How secure are my automatic gates?

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Whatever your motivation to having an automatic gate opener installed on your driveway gates, you will understandably want to know just how secure they are!

Most residential gates are fitted with automatic gate openers for the sole purpose of convenience. To be able to open and close your gates at the touch of a button is an allure that adds value to your property. It also makes life easier – homeowners with manual gates soon tire of opening and closing their gates every time and begin to just leave them open in frustration. The addition of an automatic gate openers save you time & effort but also ensure your gates are closed behind you.

But what if your needs are more security focused?

Wooden gates can offer a privacy screen by shielding the view behind them which is a particular concern if you are often away from your property, have valuable cars on the drive or have young children playing in the garden for example. If you have a walled perimeter it is sensible to have solid wooden gates instead of an open patterned iron gate as it continues the visual barrier. However, apart from the additional privacy aspect, these types of gates still offer the same level of security that iron gates fitted with automatic gate openers do.

An automatic gate opener will stop people from manually pushing your gates open which can protect you from opportunist crime and keep unauthorised visitors from your house; meaning you feel more secure at home and in your garden. But if more force was applied to the gates, such as by pushing or ramming with a vehicle, the gates would soon yield and open.

Extra measures can be taken to improve this and allow the gates to withstand greater impacts. Some hydraulic motors are self locking which can provide a little more resistance to force. The recommended option is to fit an electric or better still, a magnetic lock. Maglocks can withstand a force of up to 500kgs against them.

At the end of the day, even with a magnetic or electric lock, a gate can only withstand as much force against it as the hinges will take before failing. When forced in the centre of the gates, you have both the newtons of force applied and the leverage against the hinges to factor in.

Sliding gates instead of swing gates can present a greater challenge to intruders as it takes some considerable force to push them clear off their ground track. This is only beneficial if you have the space available to the side of the gate for a sliding gate to open in to.

If very high levels of security are required, inserting rising traffic bollards behind the gates are the only really fail safe security option. The bollards would stop a vehicle dead in its tracks if the gates were to be compromised and would lower to allow the gates to open during normal function.

To discuss electric gate security and what options may work best for you, please give our experts a call on 01282 677300.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]