Top 3 reasons to service your electric gates

1. Avoid costly future repairs and breakdown call outs

All electric gate kits are comprised of moving parts which, just like your car, need attention from time to time to keep them running efficiently and reliably. Having your electric gate kit serviced will allow an engineer to assess any damage or wear and tear before it becomes an issue. Parts and emergency call outs can be expensive so it is best to catch problems before they occur.

In addition to checking the moving parts, batteries need replacing in items such as safety edge transmitters and wireless photocells. If batteries die in either of these, the gate will not work and if you’ve called out an engineer to fix your gates and they find that to be the issue, you’ll be looking at an expensive bill for changing batteries!

2. Check they are in line with current safety standards

The DHF are constantly reviewing the safety guidelines for electric gate kits on both residential and commercial properties. Whilst your electric gate kit and accessories may have complied with the regulations when they were first installed, there may have been changes in the legislation afterwards. Not only that, over the course of time, welds on gates rust and can fail and other structural issues can cause a catastrophic incident.

Liability in the event of an accident involving electric gate kits lies initially with the person who installed the equipment. This means that if  you have fit the electric gate kit yourself, then it is you who is liable. If  you have had a professional gate installer fit it, then they are liable. However, the homeowner will be still be liable if they have not been seen to have taken adequate steps to ensure the safe operation and ongoing maintenance of the gates and the electric gate kits.

The best way to ensure that your gates are always compliant and safe to operate is to have them reviewed during an annual service. That way, any additional safety measures which may need to be implemented will be detected. Force testing will also be carried out to make sure that all safety equipment is functioning correctly.

3. Get the longest lifespan from your equipment

In addition to the actual electric gate kit, the gates themselves should be given attention during your annual service.  Your gates must be running freely and the hinges must be greased regularly. If the hinges are not free running then the electric gate motors will have to work harder to operate the gates and inevitably, will wear out faster.

To ensure that you get the full lifespan from your electric gate equipment, servicing will involve clearing of debris, greasing any moving parts, ensuring toothed racking is in good condition and clearing out of underground boxes.

How often should the gates be serviced?

That depends on the type of gate you have!

If it is a commercial gate with heavy traffic or the gate is on an apartment block for example, then 2 services a year will be required.
For a normal residential dwelling or business premises with little traffic, one service a year will be plenty.