Many customers ask us to automate their gate. Most of these gates are driveway gates, but almost any gate can be automated. There are some considerations to take into account. The first decision we need to make is what type of gate will be installed. There are three basic choices: single swing, double swing, and sliding gate.

This decision on which type of gate depends on the characteristics of the location the gate will be installed.

Does the driveway slope front to back?

If the driveway slopes significantly down toward the property, a swing gate will have to open toward the property (down hill direction). If the driveway slopes down away from the property, the swing gate will have to open toward the street, the swing gate will need enough room to not interfere with the sidewalk or street.

Having enough room to pull a vehicle past the gate and still not encroach on the sidewalk or street is required. In this case, the gate opener will have to be able to push the gate open, not all gate operators can push a gate open.

If the driveway slopes left to right, there are some considerations. No sliding gate opener is specified to operate a gate with a slope. The motors are not specified to handle the uphill load. However, if the runway for the gate can be made level, a sliding gate will work. In the swing gate case, this left or right slope is not an issue for automation, but the aesthetics of the gap under the gate need to be considered.

Is there enough room for the gate to open?

In the case of a sliding gate, there needs to be enough room for the entire gate to slide off to the side off the driveway. For example, if the driveway is 12 feet wide, there needs to be at 12 feet of level space on the side the gate opens, for the gate to fully open.

For swing gates, the gate will need enough room for fully swing 90 degrees. In the case of a 12-foot driveway, a single swing gate will need a space for the 12-foot arc. In the case of a double swing gate the arc needs to be 6 feet.

Power considerations.

Most gate openers today are equipped with a DC motor. A battery powers the motor. The power connected to the opener simply keeps the battery fully charged. This has many advantages. The most obvious advantage is that the gate will continue to operate even if the AC power is out. The other advantage is that it makes it easy to use solar power to keep the battery(s) charged. A gate operator running on battery power will operate the gate about 50 times before the battery runs out of power. Solar power is an inexpensive option. The solar panels are about 18” x 12” for the average system. There needs to be a location that gets plenty of sun nearby for solar to be an option. Some people object to the look of a solar panel, which must be placed in an open area.

Safety considerations.

All gates must be installed with an obstruction sensor. This is an infrared beam that is pointed at a reflector placed on the other side of the driveway. If something breaks the beam the gate will not operate, and if the gate is already in motion, the gate will stop.

Gate openers have the capability to sense any unusual pressure when they are operating. If the gate hits an object while in motion it will stop.

Fire keys

Some communities mandate that automatic gates are equipped with fire key boxes. These are sometimes called Knox boxes. When an emergency occurs, and first responders show up at a residence, they can open the gate with a key that will open the gate. These keys are only available to police and fire departments and they are unique for each fire district. If there is no fire key box, fire department will destroy the gate by driving through it.

Loops

Some gates are installed with detection loops. Loops are simply wires that are buried under the driveway a few inches. This wire loop is then connected to the gate operator. The gate operator energizes the loop and detects any frequency shift. A frequency shift indicates that a metal object is on top of where the loop is buried. These loops can be used to automatically open a gate when a car nears the gate. They can also be used to sense that a car is in the path of a closing gate. This will cause the gate to reverse its direction. The opener then waits for the car to clear the path before it begins moving again.

Keypads and wireless openers

Gates can be operated wirelessly just like any garage door opener. It is also convenient to have a numeric keypad installed outside the gate. This allows one to open a gate by entering a code. Some operators can be equipped to operate via cell phones.

We use the classic frame and panel design for our gates. This is also an age-old building technique dating back to the 1600s. The design technique allows the wood to expand and contract without changing the overall dimensions of the gate. This is still the design of choice for doors.

We start by building a frame from wood that is about two inches thick. The panel is about one inch thick, and has been laminated together to create the solid inner portion of the gate. The panel fits inside grooves that have been cut into the frame. This allows the panel to expand and contract without creating gaps or pushing against the frame. With this technique, properly executed, the panel can freely expand and contract as the weather changes. Moist weather causes the wood to expand, and when it is a dry climate the wood contracts. Our gates experience extreme changes in humidity, so it is important to size the panel just right so it can grow and shrink without affecting the frame or creating gaps between the frame and the panel.

Mortise and tenon joinery is a woodworking joining technique that has been used for centuries. It is the strongest and most reliable way to join two pieces of wood.

The tenon on one piece of wood is shaped to fit inside a mortise (hole). By making the two pieces fit tightly together with strong waterproof wood glue, the joint becomes incredibly strong. All of our hardwood gates are constructed using this technique.