When Should I Have my Driveway Gate Serviced and Inspected by a Professional?
If you notice any of the following warning signs:
- Gate will not open/close
- The driveway gate is making a grinding or squeaking noise.
- The chain is loose
- When the electric gate opens or closes, it’s slamming against the post.
- If you hear beeping or an alarm sound.
- The gate opens back up on its own after a closing cycle.
Troubleshooting a Broken Driveway Gate
There are several reasons why your automatic driveway gate could need repair:
1. Power (electricity or solar) problem:
- You should hear a clicking sound when you press remote or keypad
- You should see some lights on the board or photo eye
- Check the breaker and make sure it is on
- Your battery backup may be too low
2. Obstruction:
- Make sure nothing is in the way of the gate
- Check for rocks, gravel, trash etc.… in the path of the gate
- Check to see if you have flashing lights on the photo eye, sometimes the photo eye simply needs to be cleaned or re-positioned. Check for moisture on photo eye
If this troubleshooting does not help, it is time to call our office and have one of our qualified technicians perform a full inspection on your gate.
Why You Need a Drive Gate Operator Maintenance Plan
- A gate operator is mechanical. Opening a gate involves several moving parts that are calibrated to exact specifications allowing a gate to open and close at precise distances. Over time and after extensive use, these parts can break, wear down and prevent an entire gate system from working properly.
- Better to catch a problem, before it causes damage. Minor repairs can lead to a more expensive replacement of parts, motors and systems. When a technician is pre-scheduled to monitor your gate, they often catch issues that go unnoticed. It does not take much to damage a gate operator, something as simple as the gate catching gravel when in motion can cause the operator to fail. Even though “re-setting” the operator may “fix” the gate in the short term; our team is servicing gates for a lifetime.
High traffic/ high volume usage. Commercial locations, apartments, condominiums, gated neighborhoods and homeowner associations have much higher usage than a single family home. More vehicle traffic equals more wear and tear and repairs that are needed more frequently. For a business, a gate is an investment in security and safety. Regular maintenance and testing are important for gates, just as they are for HVAC systems and other appliances. Prevent potential accidents and more expensive repairs that can damage vehicles and gate systems.- Pests frequently find their way into operator boxes. Gate operator boxes are susceptible to damage from insects, rodents and other vermin. They offer protection from the Texas sun and weather and are generally very quiet. At Buzz, we have found plenty of nests inside gate operators including fire ants, wasps, bees and mice. While our service technicians are not pest control experts, we’ve dealt with enough of these situations to know how to eliminate the problem. Getting pests away from a gate prevents significant damage in the future.
