Having a border dispute?

Posted on: 12 August 2022

If you have children and would like to invest in a set of automatic gates for your property, here are some tips to follow.

Opt for an extra-strong cover for the motor (and hide the keys to this cover)

The wall-mounted motors that are used to operate automatic gates are usually placed at a height that most children would be able to access. With this in mind, it is important to ensure your fence contractor puts a very sturdy cover over this motor, as there is a chance that if they don't, your children might damage it. If for example, they play football near the gates and mistakenly fling their ball towards the motor, and the cover is made of thin, weak plastic, they could crack its cover, which might result in rainwater seeping in and damaging the motor's parts before you get a chance to fix it. This, in turn, might result in you having to manually move your gates for several days until you can arrange for a contractor to fix this problem.

Similarly, if your children are slightly mischievous or are simply interested in finding out how gadgets of all kinds work, it's best to hide the keys to the cover that encases the gates' motor, as there is a chance that if they have a key and can open this cover, they might deactivate the motor by pressing its buttons at random, or after taking a look inside, they might mistakenly leave the cover unlocked and the motor exposed, which might result in it getting damaged by snow or rain.

Make sure they understand why they should never climb or hold onto the gates whilst they're moving  

It's very important to explain to your children why they must never climb on or try to hold onto the automatic gates when they're moving. This is something that your children might consider to be fun or amusing to do. Whilst it's highly unlikely that this would lead to them being injured (as automatic gates move quite slowly), it could cause issues with your gate system.

For example, if one of your children repeatedly climbs onto one of the gates when it's moving and holds the motorised arm that is connected to the motor, and they then press down on the latter with their body weight, they might eventually damage this arm component. By implementing a rule that none of your children is allowed on the gates when they're moving, you'll not only eliminate the small possibility of them being injured by doing this but you'll also be a lot less likely to have to pay a fence contractor to fit a new arm on either of the gates.

Contact a contractor for more information about automatic gates.