Why Do Automated Gates Need to Be Serviced?
If you have an automated gate, you’ll be fully aware of the benefits it brings to your property. It provides security for your property 24/7 without compromising on the aesthetics of your site – in fact, automated gates often enhance your property with when featuring beautiful designs. However, like any electrical appliance, automated gates aren’t immune to faults, and a problem with your automated gate can cause a number of problems for property owners, for example, not being able to get out when you’re in a rush. It’s so important to get your automated gates regularly serviced, and in this piece, we’ll tell you why.
Pre-empting problems
Strand Systems Ltd are proud to install the highest quality automated gates in the industry, but due to natural wear and tear of components and parts, gates are more likely to run into faults as time goes on. By no means are your automated gates going to run into issues regularly, but it pays to be ready for the eventuality of a problem. If an unexpected issue befalls your gate, you face a wait for an engineer to come out and repair it, the cost of those repairs and the inconvenience of having a gate that is out of action. With scheduled gate servicing, any potential problems can be caught and identified before worsening, so you can avoid the aforementioned hassle and ensure your gate functions smoothly for as long as possible. Part of the service is check and lubricate the manual release system so in the event of a power failure, you can quickly and easily release the gates.
Safety compliance
Your gate automation system should be installed compliant to BS EN 12453 and the installation should remain compliant over its life cycle. By ensuring that your gate is fully compliant with relevant safety guidelines and legislation, you can ensure the safe operation of your gate and the safety of those around it. Gates might not sound like the most dangerous of appliances or features of a property, but there have been instances of severe injury and even death resulting from faulty gates. If you have a faulty gate on your property, you risk being liable for any damage/injury suffered as a result of said faulty gate, as well as the aforementioned risk of accidents. Regular maintenance is part of compliance.
Domestic installations
Where domestic installations are concerned, insurers are unlikely to cover you should an incident arise involving your gate – where it cannot be demonstrated that your gate has been maintained to operate in compliance with relevant safety guidelines.
Your gate must be installed in compliance with Machine Directive 2006/42/EC. The HSE recommends periodic maintenance, although the owner of the gate has a duty of care to ensure that the system is safe at all times.
Non-domestic installations
Your gate must be in compliance with Machine Directive 2006/42/EC, the same as domestic installations. It must also, if required, undergo regular force testing as well as testing of safety devices and mechanisms to ensure their correct operation. For a non-domestic site, both the installation company and the owner have a legal responsibility to comply with the Machine Directive 2006/42/EC and BS EN 12453 to ensure the gate automation is safe. The owner also has a legal undertaking for compliance under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992.
How often should I have my automated gates serviced?
We recommend that you should have your automated gates serviced a minimum of once per year for domestic and a minimum of twice per year for residential, commercial and industrial sites. There are multiple reasons for this: as well as allowing us to inspect and protect your gate against any potential faults, it also allows us to keep a record of the work we’ve done, which gives us a better insight into how your gate is working and what we can do to maintain its good performance. We can pass these findings on to you, too, advising you on how to look after your gate on a day-to-day basis, and you will have service and maintenance records for your compliance.
Servicing your automated gate is something that must be done in order to ensure optimum safety levels and prolong its useful life. A safe, fully-working automated gate provides a beautiful entrance and exit to a property and it’s a reliable, durable security measure too – don’t lose out on it by neglecting its maintenance requirements.
Strand Systems Ltd are proud providers of the highest quality automated steel and timber gates for domestic and non-domestic clients. For more information about the work we do, please get in touch with us today and we’ll be more than happy to help.
