Things To Know Concerning The Installation Of An Automatic Gate
The installation of a gate on your property can help to dramatically increase the security for your property without greatly inconveniencing you as you drive to your house. In order to allow you to better evaluate whether or not a new gate will be right for your home's driveway, it is necessary to understand several key points concerning driveway gates so that you can decide on committing to this particular upgrade for your property.
Why Should You Opt For Sliding Over Swinging Gates?
It can be common for individuals to assume that all gates will open by swinging either inward or outward. However, this can be an impractical solution for many homeowners as a swinging fence can interfere with a neighbor's property lines. For those where swinging fences may not be practical, it is possible to opt for a gate that will open by sliding along the interior of the fence. This type of fence will be slightly more complicated and costly to install, but the benefits that it can provide in terms of space efficiency can be too valuable to ignore.
Do These Gates Need To Be Wired To Your Home?
To avoid the need to manually open the gate, you will likely want to opt for an automatic gate. These gates will use electric motors to open and close the gate. However, some homeowners will avoid this option as they may assume that it will be too difficult or expensive to wire the gate to the home's electrical system. Yet, it is possible for homeowners to invest in solar powered gates. Sliding gates will use a couple of solar panels to charge batteries that will provide electricity to the gate without a need to wire it to your home.
Is Ice A Problem For Sliding Gates?
Large ice accumulations can often form on the gates, and while it can be easy to assume that these accumulations are not a serious problem, they can be somewhat damaging to the gate. This is due to the intense weight that the ice can add to the gate. In addition warping the frame of the gate, this could also put additional strain on the motor of the gate. For these reasons, it can be well worth the work to remove any ice accumulations from the gate before you use it. To aid in this task, there is heat-generating stripping that can be installed on the gate, and these devices will use electricity to generate enough heat to melt this ice as it accumulates.