Automatic gates in Gosford
Start with the gate itself. Merlin says a slide gate rolls on wheels along a ground track and needs room beside it along a fence or wall, while a swing gate needs a clear arc to open into. Weight comes next: CENTSYS rates its D5-Evo sliding motor for gates up to 500kg, and ATA lists its Neoslider for gates as heavy as 800kg.
CENTSYS says the D5-Evo keeps working on its backup batteries when the mains fails, and that both it and its V-Series swing motors can run from a solar supply.
Beams belong in the plan from day one. CENTSYS says the D5-Evo's alarm functions need gate safety beams, and Merlin says its myQ phone app can only run a gate once Safety IR Beams are in.
In NSW a gate motor plugged into an existing power point is not electrical work, but a new circuit out to the gate is a job for a licensed electrician.
Garage doors near Brisbane Water
The NSW Government's estuaries page places Gosford on the shores of Brisbane Water, a lake whose entrance at Broken Bay is open to the ocean all the time.
Steel-Line's door warranty does not cover homes within 800 metres of the sea or of water with the same salt content or more, so ask how a door's warranty treats an address near the water. Whatever the street, BlueScope says the top of a COLORBOND door misses the rain and needs hosing with fresh water at least every six months.
Around Gosford
East coast lows
In the April 2015 East Coast Low, gusts reached 135 km/h at Norah Head, the strongest ever recorded in NSW in April. B&D sells a battery backup add-on for its Smart opener so the garage door still opens and closes in a power cut.
Fire season
The RFS Central Coast district averages 743 bush and grass fire incidents a year, with high intensity fires about every 5 to 7 years, usually between August and March.
Is your block mapped?
Central Coast Council prepares the bush fire prone land map. The RFS online tool, or the Section 10.7 certificate for the property, will tell you if your home is on it.
Homes reached by boat
The RFS notes pockets of homes along Brisbane Water and the Hawkesbury River where most of the area can only be reached by water. If yours is one, say so when you book.
What we would do
When a gate motor is quoted, ask for the backup battery and the safety beams to be on the same quote as the motor. Adding them later means a second visit, and without beams the alarm and phone features may not work at all.