Gate Motor Problems
Electric gate motor failure can be caused by many things. The main problem with motor breakdowns is that your gates stop working properly or they don’t do anything at all. Only gate motor repairs will get your gates working properly again.
Swing Gates Motor Problems
Swing gates need repairs for the following issues:
- Damaged motor arms
- Broken brackets and connections to the gate and/or post
- Electrical problems
- Corrosion
- Flooding (underground gate motors)
- Impact damage
- Age related breakdowns
- Lack of servicing
How Can We Help?
Swing Gate Motor Arm Damage
Swing gate electric motors are connected to the gate by arms. In underground gate motors, these arms are short and heavy duty. In articulated arm gate motors, these arms are jointed and much longer. They’re strong enough to move the gates but they’re thinner than underground motor arms because the motors employ a lot less leverage to move the gates. Rams and linear screw motor arms are inside the gate motor body when the gate is closed. As the motor arm moves out of the motor body, the gate opens.
In all cases, if a vehicle hits the gates hard enough to damage them, there’s a good chance that the gate motor arms will be damaged also. However, underground motors have such strong, short arms that there’s more chance that the motor’s gears will be damaged instead.
If your gate motor arms have been bent, the motors won’t operate properly, and they need to be fixed immediately. The best thing to do is stop using your gates and call out a gate engineer quickly.
Gate Motor Impact Damage
Impact to gates can shear off gate motor brackets, damage motor arms, strip motor gears, knock gate motors out of alignment and cause many more problems to gate motors.
Electrical Gate Motor Problems
Gate motors use electric motors or hydraulic rams to open and close gates. In both cases, they are powered by electricity and have electronic control components housed inside their cases. If the electronics are damaged in any way or water gets to them, the gate motors will lose their power and/or controls and stop working properly.
In most cases, this is caused by age-related problems, water damage or insects, slugs and other invertebrates.
Gate Motor Corrosion Repairs
Corrosion caused by water getting into motors will cause electrical issues but it may also cause corrosion. Gate motors use pistons, gears and other metallic surfaces that move against each other during normal operation. Any corrosion will affect this smooth operation and put extra strain on the motor.
Underground Gate Motor Flooding
Of all the gate motor repairs we carry out, underground motor issues are the most common. Underground motors are submerged in pits below the gate hinges. This means that they’re subject to fooding unless the pits are installed with adequate drainage. If not, rainwater builds up in the pits and covers the motors, controls and power supplies.
Underground motors are designed to deal with some water ingress into the foundation pit, but submerging them in water for any length of time is not possible without causing damage and often complete motor failure.
If you need to get damaged gate motors repaired, call us now on 0800 195 1470 for an initial chat.
Gate Motor Age-Related Issues
As with anything mechanical that moves and imparts a considerable force, things wear out. A gate motor may operate for many years without problems if it is serviced well and not overloaded. However, gate motors that were never strong enough in the first place or have been overused or not maintained well will eventually suffer.
Lack of Gate Motor Servicing
The best way to ensure that your expensive gate motors have a long and trouble free life is to have them serviced regularly. This may only need to be once or twice a year depending on how they are used. But regular servicing is a great way to spot issues before they become serious. This helps avoid expensive breakdowns repair bills and prevent you from getting stuck with gates that have stopped working.
If you need to get damaged gate motors repaired, call us now on 0800 195 1470 for an initial chat.
Sliding Gate Motor Problems
Sliding gates don’t have arms but they do have a cog on the motor output shaft. This connects to a toothed rack on the gate. If a vehicle hits a sliding gate, it can knock if off its track and push the motor drive gear and gate rack out of alignment. This can damage the motor or disconnect the drive completely. Other than that difference, repairs needed for sliding gate motors can be for the same problems as swing gate motors.
Areas We Cover For Gate Repairs
If you need repairs for your gates, please check the area we cover on our map. This is determined by how quickly we can help on an emergency call out. If you are just outside the circle on the map, please call 0800 195 1470 or email info@egrl.co.uk and check if we can still help.
We cover:
Central London, North West London, West London and South West London
Berkshire
Buckinghamshire
Surrey
Hertfordshire
Electric Gate Repair London Covers This Area
