How to maintain your hurricane shutters

Proper maintenance is the difference between a system that deploys in 90 seconds and one that jams when a storm is 24 hours out. This guide covers every system we install in the islands — follow it and your shutters will perform for 15 or more years.

The four rules that apply to every system

• Operate every shutter at least monthly. Monthly use stops salt crystals from locking moving parts and lets you catch a problem months before storm season.
• Clean with dilute mild dish soap and a soft horsehair brush, microfiber towel or sponge, then rinse with a garden hose. One to two times a year, more often for oceanfront exposure.
• Lubricate with dry silicone (such as Super Lube with Syncolon). Never WD-40 or oil — they attract salt and dirt and degrade rubber seals.
• Apply anti-seize to all threaded hardware annually. Stainless fasteners in aluminum fittings will seize in salt air; treated thumbscrews stay turnable.

Aluminum storm panels

• Never leave clips, bolts or wing nuts in the tracks between seasons — store all hardware indoors so it cannot corrode and seize.
• Clean panels and tracks one to two times per year with dish soap and a soft brush, rinse with a hose.
• Inspect every panel edge after each storm season; bent or dented panels will not latch or seal correctly.
• Apply a thin coat of silicone to all track channels annually so panels slide in easily under pressure.

Clear polycarbonate panels

• Store panels vertically, out of direct sunlight, in a shaded and ventilated space — UV exposure yellows the sheet and reduces impact resistance.
• Wash with warm water, mild soap and a soft microfiber cloth. Abrasive pads or cleaners permanently scratch the surface.
• Dry with a soft cloth to avoid water spotting, and inspect annually for crazing, yellowing or impact marks.

Accordion shutters

• Use monthly. This is the single best thing you can do for an accordion system.
• With the shutter closed, the inside fold hinges open — hose or sponge out every inner joint, let it dry, then spray dry lubricant top to bottom and cycle the shutter to work it in.
• Clean and lubricate the top track and wheels; confirm your spray is rated safe for plastic or the wheels can crack over time.
• Push locks are the most common failure point. Oceanfront owners should store the locks inside and install them only when deploying — they take a Phillips screwdriver from inside the house.
• Salt-water locks can stay installed if you reapply anti-seize to the bolts every other year. Clear built-up threads with an 8mm nylon bore brush.

Manual and electric rolldown shutters

• Use monthly, and run electric motors at least twice per month so the limits and gearing stay free.
• Brush and wash the guide tracks with soapy water and keep any felt strips clear of debris.
• Clean slats with a vertical motion only — horizontal wiping can misalign slats and jam the curtain inside the housing.
• Keep the full travel path clear of furniture and planters; an impact during operation causes misalignment and costly repairs.
• Test the manual override crank annually so you know it works before a power outage.

Bahama and colonial shutters

• Wash blades and frames twice a year, and rinse oceanfront installations quarterly to keep salt film off the finish.
• Lubricate hinges, pivot pins and the telescoping arms with dry silicone, then cycle the shutter fully open and closed.
• Apply anti-seize to every thumbscrew, wing nut and threaded storm bar fitting once a year.
• Check that all storm bars, pins and hardware are stored together and labeled per opening.

Hurricane screens

• Rinse fabric with a hose and mild soap; never scrub with a brush that can abrade the weave coating.
• Dry the fabric completely before rolling or folding it for storage to prevent mildew.
• Inspect grommets, straps, buckles and anchor points for wear each season and replace anything frayed.

The annual maintenance schedule we recommend

• Monthly: operate every shutter through a full cycle.
• Quarterly (oceanfront): rinse with fresh water.
• Twice a year: full wash of shutters, tracks and housings.
• Once a year, before June 1: clean, lubricate, anti-seize all hardware, inventory panels and hardware, and test every lock.
• After every named storm: inspect for damage, rinse salt off, and report any bent, jammed or leaking component.

The most common mistakes we see

• Pressure washing — the fastest way to ruin a finish and a motor housing.
• WD-40 on tracks and locks, which turns into a salt-holding paste.
• Leaving panel hardware in the tracks year round until it seizes solid.
• Not operating shutters for an entire year, then discovering the problem with a storm 24 hours out.
• Storing panels flat in the sun, where polycarbonate yellows and aluminum edges deform.

What to keep on hand

• Dry silicone lubricant rated safe for plastics
• Anti-seize compound compatible with aluminum and stainless
• Mild dish soap, soft horsehair brush, microfiber cloths
• Spare thumbscrews, wing nuts and push-lock caps
• A labeled bin per opening for panels, bars and hardware

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