners can book a service visit; everywhere else, our technicians help by phone. Call (480) 921-0200; the factory answers technical questions for any rolling shutter, not only ours.