Three Autumn Maintenance Tips For Your Automatic Gate

Now that the summer storm season has passed, it is important to look around your property to see if any damage has occurred during the heavy rainfall and strong winds. Automatic gates are a mechanical item which need seasonal attention to make sure they are operating correctly. Use these three autumn maintenance tips to make sure that your automatic gate is up to the task of working without issue.

Visual Inspection

The first tip for automatic gate maintenance is to have an up-close look at it. In particular, you are looking for signs of:

• loose bolts or screws
• dirty or damaged track
• rust corrosion on metal parts
• dented panels

All these problems are potential issues in the long term. For example, a damaged track means the gate cannot open and close easily and may stop working all together over time. Any damage which you cannot immediately attend to yourself must be repaired as soon as possible by your local fence contractor.

Part Lubrication

During the rain and wind storms of summer, parts of the automatic gate become dry or dirty, so now is the perfect time to lubricate all moving parts. Check with your fencing contractor or gate manufacturer about their preferred lubricant for this task. In most instances, you should be able to use a waterproof silicone lubricant purchased at your local hardware store. This type of lubricant is sprayed onto all moving parts within the gate to make sure the parts move easily and without friction.

Wash The Gate

Washing the gate and the track is another task you can do right now which helps the gate operate easily. Dirt buildup on the track, for example, stops the gate moving freely along the track, but the dirt buildup can quickly be washed away using a standard garden hose. Washing the gate also removes airborne debris which landed on the gate summer storms. Some of this debris can cause rust and erosion to start if left on your gate, so washing it away is a great preventative maintenance tip.

Finally, arrange for a professional annual inspection of your automatic gate. Sometimes, issues occur within the moving mechanisms of the gate which are only noticeable to someone used to installing and maintaining this piece of equipment. An annual inspection is likely to pick up any operating issues well before they become major problems which need repair. This then gives you peace of mind that your gate will keep moving no matter what.

For more information about gates, contact a professional near you.