How Often Should Electric Gates Be Serviced?
Electric gates are popular for businesses due to the convenience and security they offer.
If you’ve had an electric gate installed on your business premises, you’ll likely have many questions regarding how to keep it working at its best.
In this guide, we’ll cover some key information on electric gate servicing, from how often they should be serviced to some key tips to consider when servicing your gate.
Let’s get started.
Do Electric Gates Need Servicing?
In short, yes. Electric gates need regular servicing to ensure that they operate safely and smoothly.
Regular maintenance also improves the longevity of your gate, which is essential for enhancing its lifespan while ensuring compliance with safety standards.
This is important due to the fact that owners and occupiers of commercial premises with powered gates have duties under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, including basic safety by construction and for maintenance.
Regular servicing ensures that an electric gate’s safety features, including sensors and emergency stop mechanisms, remain in optimal condition.
Regular maintenance improves the longevity of an electric gate, which is essential for enhancing its lifespan while ensuring compliance with safety standards.
How Often Should Electric Gates Be Serviced?
Generally speaking, commercial electric gates should be serviced a minimum of twice a year to ensure safety and reduce the risk of downtime.
That said, how often your electric gates need to be serviced can depend on a few factors, including how often the gate is used as well as how vital its reliability is to the business.
Many businesses service automatic gates quarterly, which equates to four services a year.
How To Service Electric Gates: Top Tips
There are many tips when it comes to servicing electric gates. They include, but are not limited to:
Check for obstructions
Regularly clean your gate
Inspect the electrical system
Lubricate moving parts
Opt for professional gate servicing
1. Check For Obstructions
Gate obstructions are all too common and often difficult to spot.
An essential tip is to regularly inspect the electric gate’s mechanisms to ensure that no twigs, rocks, or debris are obstructing the gate, thus impacting its movement.
What’s more, you should ensure that any overhanging vegetation is trimmed to prevent it from interfering with the gate’s operation.
If you don’t regularly check for obstructions, the risk of your electric gate not performing and operating as it should increases.
2. Regularly Clean Your Gate
Another key tip is to regularly clean your electric gate.
The UK is subject to many weather conditions, with 2024 alone seeing 164 days with 1mm or more of rain.
This can result in your gate becoming very dirty, very quickly, as the rain mixes with the dirt and dust on the ground.
As such, you should regularly remove dirt and dust from the gate’s service using a soft cloth and/or a brush. The motor case should also be kept clean to keep any vents free from dust buildup.
The UK is subject to many weather conditions, with 2024 alone seeing 164 days with 1mm or more of rain. This can result in your gate becoming very dirty, very quickly, emphasising the importance of regularly cleaning it.
3. Inspect The Electrical System
As part of your ongoing maintenance of your electric gate, you should inspect the electrical system.
The wiring should be checked for signs of corrosion, wear, or exposure.
The best way to ensure this is done properly is to hire a professional engineer to carry this out as part of their service.
At Nova Door Systems, as part of each service, our engineers will inspect your electric gate system and, if necessary, compile a report with recommendations to ensure it's brought in line with current safety regulations and to prevent future component failure.
Get in touch with our team today at enquire@novadoorsystems.co.uk to learn more about our servicing and maintenance offerings.
4. Lubricate Moving Parts
Hinges, rollers, and other moving components should be checked every six months and treated with a lubricant.
This will help to ensure smooth movement whilst helping to prevent rust.
By lubricating the moving parts of your electric gate, you minimise the risk of it seizing up.
That said, it’s important to avoid over lubrication, as this can attract more grime, dust, and debris, interfering with the gate.
5. Opt For Professional Gate Servicing
Lastly, an essential tip when it comes to servicing your electric gate is to opt for professional gate servicing.
These services involve a specialist engineer attending your site to carry out the service and, if required, provide a recommendation report.
This can highlight any potential issues and allow you to repair them before they escalate into expensive or potentially dangerous problems.
Hinges, rollers, and other moving components should be checked every six months and treated with a lubricant.
How We Can Help
If you’re looking for a professional gate servicing and maintenance provider, look no further than Nova Door Systems.
We provide servicing and maintenance for commercial and industrial businesses for all of our door and security products, including gates and barriers.
Get in touch on 02921 690433 to learn more about our electric gate services.
