Manual Release During a Power Outage

Three things open an automatic gate when the power is off: a release, a battery and a pair of hands. Every teardown automatic gates georgetown nochucknorris has logged shows the release as the part owners test last and need first, and a gate operator in Georgetown, TX has to be ready for the ice events and summer outages that hit Central Texas. A gate that cannot be opened by hand is a locked driveway.

How does the manual release work?

The manual release disengages the motor from the leaf so the gate moves freely by hand. On a swing arm it is a pin or a lever on the arm, and on a slide drive it is a key or a lever that frees the chain or rack. Once the motor is disconnected, a steel gate on good hinges moves with a firm push.

What does a backup battery do?

A backup battery keeps the control board and the motor running for a number of cycles after the power fails. Most are small sealed batteries that sit in the operator housing and charge while the power is on. Batteries wear out, and a weak one gives a few cycles when it is new and nothing when it is old, so the date on it matters.

What changes during a winter ice event?

Ice changes the load on the gate and the grip on the ground. A frozen hinge, a track packed with ice or a release that has seized in the cold can stop a gate that would run fine in April. Spraying a dry lubricant on the pivots and the release before winter, and testing the release once in the fall, takes minutes and prevents most problems.

What about summer grid strain and storms?

Summer brings brownouts, storm outages and lightning, and each one affects an operator in a different way. A brownout can leave the board with too little voltage to run the motor. A lightning strike can damage the board, and a surge protector on the power feed is a cheap precaution. After an outage, the gate may need its limits reset before it runs normally again.

How should the release be tested?

The release should be tested with the power off, at least once a year, by the person who will actually use it. Switch the breaker off, release the operator, and open the gate by hand across Williamson County gravel or Georgetown concrete, whichever the drive is made of. If the gate binds, rubs or will not move, the problem is in the hinges or the posts, and it is better found on a calm day than during an outage.