WHY DO I HAVE TO REPAIR MY AUTOMATIC GATES ALL THE TIME?
Automatic gates break. They break a lot. Okay, let’s be honest… Gates break all the time! And it drives people absolutely crazy that (1) they cannot get a dependable gate system that works when it is supposed to and (2) gates seem to cost a fortune to maintain! Is it really too much to ask that your gates just work? Let’s explore why frequently the answer to this question is:
YES, SOMETIMES IT IS TOO MUCH TO ASK THAT YOUR AUTOMATIC GATES JUST WORK!
- Gates open for cars. Cars are occasionally driven by impatient drivers. Cars are occasionally driven by poor drivers. These drivers occasionally manage to drive their cars into the gates, damaging the gates (and hopefully, their cars!), the support columns for the gates, and the internal parts of the motors that drive the gates.
- The operating system for a gate is nothing more than a motor hooked to the gate. If the support post holding the gate up is not built properly, the post will lean causing the gate to sag, putting stress on the gate opener and triggering premature failure of the motor and all of its moving parts.
- The telephone entry system is nothing more than a computer. It is a computer that sits outside in the rain, the sun, the snow. Would we leave our laptops outside all the time? Probably not. It should not be that surprising then that an entry system occasionally shuts down or has hiccups.
- The stuff that connects the gates first to the operating system, then to the telephone entry system, is wire. Sometimes the wire is just casually buried in the ground, waiting for a gardener or landscaper to dig a hole close by and cut the wire. There is also wire buried in a slit cut in the driveway. This wire makes the gates open when a car drives over it when exiting the property. Cars turn their wheels over this wire and the asphalt in the driveway wears away.This wire frequently works its way to the top of the driveway, then dies.
- Technology changes. Need I say more? Sometimes when your gate breaks, you just need newer technology. Sometimes your equipment just dies of old age.
All of these things make both gate owners and repairmen pull their hair out. Some of these things can be avoided by regular maintenance. But even so, once they happen, it takes more than a DIY approach to get your gate system back to its optimal condition.
A caring and professional gate company can SAVE you money, not COST you money. When you have problems with your gates, call in the experts. Ask questions. Understand that sometimes the cheapest fix now will cost you more money later. But also just know that automatic gates can be a bit cantankerous and these things… just happen!
