What an electric gate is
An electric gate, which some people call an automatic gate, is a driveway gate moved by a motor and run from a remote, a keypad or a phone. The job can start with a gate you already have, as long as it is in good order, or with a new gate planned around the motor.
Sliding gate or swing gate
Your section usually decides this one. A sliding gate needs a clear run along the fence to slide into, while a swing gate needs open ground to sweep across, so a driveway that climbs from the road can rule swinging out.
Both can be motorised. Dominator and Merlin each list openers for both kinds in New Zealand.
Gate openers the makers list in New Zealand
| For sliding gates | For swing gates | |
|---|---|---|
| Dominator | NeoSlider 500 and NeoSlider 800 | Elite SGO-1 |
| Merlin | Slide 600 | Swing L300, Swing A200 and Swing LR 500 |
Weight, and the state of the gate
Motors are chosen by the load they can move. Dominator's NeoSlider 500 takes a home gate up to 500kg and 6m wide, and the 800 takes one up to 800kg and 8m wide. Heavy steel or a long span pushes you up the range.
The motor also needs a healthy gate to work with. Before any opener goes on, the NeoSlider manual wants the gate well balanced and easy to shift by hand, with 15kg of force or less. Anything sagging, dragging or off its track gets repaired first.
Power at the gate
Most gates run from the mains, and that part of the job belongs to a licensed electrician. The NeoSlider manual calls for a weatherproof 240V 10 amp outlet within 1 metre of the motor, and new fixed wiring comes with a Certificate of Compliance from the electrical worker.
If the gate sits a long way from the house, solar gate openers are the other route. Dominator sells battery backup and SmartSolar packages, and Merlin offers a solar powered rural gate opener.
Remotes, keypads and phones
Dominator says its gate openers can run from the same remote as a Dominator garage door opener, with smartphone control as an option. Merlin's myQ app needs an internet gateway and monitored safety infrared beams before it can run a gate.
A keypad or key switch belongs at least 1.5m off the ground, the NeoSlider manual says, out of children's reach and somewhere you can see the gateway from.
An electric gate needs safety beams
A motorised gate can carry on into a child, a pet or a car unless something tells it to stop. The NeoSlider manual strongly recommends safety beams, and if they are fitted, cabling has to run underground from one side of the gateway to the other.
What to tell the door specialist about your gate
- Sliding or swing, and whether the gate exists yet
- Its rough width and what it is made of
- Whether the driveway slopes at the gateway
- How far the gate is from the nearest power
- How you want to run it: remote, keypad or phone
What you can do, and what to leave
You can
- Move the gate by hand to see how freely it runs
- Keep the track and gateway clear
- Measure the gate and the room beside it
Leave to a door specialist
- Choosing and installing the motor
- Repairing a gate that sags or drags
- New wiring or an outlet at the gate, by a licensed electrician
- Fitting and aligning the safety beams
What we would do
Open and close the gate by hand a few times before you send the job. If it moves easily with one hand, the motor job is straightforward. If it drags or sticks, say so, because the first visit is then a gate repair and the door specialist can plan for it.