The very clear and undeniable effects of recent climate change being felt across the planet and massive storms hitting the United Kingdom, such as Storm Ciara in February 2020, Storm Bella in December 2020 as well as Storm Darcy, Arwen and Eunice all between 2021 –2022, I thought I would address how this has been affecting the gate and electric gate industry.
Phillips Security Solutions have had more and more call outs to repair and reset gates in the last few months than any other time in past years.
Today I am going to discuss some of the pitfalls to avoid when installing electric gates. One of the most popular gates is the aluminium vehicle gate. It is very sturdy as well as aesthetically pleasing. However, during storms these gates effectively become a wind sail that can even rip or bend your gate posts. You can purchase aluminium barred gates which are just as low maintenance and do not catch the wind making them far more weather resistant to high winds.
If you do want the solid option, then industry standard is to sink the gate posts up to 50cm. Similarly, we choose to bury ours at a depth of 80cm when installing solid gates. It is always worth discussing this with your contractor before anything is ordered, particularly if the location of the gates is in an exposed area or prone to catch the wind.
When installing electric arms to solid gates we recommend hydraulic arms such as the BFT Lux 2B or the BENINCA 230v HYDRO 35AC hydraulic ram. If you are electing for barred gates, cheaper options such as the BENINCA Bob or BFT Phobus will do the job just as well. I would recommend all electric gate systems are booked in for an annual or biannual service and oiled at least every 6 months. We recommend 3 in one oil. It is important that you do not use WD40 for gates as this is a penetrating oil, whereas 3 in one prevents rust, and cleans and lubricates the gates.
Please see a link for the oil below:
It is important to discuss with your installer your expectations. Many inexperienced installers will try to do things such as bury cable shallowly in plastic conduit when this cable should be a minimum of 40cm deep in metal conduit and concrete, bearing in mind very important wires must run under the hearth of the gate on a double leaf system. This is the same place your car will be driving over, so these cables need to be properly installed and resistant to that pressure.
What may seem like a cheaper option will inevitably cost more in the long run. If installed properly those cables will last +30 years and will be usable in any replacement systems installed should the electric gate system fail. This makes any refurbishment or new system ultimately much cheaper. If not done properly they are not only dangerous but could fail any day.
For quotes and advice electric gate installers. please contact Phillips Security Solution: 07772328367
Phillipssmartsolutions@gmail.com
