How a Service Request Moves
Every request comes into one channel and gets triaged the same way, whether you're a single restaurant or a fifty-location group.
A large share of what comes in resolves remotely — a limit setting, a track obstruction, a control that got switched. We try that first because it gets you running the same day instead of the same week.
When it needs hands on it, the request goes to the designer who knows your system type: Jerreth or Gerald — whichever senior designer is closest, so nothing waits on travel.
The path
Request submitted
Through the service request form or by phone.
Triage
Our service coordinator works the ticket and attempts remote resolution.
Resolved remotely, or escalated
Many issues close here over phone or email.
Assigned to a designer
Jerreth or Gerald — whichever senior designer is closest to you.
Onsite service visit
Scheduled after full payment on the original project.
Closed
Service completed and documented against your location.
Operating Limits That Protect Your Warranty
Most service calls we get are not defects. They are a curtain operated in conditions it was not built to move in, and they are avoidable — which matters, because these specific situations are not covered under warranty.
A clear vinyl curtain larger than 10' × 10' can generate close to 1,000 pounds of force in a 35 mph gust. That is why the operating limits are tighter than the structural wind rating: a motorized unit is warrantied to 65 mph fully down, at every size we build, and tested well above that, but you should not be moving it in winds above 15 mph.
Assign one person per location to learn the system. Staff turnover is one of the most common root causes behind a service request.
Before you press the button
- Wind: do not raise or lower a unit in winds above 15 mph, or the curtain can jam or malfunction. Down, 15 mph is nothing for it; the limit is only about moving it. Exact limits for moving it depend on the unit’s size; our crew covers them when we train your staff at install
- Cold: with clear vinyl, below 45°F wait to raise or lower it, unless the heaters are on and the clear is warmed up; cold clear vinyl stiffens and can crack. Sun shade mesh is fine in the cold
- Severe weather, motorized: units can usually stay down. In an extreme wind event, the goal is to get your folks off the patio safely, before the weather gets too bad. Whoever runs them should know the local weather
- Severe weather, manual: retract to the stored position before it arrives, not during
- Space heaters: keep well inside the perimeter — a heater too close will melt a panel
- Path: clear tables and chairs from beneath the curtain before lowering it. A motorized unit can jam on them and need service
- Cleaning: microfiber cloth and clear vinyl polish only
How to Operate Manual Roll Enclosures
How to Operate Manual Roll Enclosures | Rope & Pulley and Hand Rolled | Southern Patio Enclosures
How to open and close Manual Roll Enclosures with Rope & Pulley rigging or hand-rolled straps.
Read the transcript
0:00 CJ: Hey, I'm CJ, from the chat on our website. Here's how to work your Manual Roll panels.
0:07 CJ: Quick rules first. Wind over fifteen miles an hour? Leave 'em down and clipped. Colder than forty-five degrees? Wait. Storm coming with sustained winds over forty-five? Roll 'em all up before it hits. And keep heaters at least three feet from the vinyl.
0:25 CJ: Closing up. Unwrap the rope from the cleat, and let it out slow, hand over hand, all the way down.
0:32 JC: Hi, I'm JC. Panel's down? Clip every tie-down, not two out of five. Snug, not tight, like a life vest. That's what holds it in the wind.
0:42 CJ: Zip the sides down. Use the pole hook for the top.
0:47 CJ: Opening up. Unzip from the bottom up. Unclip the tie-downs. Roll it by hand to chest high, then pull the rope to raise it, and wrap the cleat five or six times.
0:58 CJ: Hand Rolled panels? Roll 'em up by hand and hold 'em with the two Velcro straps.
1:04 CJ: Questions? Ask me on the Southern Patio website.
1:08 Coach: And tie-downs first, every time.
On screen at the end: Ask CJ · southernpatioenclosures.com
Service Questions
How do I submit a service request?
Use the service request form, or call 512-782-8787. Include your location, what's happening, and photos or a short video if you can — it very often lets us resolve it without a trip.
What does a service visit include?
Manual systems: replacing frayed ropes, inspecting and installing missing hardware (anchors, D-rings, clasps), lubricating pulleys and zippers, adjusting panels for proper operation, reinstalling broken zipper heads where repairable, and installing customer-provided filler flaps or expansion panels.
Motorized systems: inspection of motors, side tracks, remotes, and hood components, plus remote reprogramming or resets as needed.
What can be fixed remotely?
More than people expect. Motor limits, track obstructions, control and switch issues, zipper and flap adjustments, and operating technique after staff turnover are all commonly resolved over the phone.
Can torn vinyl or a separated seam be repaired on site?
