Many property owners want to have electric gates with automatic openers because they are convenient. They help heighten security and increase the curb appeal and market value of a property. But for those who are always wanting to save a few more dollars on home improvements, automatic gates would be one of the things they will attempt to install on their own.
We highly recommend that if you must do some DIY around your property to save on some dollars, your automatic gate opener should not be one of them. Here are four reasons.
1. You Can’t Be Sure About the Quality of the Materials
DIY automatic gates are designed for easy assembly. They are also marketed to be of lower cost than a full-fledged installation by a gate company. Putting together these two selling points, you can hardly expect that the materials used in a DIY electric gate kit will be of superior quality.
One could argue that any protection is better than none at all. But a low-quality gate won’t be much of a deterrent against thieves or vandals. If you want to cut costs, find other options apart from installing a cheap gate.
2. You Need Technical Building & Electrical Skills
It’s one thing to buy high-quality materials and tech for an automated electric gate; it’s another to put them all together and get the gate to work correctly. These gates require a bit more elbow grease and technical knowledge about electronics. If the extent of your fencing experience is driving wooden pegs into the ground and nailing the planks horizontally, installing an automatic gate will be beyond your abilities or qualifications.
Gate openers have to be configured to work exactly the way you want it. They come with programming code guides so that you can program the settings you need for your electric gate. There’s a good chance, however, that you’ll want to customize a few things further (e.g., the unlocked position, max duration for the gate to swing or slide open so that it doesn’t stay open too long after you’ve driven inside). You can only do it if you’re savvy with electrical circuits and know how to integrate automatic openers with electric gates.
A word of caution: meddling with the electrical systems without supervision from an expert could damage your gate opener or put you at risk of electrocution.
3. Without Proper Equipment & Protective Clothing, You Put Your Safety at Risk
Steel gates weigh 25 pounds per linear foot. The gate’s size also increases in proportion to the driveway’s width or path where you want to install an electric gate. It will be difficult not to mention dangerous for non-professionals to handle the massive and heavy parts without proper equipment or protective gear.
4. Your DIY Work Might Not Comply with Safety Standards
Automatic gate systems must comply with ASTM F2200 and UL325 safety standards so that the chances for accidents to happen will be as close as possible to zero. For example, your gate has to stop opening at a certain angle if a person gets trapped between the gate and a wall. If you have a sliding gate, the gap between the sliding panel and the fence must be small enough to keep limbs and fingers out of the way.
Your Home Deserves Quality Products & Service
If you’re going to spend money to get high-quality gate products and materials, why not do it all the way to installation? Only then can you be confident that you’re getting the most out of the premium materials you bought.
Don’t overthink your automatic gate installation. We’re here to do the job, and we’ll do it perfectly for you. Ask now about our automatic gate systems and contact us to get a free quote or schedule an installation.
