Many home or business owners get very worried when the automatic gate malfunctions to their premises malfunctions. This worry is largely because they are not sure what could be causing the problem so they fear that they may have to perform costly repairs to restore that automatic gate to normalcy. This article discusses four common reasons why an automatic gate may malfunction. Use this information to decide whether it is an issue you can handle or you need to call in an expert.

When the Emergency Release is Disengaged

The emergency release cord is intended to enable you to open or close automatic gates manually in emergencies like when your power is off. Once this release is disengaged then the automatic gate opener will be unable to open or close the gate. To confirm that this was the issue, pull that cord then run the motor until the motor reconnects to the gate. The opener will then be able to operate the gate. If it doesn't respond, then try the options below.

Safety Sensors That Are Misaligned

Every automatic gate has a sensor on each side; one receives the signal sent by the other. If something (like an obstruction such as a cobweb) prevents the signal from reaching the other side of the gate then the gate will stay open and the sensor light will keep blinking. Solve this problem by removing any object that may be getting in the way of the sensor signals. If no obstruction is found then the problem could be that the sensors are out of alignment. Adjust the position of the sensors using your hand until the sensor light is solid (not blinking). The opener will be able to operate the gate after that.

Loose Cables

One of the cables in your automatic gate may get off the drum or pulley and make the gate to lose alignment. You can suspect that this is the issue if the earlier two steps do not yield positive results. Call a technician to restore the cable to its normal position. This difficult task requires a professional to fix so do not attempt to handle it on your own unless you underwent training in gate installation.

A Broken Spring

You may have a broken spring in your automatic lift gate if it opens partially or does not open at all. These springs have a lot of pent up tension in them and should be left to professionals to fix or replace them.

As you can see, you can solve some automatic gate malfunctions and there are those that require technical assistance. Use the information above to decide whether to attempt to resolve the issue by yourself or call a technician.

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