No, and the reason is the machine rather than the willingness. The clear vinyl and the border are not glued or stitched together — they are melted into a single piece by a fabric welder, an industrial machine with a 20-foot arm that lives on the shop floor. There is no portable version of it. Any company you might have hired faces the same constraint.
So a failed weld or a tear means the panel comes back to the shop. Send photos first and we will tell you whether it is a repair or a replacement.
How do I take a manual panel down to send it in?
It is the install in reverse, and it is a two-person job on anything wider than about 10 feet.
- Lower the curtain all the way. On rope and pulley, unwrap the rope from the cleat first; on Hand Rolled, unbuckle the two straps.
- Unclip the webbed bottom straps from the D-rings in the floor.
- Unzip the panel from the curtains on either side of it, and from any weather flap attached to it.
- Slide the bottom bar out of the pocket along the bottom edge. Keep it — it goes back into the repaired panel.
- Remove the self-tapping screw holding the curtain in the top track.
- Slide the top welting out of the track, working from the middle of the opening toward the outer edge. If a corner is tight, loosen the track, slide the welting past it, then re-secure.
Fold it, never roll it, and only above 50°F. Folding is what keeps shipping affordable. Cold vinyl is stiff and creases badly, so if the panel has been outside in the cold, bring it indoors and let it warm up before you fold and box it — and do the same at the other end before unboxing. (45°F is the limit for raising and lowering panels; folding needs the extra warmth.)
Who pays shipping on a warranty repair?
You ship it to us, we ship it back. Send us what the outbound shipping cost you and we will credit your account for it, so the repair costs you nothing in the end.
That credit stays on your account. If you need a repair years from now, outside warranty, we will apply it then.
How often should we schedule a tune-up?
Once a year, ideally just before your busy season. An annual tune-up is the single most effective thing you can do to extend the life of the system, and it catches the small issues before they strand you on a Friday night.
What is covered under warranty?
3 years on workmanship and 5 years on motors, for the original purchaser.
Not covered: faulty third-party installation, hail, flood, fire, harmful chemicals or fumes, misuse or abuse, fading, chalking, oxidation, acts of God — and the operating-limit situations above. Repeated exposure to winds above the rated speed while the curtains are down will damage the curtains and voids the warranty.
Is there a charge for an onsite service visit?
Warranty work is covered. Non-warranty visits are quoted before dispatch, and an onsite visit carries a labor charge. Service visits are scheduled after full payment on the original project.
Are replacement panels or flaps included in a service visit?
No. Panels and filler flaps are made to your exact dimensions, so they are quoted and purchased separately and fabricated to order.
Does someone need to be on site during the visit?
Not required, but recommended. Having a manager or point of contact available lets our tech walk the completed work, flag anything else they noticed, and get approval on additional repairs while they are still on site.
What areas do you service?
Nationwide, the same as our install coverage. Our own crews, based in Central Texas, travel; we do not farm service out to third parties.
Can you service an enclosure another company installed?
Sometimes. Send photos and we'll tell you honestly whether it's serviceable or whether you're better off replacing it. We won't take a service call we can't actually resolve.
Need service now?
Submit a request and we'll triage it. Most issues get a same-day response.
Caring for Clear Vinyl
The routine that most extends panel life, in one minute. Our hosts are animated; the steps are the ones our crews use.
How to Clean Clear Vinyl Patio Enclosure Panels | Southern Patio Enclosures
How to clean the clear vinyl on your Southern Patio Enclosures panels: rinse, polish with microfiber, and the things that should never touch clear vinyl.
Read the transcript
0:00 CJ: Hey, I'm CJ, from the chat on our website. Here's how to clean your clear vinyl panels. Keeping 'em clear is a big part of how long they last.
0:10 CJ: Lower the panels all the way, and clip every tie-down.
0:14 CJ: Rinse off the dust and grit with a hose.
0:18 CJ: Then wipe on clear vinyl polish with a microfiber cloth.
0:22 CJ: Up high, use an extension mop with a microfiber pad. It reaches the top without a ladder. Do both sides, inside and out.
0:31 JC: Hi, I'm JC. Never use paper towels, bar rags or washcloths. They scratch clear vinyl. No solvents, and no abrasive pads. Microfiber and clear vinyl polish only.
0:45 CJ: Polish it regularly, and plan on a professional clean once a year.
0:49 CJ: Not sure what's safe on your vinyl? Ask me on the Southern Patio website.
0:54 Coach: Keep it polished, and keep it clipped.
On screen at the end: Ask CJ · southernpatioenclosures.com