Rollshutters, Security Roller Shutters, Hurricane Shutters: What’s the Difference?
Generally speaking, rollshutters, rolling shutters, or roller shutters is an umbrella term used to describe all window and door coverings consisting of a multitude of horizontal slats made of aluminum or steel that are hinged together, and can be opened or closed on demand.
Security roller shutters have a variety of different security features such as a stronger profile filling, locks and other features that increase the overall strength of the roller shutter.
Exterior Rolling shutters have a central control system which will open and close automatically on a schedule.
There are many features that you can invest in to enhance the security of your rollshutter system, which we will detail further down in the article.
Hurricane shutters, on the other hand, need to be certified in the US and Canada. Rollshutter manufacturers apply and their products are tested for resistance to high winds and flying debris.
What are Security Roller Shutters Made of?
Our security roller shutters are manufactured in-house at our facility in Salmon Arm, BC Canada.
Rollshutters are made of aluminum or steel and can be customized to fit over any existing structures to provide you with peace of mind and protect what matters most to you in your home or business.
Aluminum has many qualities which make it best suited as the primary material for security shutters.
- First of all, aluminum is lightweight – the specific mass of aluminum is 2700 kg/m3, making it the lightest of all the ordinary metals (alloys excluded). Aluminum is actually three times lighter than steel, while still remaining exceptionally strong.
Why is this important? Lightweight materials reduce carbon footprints, and are generally energy efficient during the operation of the shutter system, as opposed to steel, which is much heavier and therefore takes more energy to operate. - Aluminum is highly corrosion resistant. The key benefit to this is that it extends the aesthetic value and life of your roller shutters. Maintenance costs are also significantly reduced as well.
- Aluminum lends itself to many different surface treatments from anodization, to painting. Anodization, in particular, is great for increased corrosion resistance and stress resistance. Different surface treatments also allow for the easy customization of your rollshutters. This is amazing for keeping the décor of your residential or commercial property intact. Business owners often use the space for their logos or for perennial advertisements.
- Aluminum is ductile. Aluminum is malleable and rollshutters can be manufactured in different ways depending on the application required.
- Aluminum is highly recyclable. If you are like many people out there, then you care about the environment, and reducing your carbon footprint is an important issue. Aluminum can be recycled indefinitely without losing any of its intrinsic properties. Over the last two decades, the percentage of metal used and recycled has had a steady upward climb, and is projected to continue.
What are the Major Benefits of Roller Shutters and Security Shutters?
Security roller shutters offer home and business owners benefits that are not only aesthetic, but can lead to real savings.
- Security Solutions: Rollshutters are well regarded as a solid asset for protecting your investments, both commercially and residentially, against crimes of opportunity such as vandalism and burglary. Rollshutters provide preventative measures against these types of crimes, whereas other security measures are only activated when the crime is in progress.
- Storm Protection: Anyone who has experienced a hurricane or a Nor’easter can tell you that flying debris poses a major risk to windows. Rolling shutters help to protect your windows from these missiles.
- Sun Protection: Rollshutters offer ‘blackout’ protection from the sun, and the intense heat that it can generate especially in the summer months.
The sun and its rays also can damage furniture and its upholstery. With roller shutters, they completely eliminate the sun and its harmful effects from your home. - Energy Efficiency: Energy efficient roller shutters are exceptional insulators and can keep your property both warm or cool depending on the season, and reduces the reliance on energy guzzlers like heating systems and air conditioning units.
What Security Features Should I Look for when Purchasing Rollshutters?
Naturally, when buying security roller shutters for your home or business, one of the things prospective clients inquire about is the security features.
Below is a list of the security features that you should look for when investing in security shutters. These features and modifications help to increase the strength of your rollshutter, decreasing the chance of damage to your property.
Two Piece Rail System
The two-piece rail system is an important security feature when buying rollshutters. The two-piece rail system actively hides the fasteners from outside access one the installation process is complete.
Rolling shutters have a central control system which will open and close them automatically on a schedule. This stops anyone from tampering with the rails and gaining entry by removing the security roller shutters.
Deeper Rail Channel
A shallow rail channel increases the chance that the curtain may be forced out of the rail channel by a very persistent, and tenacious person. Having a deeper guide rail channel decreases this chance significantly.
The industry standard for guide rail channels is 25mm, at Talius, our SAFE-40 Rail has a 40mm channel.
Having a deeper guide rail channel decreases this chance significantly. The industry standard for guide rail channels is 25mm, at Talius, our SAFE-40 Rail has a 40mm channel.
