Sizing an electric gate motor
Every gate motor carries a weight rating, and a solid gate is much heavier than an open one of the same width. Merlin lists its Slide 600 for sliding gates up to 600 kg and 8m long, while ATA rates its Neoslider for gates up to 800kg.
The gate has to be in good shape first. A sliding gate should roll freely on its track and a swing gate should hang level on its hinges. If either one sticks, a new motor spends its life fighting it.
Keypads, cameras and phone control
Most of what makes a gate easy to live with is in the extras. ATA sells keypads, cameras and safety beams as add-ons for its gate openers, and B&D says its app can control compatible gates as well as garage doors, in more than one location.
Phone control comes with a safety condition. Merlin says that working a gate through its myQ app needs monitored entrapment protection, meaning Safety IR Beams, to be installed.
Power, storms and backup
A gate that stops in a blackout locks you in or out, so battery backup matters on the coast. CENTSYS says its V-Series SMART swing motors keep going on a 7.2Ah battery in an outage and can run off a solar supply.
Mains power to the gate means new wiring. In NSW that is licensed electrical work whatever its size, and NSW Fair Trading says anyone who is not qualified should never wire any part of a property. A licensed electrician runs the power, and the door specialist fits and sets up the motor.
Make the beams part of the job
Children, pets and cars all end up in a gateway sooner or later. CENTSYS says its V-Series has electronic collision sensing, and Merlin requires beams for app control. Ask for beams across the opening from the start, and never let anyone run through a closing gate.
Around the Central Coast
Acreage in the hinterland
Long driveways on rural blocks make solar worth a look. Merlin's gate range includes rural solar openers, and its Slide 600 can run on mains, solar or low voltage.
After the big storms
A natural disaster was declared for the Central Coast after the June 2007 storms, and Norah Head had 135 km/h gusts in April 2015. Plan for blackouts when choosing a motor.
Bush fire prone land
If your block is on the bush fire prone land map that council and the NSW Rural Fire Service keep, think about how you would get the gate open in a hurry with the power cut.
What you can look after, and what to leave
You can
- Sweep the sliding track clear of gravel, leaves and sand
- Watch the gate stop and reverse for an object once a month
- Keep remotes and keypad codes away from children
Leave to a door specialist
- Choosing the motor, fitting it and setting its limits
- Fitting and lining up the safety beams
- New power to the gate, done by a licensed electrician
What we would do
Ask how many people will use the gate each day and how, by car, on foot or with deliveries. A family with teenagers and a home business may want a keypad and spare remotes from the start, and that changes which motor and extras make sense.