If you have a gate on your property, electric gate openers are a worthwhile consideration. Automating your gate is a great way to make it more convenient to enter and exit your property, eliminating the need to physically open and close it.
Some gates can even be programmed to open or close under certain conditions, making it even easier to conveniently keep your property secure.
When you’re considering automating your front residential gate, you’ll want to make sure you choose a model of gate opener that’s ideal for your particular gate.
With their fantastic high-tech features, convenience, and cutting-edge safety features, today’s automatic gate openers are a must-have if your property is secured with a swinging or sliding front gate.
There are numerous options available for power sources, external interfaces like remote controls, and safety features. Gate openers provide effortless control over who can get into your property, keeping you and your belongings safe from unwanted intruders. With an automatic electric gate opener, you’ll be able to effortlessly enter and exit through the gate.
The type of gate you have can determine what kind of gate opener is best for you. Your available power sources and safety needs can also make a difference in what brand and type of gate opener you should choose. There are two very popular brands of gate openers: the US Automatic Sentry 300, and Aleko. Both have their benefits and drawbacks, depending on your gate and your individual needs. You can find reviews of both online, but it helps to assess what kind of gate you have and what you need. Here’s some information to get you started as you choose the right gate opener for your property.
The type of gate you have installed can be a major factor in choosing the right gate opener. Aleko openers are available for different gate types, as are US Automatic Sentry 300s.
There are two main types of gate: swinging gates and sliding gates.
A swinging gate opens the same way as the doors inside your house. These are compatible with both swing arm operators, which have an arm extending to the gate to open it; and ram arms with either hydraulic or jackscrew-operated pistons. Ram arms are located on the gate and its posts.
Sliding gates have wheels and open to the sides. Automated gate openers for sliding gates usually use a chain located at the bottom of the gate, attached to an operator that pulls the chain to open and close the gate.
The length of your sliding gate will determine which gate opener is ideal. You’ll want to make sure you know the size of the gate, to ensure that you buy a sliding gate opener with a long enough chain.
Some gates have two pieces that open to either side, whereas others are all in one piece. There are different automatic gate openers available for single-swing versus dual-swing gates. Make sure that you’re choosing the correct opener for whichever type of swinging gate you have.
Many swing gate openers are designed for dual gates with “leaves” up to a certain length. For example, you need a different model for a gate with twenty-foot leaves than for a gate with twenty-six-foot leaves.
Gate openers are generally designed to only work for gates up to a certain weight. This can depend on what material your gate is constructed from. Wrought iron, in particular, can be especially heavy, so you’ll want to take that into account.
Some driveway gates require more effort to open than others, and you’ll need a gate opener with enough power and torque to open your swinging gate successfully. Some gates are hard to open because they’re low quality, damaged, or poorly designed, and a gate opener can’t necessarily make up for that. However, if the gate is hard to open because it’s heavy, a gate opener designed to handle heavy gates should work very well. If in doubt, you can always check out online reviews of the particular gate opener that you have in mind.