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Sometimes, I stay up long, and when it gets dark, I usually turn on the lights and close the roller shutters in the room where I am, so that my neighbours won't see what I'm doing (programming).

Currently, it is summer and quite warm in the region where I live. This is why, during the nights, I want to open the windows and of course the roller shutters to let cool air come in.

Now there is an issue: When I finally go to bed, I want to open windows and roller shutters in the room where I was, but opening them makes a lot of noise - and I'd like to avoid this in the middle of the night.

What can I do to be able to open the roller shutters more silently?

The roller shutters look very similar to those in the picture of the Wikipedia article. They obviously are made from some kind of plastic:

roller shutter

It helps a lot to open them slowly, but it still is a lot of noise. I tried to oil them, but this did not change anything.

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    A video of the problem would be handy, it is hard to determine if you have noise generated from the engine pulling the segments apart or from movement in the track. If you could describe the exact source. Also have you checked how loud it really is elsewhere in the building or neighborhood. You'd be surprised how different the sound will be outside and how quickly it drops off.
    – jCisco
    Jul 12, 2015 at 0:31
  • @jCisco There is no engine, they are operated manually. I don't know the exact source of the noise, it seems to me each and every piece of this (cheap?) plastic makes noise. I'll try your other suggestions later.
    – Martin
    Jul 12, 2015 at 13:58

3 Answers 3

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We have shutters exactly like that, and it is a very common noise at any time, especially in summer when people put them down during the day.

My way to do this quietly is to pull the band slowly and steadily. It still makes a noise but is not loud or abrupt. When it is nearly at the top slow down even more to avoid the bang when it reaches the end.

Actually, here people tend to get up at 6 am so these things go up then, and this is a noise you learn to overhear, like church bells or the newspaper delivery moped.

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  • Yes, pulling slowly and steadily removes much of the noise, but depending on the model, there still will remain a lot of noise. How to get rid of this is what I'd like to know.
    – Martin
    Jul 14, 2015 at 20:06
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Why don't you use a folded blanket or any cloth curtain that you can somehow fasten whether the roller shutters are closed or opened? Then you can easily remove the blanket at night when you want some cool air. But one thing which you need to think about and be cautious about, is the security of the blanket according to your locality and location of room and window.

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  • Yes, a blanket would be a simple solution. I think I've got to go and buy blankets.
    – Martin
    Jul 13, 2015 at 20:40
  • You could also look for drop-down curtains, which should be either easily made or bought in a shop nearby
    – holroy
    Jul 18, 2015 at 23:33
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The shutters are probably acting as a big diaphragm, vibrating as they close and causing noise. Try holding something flexible (e.g. a towel) against the shutters as they roll up, to dampen this vibration and thus the sound. My guess is that this would work best near the top, where they are disappearing into the housing (and thus bending and vibrating).

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  • I don't know why, but this did not help.
    – Martin
    Jul 12, 2015 at 13:50
  • Sorry to hear that. @jCisco 's suggestion of a video, or even a picture of the entire assembly, would be helpful.
    – Daniel Griscom
    Jul 12, 2015 at 13:55

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