Keep Your Gate Working Well With These 3 Maintenance Tips
An automatic gate offers a stylish and functional entrance to your property, but like most mechanical things they require a certain amount of maintenance to keep them working well and last longer.
Thankfully, most of this can be done easily at home without the need for a professional, so be sure to try any of the following tips to keep your automatic gate working well!
1. Clean Them
A simple yet effective form of maintenance, be sure to give your gate a proper clean once every year, while performing minor cleaning here and there when necessary. For example, even only washing and waxing your gate once a year will keep it looking great for a long time to come, helping to maintain paintwork and prevent rusting.
A build-up of dirt and dust can develop in no time without regular cleaning, so be sure to keep an eye on how unclean the gate is to help keep rust away from any metal section of your gate. Doing this will prolong the appearance of the gate, meaning you won’t have to pay for an expensive – and time consuming – refurb any time soon.
2. Lubricate Frequently
Of course, you won’t need to lubricate the entire gate, just the important parts! Your gate provider should have a recommended lubricant for your gate, which should typically be applied every six months or so.
As these are the parts that make the gate work, you’ll want to maintain them as best you can to save yourself a much costlier repair down the line! Be sure to lubricate the chain, pulley, wheels, hinges, screws and any other important parts.
Be mindful of swing and slide gates – many have internal chains that require lubrication too!
Also, never use WD 40 or heavy oil to lubricate parts, instead use white lithium grease, oil (beware of how messy this is!), or a silicon base lubricant.
3. Lookout for Pests
An often-overlooked part of automatic gate maintenance is pests such as insects, rodents and reptiles. While seemingly harmless, they can cause all manner of destruction in the electrical components of the gate.
For example, snails and slugs are problematic if they reach the circuit board as their slime trails can cause moisture build-ups that cause extensive damage to the circuitry. Other insects such as spiders causes similar issues with webs, while ants nests can also corrode circuitry.
Mice are infamous for chewing through or urinating on the wiring, so be sure to keep an eye out for this! It may be a good idea to get a pest control professional to inspect your gate once a year to be extra vigilant.
For top-notch automatic gates for your home or business, Superior Gate Services is the trusted local choice. To get ideas and to see some recent examples of our work, take a look at our gallery page. When you are looking for a new gate or any related equipment, we welcome you to either contact us through our website or call us at (855) 747-4283 and one of our friendly representatives will be glad to answer any questions you have.
We are also available 24/7 for emergency service anywhere in our service area, including cities such as Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Canyon Lake, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Winchester, Hemet, San Jacinto, Perris, Fallbrook, Escondido, Vista, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego, and other surrounding cities.
