Electric Gate Maintenance: Tips And Best Practices
Like any electric or automated security feature, electric gates require maintenance to ensure they’re operationally efficient.
While some property owners skip out on electric gate maintenance, it’s best to not. Here’s why. At any time, a damaged or worn component that you’re not aware of may either create a safety hazard or compromise security.
With no maintenance schedule, you also run the risk of your electric gate breaking down unexpectedly. All in all, it’s far better and cheaper in the long-term to have gate maintenance in play.
With regular upkeep, you ensure you’ve optimized security and functionality. Any hazards, broken parts, or wear and tear can be addressed then and there under your control and not as an emergency further down the line.
Gate maintenance also enhances the aesthetic appeal of your automatic gates, fixing cosmetic issues as they are discovered. Every gate should be on a maintenance plan of some kind.There is no gate type that doesn’t need maintenance.
Detecting And Addressing Wear And Tear Early
Early signs of wear are actually a good thing to discover during a maintenance call. This is exactly what you want. What you have here is a minor issue that has not yet become a major problem. In general, that’s cheaper to fix.
With advanced diagnostic tools carried by a gate technician, during electric gate maintenance, detecting wear and tear is a priority.
Types Of Wear And Tear
What a gate maintenance technician is looking for when they’re conducting an inspection are signs of rust, motor fatigue, and unusual noises or hints in the functionality of the gate that something’s not working correctly.
Be Proactive In Addressing Repairs
The only way to catch wear and tear early is with routine inspections. These can be performed every 6-12 months depending on how often you use your gate. This way, you are always catching issues before they escalate into expensive repairs.
Seasonal Maintenance Strategies
Each season brings different challenges for an electric gate. To keep yours operational through changing temperatures and climate, one must be aware of what’s required of them at the start of each season.
Winterization Techniques
Do a pre-winter check on your gate before the snow and ice come. This is to prevent freezing damage and ensure your gate is properly lubricated so that it easily opens. Inspect gate components. Ensure main parts are in good working condition.
Any time you spot something that looks like it may need a fix or further inspection, call your gate technician.
Summer Care Tips For Electric Gates
Come summer, there is a risk of sun damage and overheating. There is also the risk of twigs, rocks, and leaves being kicked into the path of the automatic gate sensors. These same sensors and any photo-cellular beam can be damaged through prolonged exposure to sunlight.
Check your electric gate throughout the summer to ensure it is functioning as intended and not incurring gradual damage.
Catch Seasonal Debris In Spring And Fall
During spring and fall, these are both excellent times to check in on your electric gate, especially if it’s over a decade old. You may see plant growth in springtime interfering with gate operations or alternatively, fallen leaves blocking your gate from properly opening and closing.
There may not be a need to call a gate technician, however, a visual inspection by the property owner is valuable.
Professional Inspection Checklist
A professional electric gate maintenance service is going to have a comprehensive checklist of things to examine and go over with the homeowner.
Examine the gate’s structure to confirm it has not been damaged in any way by an impact.
Check gate alignment to ensure it is opening and closing in the intended pathway with no issue.
Check the electrical wiring to verify that components are still fully functional and not damaged.
Check commands and switches as it relates to the automatic opener.
Check all safety sensors to ensure they are performing adequately.
Test the manual release for use in emergency situations.
Ensure that your electric gate is compliant with all relevant safety standards and manufacturer recommendations.
For sustained optimal gate health, as mentioned already, it is best to schedule a gate maintenance visit once every 6-12 months minimum. For gates receiving a lot of use, a visit every 3-4 months is even better for a maintenance schedule.
DIY Maintenance Tips And Tricks
You don’t need to be a professional to provide safe, effective DIY gate maintenance. A homeowner can do more than a few things to help keep their gate moving.
Lubricate hinges and any moving parts that need it to minimize noise and friction.
Check for rust and remove it using a solution of white vinegar and some scrubbing
Verify that there is nothing in the way of your electric gate door from opening and closing.
Take measures to control pests and animals if this is a prominent issue for your gate or neighborhood.
Clean your gate with mild soap and water to remove any dirt, fingerprints, and/or blemishes.
If you ever feel uncomfortable or out of your depth on any aspect of electric gate maintenance, it’s time to contact a professional. Don’t chance it. Don’t risk injury trying to tackle repairs that you may not have the equipment or tools for.
Safety Features: Ensuring Safe Operation For Families And Pets
Built-in safety mechanisms for an electric gate are essential to protecting family members, guests, and pets from accidental injury. These mechanisms guard against accidental harm and property damage by stopping the gate’s operation in an instant.
Safety Mechanisms That Prevent Accidents
Photo eyes utilize beams of light across the gate opening to stop the gate in its path and reverse it if there is something interrupting the beam.
Safety edges are pressure-sensitive sensors that, when an obstacle is encountered, the gate is signaled to stop.
Induction loops, or loop detectors, are used to trigger gates to open for access and protects vehicles in the path of the gate.
Sensor mechanisms are a part of any automated gate system and work to detect obstacles in the way of opening or closing the gate.
Signs, signals, lights, and bells can also be used to provide visible or auditory indications of hazards.Failsafe
Failsafe Features In Emergency Situations
A young child, a pet, a wild animal, or an object can easily get in the way of a gate opening or closing. It’s important to have failsafe features that minimize the risk of damage and avoid potentially life-threatening emergencies.
Especially if you live in a busy area, a pet or child can wander fairly easily into the direct path of a gate or gate component opening or closing on them. No homeowner or property owner should have electric gate automation installed without safety features included.
User-Friendly Interfaces For Families
Electric gate interfaces are not overly complicated to use. With a user-friendly interface that all family members can use, it makes operating your automatic gate all the easier.
You never have to sacrifice privacy and/or leave your electric gate unlocked or vulnerable when you are not home or available.
A gate interface properly calibrated allows other family members to control access and dictate who enters, whether that’s guests, salespeople, relatives, or a general visitor.
Regular Gate Maintenance Is The Secret To Electric Gate Longevity
To keep your electric gate functioning for a long time to come, to maintain its security features, and to uphold its overall aesthetic for your property, regular gate maintenance done every 6-12 months is essential. Schedule it in advance today with InteleGates.
Routine gate maintenance is important to keeping costs low, avoiding gate repair emergencies, and to replace or repair parts or components that are slowly wearing down.
Though a homeowner can do some maintenance themselves on a seasonal basis, and they should, sometimes a professional gate technician is the only person with the equipment and the experience to confirm an automatic electric gate is in tip-top shape.
Wear and tear is unavoidable. It happens. Parts will wear out. Before they give out completely and cause potentially permanent damage to your gate, maintenance can catch that wear and tear, fix or replace, and your gate will be restored to problem-free!
For a maintenance check that gives you full view of the state of your electric gate, get in touch with the team at InteleGates.
