Driveway Gate Operators and Safety Sensors

The operator does one job: it turns a motor into a push or a pull on a gate, and every teardown driveway gates georgetown museum house on bloor has logged shows the same thing, that a motor sized to the gate lasts and a motor sized to the price does not. A driveway gate in Georgetown, TX is measured by weight and length before any motor is chosen.

How is an operator sized?

The operator is sized by the weight of the leaf and its length. A swing arm handles a six foot leaf of tubing easily, and a long wrought iron leaf of three hundred pounds or more needs a heavier arm or an underground unit. A slide gate operator is rated by the weight it can pull on the track. A gate that is too heavy for its motor runs hot and fails early.

Where does the motor mount?

A swing operator mounts on the hinge post or on the leaf itself, and the post needs a plate welded in at the right height. On a slope the arm is leveled with a bracket, since a tilted arm loads the motor unevenly. A slide operator sits on a concrete pad beside the track, and the pad is poured level, not to the grade of the drive. The pad is set above the ground so water drains away from the motor.

What safety sensors does a driveway gate need?

A photo eye sits across the opening at about knee height and stops the gate if anything breaks the beam. A reverse sensor on the motor stops and reverses the leaf when it meets resistance. A gate that moves toward a car, a child or a pet needs both. The beam is aimed at the opening, kept clean, and protected from the sun, since glare from low light near Lake Georgetown can fool a cheap sensor.

What is the manual release for?

The manual release lets the gate be opened by hand when the power fails. A key or a lever disconnects the arm or the chain from the motor, and the leaf then moves freely. The release is tested during the install, at full open and full closed, and again once a year. A gate with no working release can trap a car inside or block a fire truck outside.

How is the gate tested?

The gate is run through full cycles with a block of wood in the path, and the reverse must trigger on contact. The photo eye is blocked at three points of the arc. The manual release is thrown and the leaf is swung by hand. Only then is the gate handed over, with the settings and the limits written down.