An electric gate near the water
A garage door lives partly indoors. An electric gate doesn't, and in Tauranga that means salt on the track, the motor housing, the hinges and every bracket. Gate automation near the harbour or the surf is about choosing parts that cope and then keeping them clean.
Dominator says its gate openers have weather resistant covers, which is a start, not the whole answer. Its door warranty statement leaves out damage to coatings, base materials or motors caused by being close to the seafront, so ask how the terms on your opener treat salt before you sign anything.
Running the gate: mains, battery or sun
Mains power is simple if there is an outlet close by. The NeoSlider manual calls for a weatherproof 240V 10 amp outlet within 1 metre of the opener, and for any 240V installation it requires a qualified electrician. New power like that comes with a Certificate of Compliance from a licensed worker.
Further back from the house, the sun can do it. Dominator offers battery backup and SmartSolar packages for remote spots, and Merlin makes a solar powered rural gate opener. On a block out towards Te Puke, that may save a long trench.
Safety and everyday use
Beams come first. The NeoSlider manual strongly recommends them, and if they are fitted the cable has to run under the gateway from one side to the other. Merlin's myQ app needs two things before it can run a gate: an internet gateway and monitored safety infrared beams.
A keypad or key switch should sit at least 1.5m high, out of children's reach, somewhere you can see the gateway. Dominator says its openers can share a remote with a Dominator garage door opener, and they come with soft start and stop and an auto close function. That last feature is worth a thought on a busy family driveway.
What to tell the door specialist
- Rough width of the gate, and whether it is timber, steel or aluminium
- How far the gate is from the nearest power
- How far you are from the harbour or the surf
- Whether the gate slides or swings, or whether that is still open
- Whether the ground slopes across the gateway
Gates around Tauranga
The surf coast
At the Mount and Pāpāmoa, the E2/AS1 Zone E for breaking surf beach fronts may apply on top of Zone D, BRANZ notes, so ask for a finish chosen for the site.
Gusty days
Tauranga Airport has 27 days a year with gusts over 63 km/h, mostly from the west and southwest, so think about how the gate faces those winds.
After a storm
NIWA notes 17 damage-causing tornadoes in the region from 1981 to 2012. Check the gate runs true and the beams line up after any big blow.
What we would do
Rinse an electric gate like you rinse a car after a beach run: track, gate and fixings, with fresh water, and keep the spray off the motor unit. Ask the door specialist to show you what to wash and what to leave alone when they hand it over.