Congratulations! You have selected the finest aluminum Bahama shutters made to protect your family and home. Their strength and durability will provide excellent protection for many years. To protect your investment and keep your shutters in top operating condition, the following simple preventative maintenance should be done regularly on your newly purchased aluminum Bahama shutters:
How To Close Your Aluminum Bahama Shutters
- First, locate the “Bahama collars” which are on the telescoping arms located on the left and right sides of the Bahama shutter.
- Each collar will have a thumbscrew, which is finger-tightened against the arm to keep the shutter in its angled position.
- Loosen the thumbscrews on both arms, and the shutter will fall against the house. It is best to support the weight of the shutter with one or two hands to keep it from closing too quickly.
- For exterior closures: gently slide the “hockey stick”, which is located at the base of the telescoping arm, away from the shutter until the shutter is able to lay flat against the window trim and the hole in the side of the shutter lines up with the hockey stick. Then slide the hockey stick back toward the shutter and into the hole. Repeat this for the other side. You may find that it is easier to slide both hockey sticks away from the shutter before attempting to insert either hockey stick into the hole in the shutter (because both sides of the shutter will be lying flat against the trim). You may need to exert some gentle pressure to get the shutter to lie completely flat and line up the holes with the hockey sticks.
- For interior closures: once the shutter has come to rest against the house, the angled clips at the bottom of the shutter will line up with the ones on your house. The holes in the angles will line up, and now you should insert your quick-release pins in the holes. You may need to exert some gentle pressure to get the shutter to lie completely flat and lne up with the holes–you can do this by gently pulling on the shutter blades. Note: DO NOT store the quick-release pins outside for long periods of time or leave them resting in the angle which is installed on the house. These pins are not stainless steel and are meant to be stored indoors.
- For rated Bahamas: these must be secured from the outside. There are anchor systems attached to the shutter and the structure. Sometimes you must disconnect the bottom half of the arms to get the screws in/over the anchors. If this is necessary, re-attach the arms after the anchors are in place so that the arms are secure. To close, loosen the thumbscrew and allow the shutter to close. Using the 2 x 2 or the 2 x 3 clips that are predrilled to align with the holes on the shutter and the wall anchor, secure the shutter to wall in all applicable places.
Aluminum Bahama Shutters Maintenance
In order to keep your Bahama shutters functioning properly, you will need to remove the thumbscrews and coat them twice a year with a product called “Never-Sieze”, which is available through Fastenal Company of Mount Pleasant (834-338-0090). This ensures that the thumbscrews will not seize against the collars, preventing you from changing the angle of your shutters. If you choose not to perform this maintenance, the thumbscrews will seize in position against the collars. If this happens, you may still close and lock the shutter by removing the hockey stick completely from the “camel-backs” found at the base of the arms, allowing the arms to swing free and the shutter to close against the house. At this time, you can re-insert the hockey sticks back through the camel backs and into the holes in the shutter.