Edge Retention System
This rail system is one of the most secure on the market. Here’s how it works: this rail system has grooves on the inside of the rail and hooks on the ends of the curtain.
If force is exerted against the curtain the hooks grip onto the grooves further securing the curtain into the rail channel.
This doesn’t come cheap though, and it is usually recommended for properties that are in high-risk areas, or properties that have had many break-ins, despite conventional security measures.
We also recommend this product if you have very wide security shutters.
Originally, the edge retention system was designed for hurricane protection but we found that it also has great benefit for high-security applications.
Splitting the Curtain
The wider the curtain is, the less strong it will be in the center. In that vein, splitting the curtain is a good and inexpensive way to maintain the fortitude of your security shutters.
Essentially, during the installation process, we split the rollshutters into 2 or more sections, where each section is still run by the same operator. There is some extra cost for the additional rails and extra installation time, but it doesn’t really add up to that much.
A good rule of thumb is that you should consider splitting the curtain if area covered exceeds 8’.
Curtain Profile Filling
What’s inside matters. The same holds true for rollshutters. Many roller shutters are foam filled and the density of the foam affects the strength of the curtain. Here are the various foam densities and their corresponding strengths:
- Low Strength: Less than 100kg/m3
- Medium Strength: Between 100kg/m3 – 300kg/m3
- High Strength: Up to 660kg/m3
We strongly recommend using our Mini Safe Curtain with Polyurethane and Hard Resin for the best security feature.
Use a U-Sill
Security roller shutters need a flat surface to be properly secured. Adding a ‘U’ shaped channel sill is a good idea to stop would-be intruders from prying the security shutters up from the ground.
If you don’t have a flat surface for the roller shutters to be secured, then we recommend our U-Sill product.
If you don’t have a flat surface for the roller shutters to be secured, then we recommend our U-Sill product.
Manual Locks vs. Automatic Locks
Automatic locks are usually found inside the panel box or along the curtain of the rollshutter. The immediate benefit of this is that the lock is out of sight and can’t be tampered with.
These locks engage when the rollshutter is down and disengage when the rollshutter is opening. Not only are these locks secure and hidden out of sight to avoid tampering, because they usually unlock with the movement of the operator they have the added benefit of protecting your operator and curtain.
These locks engage when the rollshutter is down and disengage when the rollshutter is opening. Not only are these locks secure and hidden out of sight to avoid tampering, because they usually unlock with the movement of the operator they have the added benefit of protecting your operator and curtain.
Manual locks are likely located on the bottom profile or somewhere along the curtain of the rollshutter unit. These locks are visible from the outside. We recommend a lock that has a heavy return and a solid internal mechanism making it strong and secure.
The only disadvantage with manual locks is that if the unit is not unlocked before operation, the force from the operator working against the lock can wreck the motor and/or the curtain which can be a costly fix.
Manual Override Motors
A manual override motor is a regular motor with a gear mechanism that allows the unit to be cranked upwards in case of a power outage or motor failure.
For security, we recommend this motor as it allows you to crank your security roller shutters down and secure your building if there is a power or motor failure and you are not able to stay on the premises.
If you choose to go with a manual override motor ensure that the connection for the crank handle is not one that hangs out of the panel box housing on the rollshutter.
If the attachment is visible it is possible for vandals to use that to (slowly) crank the rollshutter open.
High-Security Key Switches/Digital Key Pad/Card Swipe
When securing a main entrance, you will need to have some way to access and open the rollshutter from the exterior of the building.
For these applications, there are many security switches you can choose from: high-security key switches, digital keypads, which enable you to punch a code in to open the rollshutter, wireless RF systems or card swipe options are the most popular.
These switch options allow only yourself and family members or employees to have access to the building.
Flush Mount Control Options
Preventing thieves or vandals from accessing the wiring to the control options above ranks up there when securing your property. Ensuring that the control option is flush against the building prevents easy access to the wires in the switch.
Connect Your Security Shutters to Alarm System
Many security companies offer options that allow you to connect your rollshutters to your existing alarm system. This alerts you and the alarm company if anyone was trying to tamper with the unit. An added benefit is when the alarm sounds it usually scares away the vandal.
Conclusion
Installing security roller shutters is one of the best methods of securing your property. The old adage “You pay for what you get” holds very true in this industry. When looking to purchase rollshutters, you should ask as many questions as possible, and give as many details as about your specific requirements to let your sales expert guide you to the perfect solution for your security needs.
When looking to purchase rollshutters, you should ask as many questions as possible, and give as many details as about your specific requirements to let your sales expert guide you to the perfect solution for your security needs.
