What Happens to my Electric Gate System if the Power Goes Off?

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of the most fabulous things about having a set of electric gates on your property is the convenience of having them powered automatically, so you never have to lift a finger. Sounds like a dream doesn’t it!

Connected to your mains supply, the electric gate kits will operate flawlessly at the touch of a button….but, the big question people ask is, ‘what happens if there is a power cut?’

It is a common misconception, that if the power was to fail, then you would get stuck; either inside or, worse still, outside your property! It’s easy to understand why this would concern you when looking in to the potential of installing an electric gate system and a worry that we can very easily put to bed!

Every electric gate system comes with a fail-safe ‘manual release’ mechanism which will allow you to disconnect the gates from the motors quickly and simply, effectively putting the gates in to manual mode. Once in manual mode, you can open and close your gates by hand.

This manual release mechanism takes the form of a key – sometimes this is a regular looking key and in others, it is like a big star shaped allen key. These big keys are generally for the underground motors and are inserted in to a slot underneath the gate hinge.

All of our electric gate systems are supplied with at least one manual release key and spares are available for all models if you accidentally lose one. We advise keeping your key in a safe place near your front door and labeling it (we have known people to throw the key out having never used it and not knowing what it was….until, eventually they needed it! Typical!).

Reengaging the motors to the gate is a simple process that your engineer will show you how to perform when they handover the electric gate system to you on the works completion.

Ensure sure you complete the process of disconnecting and reconnecting the gates yourself whilst the engineer is with you to make sure you are very happy with how it works to prevent further expense on calling an engineer out because you are unsure at a later date.

If the idea of ever having to put your gates in to manual mode, even if only very occasionally, deters you, there is an option on the 24V electric gate systems to integrate a battery back up module. This backup system can store enough power to run a few operations of your gate in the event of a power failure which is perfect for residential properties or perhaps homes of elderly owners, or even in isolated areas. Fortunately, unscheduled power outages are usually resolved quickly, but the best thing to do would be to latch your gates in the open position using the battery back up and then wait for the power to be restored before closing them. This way, no matter how long the outage lasts, you will have no need to manually release the gates at all.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]