While there’s been a raging debate over whether a sliding gate or swing gate are the best choices for homes, there’s another battle brewing that may be more important: is investing in an automated gate all that worth it? Automatic gates may be a fairly new addition in the realm of home safety, but it’s quickly cementing its reputation as some of the most convenient, aesthetically pleasing, and safe options for homeowners.
Automatic gates are one of the top choices for modern homes. While it has many advantages when it comes to form, function, and aesthetics, some things can count as drawbacks when compared to manual or traditional gates. One big drawback of an auto gate is that they are significantly more prone to breakage, damage, and dirtying than manual gates. Why? They have many more moving parts than your average manual sliding or swing gate. More moving parts means more chance for your gate to rust, corrode, or have parts break off or stop moving.
So whatever type of autogate you have, you should be prepared to save more money for future expenses when it comes to installing and repairing it. But don’t let this dissuade you from considering installing automatic gates for your home-- they are still the best choice when it comes to giving your home the protection it deserves. You just need to be more careful and learn how to properly maintain them. Here are a few lessons on how to maintain your automatic gate.
Great tips for maintaining automatic gates
- Keep them clean. The most important part of maintaining an automatic gate (or really, any machine or mechanism with moving parts) is learning how to keep them clean. Dirt or grime buildup can increase friction and make it more difficult for moving parts to do their job. Dirt and grime can also lead to rust and discolouration, which can permanently stain your gates and ruin their beautiful appearance. Worst of all, these can also lead to slow corrosion or wearing down of parts over time. Dirty gates can wear down much faster than clean ones, and if you address it too late, there may be no chance for you to repair your auto gate. Make sure to wash your gates on an annual basis to prevent them from tarnishing or rusting. Trust us, it’s far easier and more cost-effective to simply wash your gate instead of fixing broken parts.
- Invest in good rust prevention. Rusting is a clear and early sign of your gates’ parts slowly degrading. Rust happens under certain weather conditions and when your gate parts accumulate dirt. The parts that rust are usually the ones most exposed to open air and subject to a lot of friction, but rust can build upon any of your automated gate’s parts. So you should be alert and ready to combat them by checking all areas of your gate. Do you see any early warning signs of rust development? A good scrub with detergents and other similar chemicals can be done on the affected parts. Otherwise, there are other methods that you can research for more serious signs of rusting.
- Keep your gates lubricated and prevent too much friction. As stated in the points above, too much friction can lead to the wearing of moving parts in your autogate. Check if you can use lubricants safe to use on the gate every few months to avoid too much friction in moving parts like gears, pulleys, wheels, levers, and other parts.
- Do a visual inspection of your gate at least once a month. No maintenance check is complete without the visual inspection. Make sure that you check your gates regularly so you can spot the signs of rust and breakage before they become too serious.
- When in doubt, call a trusted expert to help you with maintaining your gate. Sometimes, repairs are just too difficult for the average person to DIY. In that case, it’s never a bad idea to contact a local handler to help you fix your gate. They may have the tools and parts necessary to salvage your gate instead of you having to buy and install a completely new one.
Many people can service your gate installation and repairs services in Singapore. But before you let it get to that state, it might be a good idea to attempt it yourself first.
Get quality installation and repairs services for your auto sliding gate in Singapore and more with San Automation Gate. Contact us today to learn more about how we can fix your gates.
