Even if you live in an area with a low crime rate, you can never be too sure. Installing a gate is a great way to improve your home’s security. A gate, whether manual or automatic, keeps unauthorized visitors away. Plus, it prevents your pets and children from wandering into the street.
Gates, however, wear out over time. They’re constantly exposed to the elements, after all. Years after installing your gate, you may notice problems like grinding, squeaking noises that weren’t there before, or chipping paint that ruins your gate’s appearance. Your gate may also be difficult to close or open or refuses to respond to a remote controller.
These problems are more than just minor annoyances. If they’re left to persist, they can lead to irreparable damage. The best way to prevent these issues is through regular maintenance. Here are the best practices in maintaining your automatic or manual gate.
Clean It Regularly
One of the best ways to ensure your gate’s consistent function is by giving it a thorough cleaning at least once a year. Clean off the dirt with soap and water. Rinse and dry it immediately. If you see any signs of rust, let a professional gate repair service get rid of the corrosion. You don’t want it to spread deep into the metal parts of your gate. It can cause metal parts to break, and you’ll end up paying for costly and time-consuming repairs.
Get Rid of Pests
Your gate helps deter pests from entering your home. No matter how durable your gate is, however, rats, slugs, snails, and insects can damage it significantly. This is especially true if you have an automatic gate. Ants and cockroaches are notorious for burrowing into electrical components for warmth and shelter. They build colonies and bring in dirt from the outside, causing short circuits and corrosion.
Rats like to chew up wires and urinate on electrical equipment, too. This can cause your automatic gate to malfunction and fail, leaving you with a heavy door to open and close manually until it gets fixed.
If you want to get rid of pests humanely, contact a pest control specialist. They’ll set up traps and chemical deterrents to ensure that your gate is rodent and insect-free. If you suspect that the pests have already burrowed into your gate’s electrical components, call an electrical gate repair technician immediately. Touching the inside of electrical equipment can cause damage to the component – and your health.
Lubricate the Joints
Even when your gate is electronically controlled, it still has a lot of mechanical parts. Contact points like the hinges are prone to wear after years of use, making the gate difficult to open and close. It can get stuck, too. And if you force your gate to open or close, you may end up damaging it. So, what can you do to improve the performance of your gate’s parts?
Lubricating can do wonders to your gate. It would be best to use lithium grease, not WD-40, as the latter only lasts for a short while. Use the lubricant on the main drive chain of your gate. Consider putting some on the hinges as well. Make sure to wash and wipe off the excess grease. You don’t want it to gunk up your gate’s paint and finish.
Update the Software
If your gate has smart features—for instance, if you can open or close it using your phone—chances are it has an operating system and applications. These pieces of software need to be updated constantly to fix possible bugs and glitches that could ruin your gate’s functionality.
Updates also patch up possible security vulnerabilities to ensure that your automatic gate doesn’t get hacked by cybercriminals. Updating your automatic gate’s software is a complicated process. Leave this task to your gate technician.
Your gate is your first line of defense against trespassers and other unauthorized people who might want to gain access to your property. As such, you need to make sure that it works properly through regular cleaning, lubrication, pest control, and software updates. These tasks may cost a lot of time, money, and effort, but they’re essential if you want to keep your gate durable and smooth.
Get Professional Electrical Gate Repair
Some gate maintenance and repair tasks require the work of an expert like 4 Sure Gates. We provide automatic gate installation, maintenance, and repair services for homeowners and business owners in Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, and its surrounding areas. Our team offers quality work at an affordable price.