What happens if there's a power cut and you want to use your automatic Gate? Well ideally the gate will still work other wise it would be necessary to manually release the gate so you can open it by hand.
Continuous Battery Operation
This is not just a battery back up! A standard battery back up requires a power point at the gate and automatically switches to battery power if the mains power fails. This is all very well in theory but in practice we have found that if a battery isn't used regularly it doen’t last very long (6 months tops) and because the operator normally runs off mains power, there's no way to know that the back up battery isn't working unless you get stuck with a gate that won't open.
At Grant's Automation we have continuous battery operation as an option with all our gate operators, where they run off a battery all the time and are automatically charged. A charger can either plug in at the gate OR near by where a power point is available and a low cost cable run out to the gate, which can be a much more ecomonic solution than installing a power point at the gate and is more reliable because the battery is being used every time the gate is used so can last up to 10 years. Also after many years use if the battery is getting a little weak you'll know because the gate will run a bit slower and stop short some times rather than simply not work if there is power failure leaving you stuck like a battery back up can.
When a battery does need changing you only need minimum technical skills to be able to change it yourself and they are readily available at automotive parts and electronic stores, there's no need to spend big $$$ on a special battery.
If the power remains off for more than a day it is a good idea to manually release the gate and operate it by hand until the power comes back on. If the battery is run flat it should be left over night to recharge before being used.
Solar Powered Gates.
Are simply the battery operated system mentioned above with a Solar Panel used as a charger rather than a plug in charger and are very useful if no mains power is available. If full sunlight isn't available at the gate then the solar panel may be placed where there is full sun and a low cost cable run to the gate as is done with the battery operated system. In fact the cable specs etc... are exactly the same.
One draw back with solar powered systems is you cannot use devices that use power all the time such as photocells, vehicle sensors, wireless intercom systems etc.... unless you add a suitable number of extra solar panels and batteries to allow for the extra power use. Grant's Automation can advise on power use and design a suitable solar power system for you. We can also design a suitable solar power or trickle charge battery powered system with an inverter to power 230V equipment or lighting.
Plug in at Gate
If you don't want to be bothered with batteries, chargers or solar panels and can easily install a power point at your gate then Grant's Automation also offer the option of plug in at the gate with all our gate operators. With this option it is recommended that a small side Pedestrian gate is installed so if the power goes off while you are out you can still get in to manually release the gate so you can open it by hand.
