Automatic Gate Repairs and Servicing in Brisbane

Common symptoms

Note exactly what the gate does. It helps the technician narrow the fault down quickly.

• Nothing at all: often power, a tripped safety switch, a flat battery or a blown controller fuse
• Opens then stops or reverses: often a blocked or misaligned safety beam, an obstruction, or the gate dragging and tripping obstacle detection
• Beeps or flashes: many controllers show a fault pattern; write it down
• Keypad works, remote does not: usually the remote battery or lost pairing
• Slow or struggling: a tired battery, a binding track or hinge, or a motor near the end of its life
• Will not latch or drifts: worn rollers, a loose rack or a post that has moved

Safe checks you can do

• Check the switchboard, any safety switch and the power point near the gate
• Look for anything blocking the safety beams, including spider webs, leaves and grime on the lenses
• Clear leaves, grit and storm debris out of a sliding gate track
• Try another remote, or replace the remote battery
• Look for obvious damage such as a bent rail or a wheel off the track

What not to do

Do not force a motorised gate while the motor is engaged. You can strip the gearbox or damage the rack. If you need to move it by hand, use the manual release as your motor's manual describes, and re-engage it afterwards. Keep hands and feet clear of hinge gaps, wheels and the rack.

Do not open the controller or touch the wiring. In Queensland, electrical work must be done by a licensed electrical worker.

Brisbane conditions behind many faults

Storms and surges. Summer storms are the big one. A gate that stops working the morning after a storm often has a damaged control board, a tripped circuit or a battery that has been drained by a long outage. The Bureau of Meteorology issues severe thunderstorm warnings when storms are expected to bring large hail or damaging winds, and those are the nights to make sure you know where your manual release key is. See storm season and gate battery backup.

Water. Heavy rain and overland flow can reach motors on low driveways and fill underground swing gate pits. If your gate has been under water, have it checked before running it.

Humidity, ants and geckos. Warm, sheltered controller boxes attract insects and small animals, and nests across a circuit board cause odd faults.

Moving ground. Reactive clay shrinks and swells between wet and dry seasons. Swing gate posts can lean and sliding tracks can shift, which shows up as a gate that drags or misses its latch.

Repair or replace?

A technician should tell you plainly whether a repair makes sense or the motor is near the end of its life. Age, parts availability for older models and the condition of the gate all feed into that. If replacement is the answer, see gate motors and automation.

Servicing

A regular service catches problems before the gate stops. It typically covers safety beams and force settings, battery testing, cleaning and inspecting the track, wheels, rack or hinges, checking the controller for moisture and insects, and testing the manual release. Servicing is also a good time to make sure safety devices still work as intended under AS/NZS 60335.2.103.

Tell us what it is doing

Describe the symptom, the motor brand if you know it, and whether the gate slides or swings. We pass it to a local technician who services your area.