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Gate Buyers Guide
Contractor
Choose a contractor that is experienced and insured, and carries worker’s compensation insurance for their employees. A contractor can easily supply proof of all these, don’t hesitate to ask. Your contractor should be an established company that can readily supply references upon request.
Proposal
A good written proposal will cover most aspects of an installation. Important details to look for are: itemized list of materials and equipment; responsible party for supplying power and communication lines to the gate; project completion time frame; whether permits are included and the fees for those permits; extra costs associated with unseen obstacles or site conditions, such as boulders, tree roots, etc. Make sure you understand the proposal completely, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification.
Compare Bids
When comparing bids from different companies, look at the complete job. Make sure that all installation materials such as wire, operator mounting methods, gate posts etc. meet or exceed manufacturer’s recommendations and take into account local environmental factors as well. Ask to visit the facility where the gates are made and compare materials and methods used in fabricating the gates.
Gate Drawing
A gate drawing allows you to see the gate as it would appear when finished. It should include actual design and dimensions of the gate, and the contractor should provide one for your approval prior to fabrication.
Site Plan
The site plan is an overhead view that shows where the gates, equipment, wiring, loops, etc. are going to be placed. This may be required when obtaining a permit.
Gate
Since gates are moving objects and are attached only at one end to the hinge post, they need to be made from heavier gauge materials than regular fence for proper support. The frame should be constructed of at least 2” square steel tubing, with pickets made from ¾” square steel tubing. The gate must have weep holes to prevent trapped moisture from freezing and causing the metal to deform.
Gate posts should be made from 6” x 6” square tubing with a minimum wall thickness of 3/16”. Posts need to be set below frost line, generally 36” or deeper.
Gate hinges should only be heavy duty, precision ball bearing type designed specifically for automated gates.
Powder coating is far superior to painting and will last many years longer than even the best paint jobs. Many colors are available to choose from, your contractor will be able to help select the one that’s right for you.
Gate Operator
The type of gate operator that is used on your system must be designed for the use it will see. This is where the experience of your gate contractor will be the most useful, as they will know which operators perform best under certain conditions. Important factors to consider are: swing or slide gate, size and weight of the gate, number of times the gate will cycle each day, power availability, environment, etc.
Actuator-type gate operators are great for most residential, farm and ranch, and light commercial swing gate applications. Each actuator will handle a gate up to 14’ in length and 400 pounds, although installation in cold or windy environments may reduce this capacity. This type of operator is DC battery powered, with an AC or solar charging system, and will operate normally in the event of a power outage, providing over 100 cycles of operation before requiring a recharge. Solar systems are ideal for locations where it is not possible or economical to run AC power to the gate, although solar systems don’t quite have the full system capabilities that AC powered systems have.
Commercial swing gate operators are used for high-traffic areas, and larger gates up to 18’ in width and 600 pounds, with larger gates possible with specialized equipment. These operators require AC power to the gate, and optional battery back up systems are available that will open the gates automatically in the event of a power outage. These operators can be integrated into any access control system, making them ideal for gated communities and industrial sites.
Commercial slide gate operators have the same features as commercial swing gate operators, and are used in applications where there is not enough room for a swing gate. Standard slide gate operators will handle a gate with a clear opening width of up to 20’ and a weight of up to 1000 pounds. Much larger gates can be operated with hydraulic drive operators, up to four tons are possible in some cases.
Access Control
There are many different access options available for both residential and commercial applications.. Residential access systems can use garage door-style remotes, wireless keypads, programmable stand alone keypads, or residential telephone entry systems that use the home’s existing phone line to contact the resident. These systems can be used independently or in combination with other devices. Multi-family complexes typically use some type of dedicated telephone entry system that is PC programmable with each resident’s phone number, individual directory and access code, as well as devices such as remotes and card readers. Industrial sites can be as simple as remotes or keypads to open and close, or can use PC programmable controllers for remotes and card readers. PC programmable systems allow administrators to control user access based on security level, time and day.
Vehicle detectors, such as loops or probes, can be used to allow free exit from the property, exit can also be limited to remote control, keypad or card reader.
Gate Safety
More emphasis is put on gate safety these days than ever before. Therefore, it is important to have adequate entrapment protection in order to prevent accidents from occurring. There are two main classes of safety devices: contact and non-contact, and typically at least one of each is used for minimum recommended safety. Contact devices, such as current sensing circuits and safety sensing edges, react to physical contact with an obstruction; non-contact devices, such as safety loops and photo eyes, detect a vehicle’s presence and prevent the gate from closing. All gates require warning signs that are visible from both sides of the gate. Since driveway gates are intended for vehicular access only, a separate walkway or pedestrian gate is required for pedestrian access. Be sure to choose a professional gate contractor that will be able to answer all your questions regarding gate safety and recommend the proper safety devices for your particular application.
ASTM F2200-02 Gate Construction Standard
There are three major components to your automated vehicular gate system: the access control system, the gate operator and the gate. UL 294 sets the safety criteria for the access control system while the UL 325 standard sets the safety criteria for the gate operator. The standard to which automated vehicular gates are designed, manufactured and installed is ASTM F2200-02: Standard Specification for Automated Vehicular Gate Construction . This standard, published in September 2002, was written by an Ad-Hoc committee consisting of members from the following industry trade associations.
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American Fence Association (AFA)
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Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association (DASMA)
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National Ornamental and Miscellaneous Metals Association (NOMMA)
This standard compliments the UL 325 safety standard and was written to eliminate or guard against pinch points, entrapment areas, harmful protrusions, etc. It also requires positive stops to prevent gates from traveling past their design limits, methods to insure gates cannot fall over if they become detached from their supporting hardware, etc. Keep in mind that this and other safety standards are written for
YOUR protection. As such, you should heed your professional DKS system installer recommendations regarding entrapment prevention and gate construction criteria. To insure this safety, he will check to determine if your gate meets the criteria of the ASTM F2200 standard. Some of these key points are listed below. (but not all) of these gate construction criteria are listed below.
Slide Gates
- Weight bearing rollers are guarded or covered.
- All openings in the gate are guarded or screened from the bottom of the gate to a minimum of 48-inches above the ground to prevent a 2.25-inch diameter sphere from passing through the openings anywhere in the gate, and in that portion of the adjacent fence that the gate covers in the open position.
- Gaps between the gate and fence, or other stationary objects do not exceed 2.25-inches.
- Smooth bottom edges.
- Positive stops to prevent the gate from sliding past its design limits.
- Insure that the gate cannot fall if it becomes detached from its supporting hardware.
Swing Gates
- Designed and installed so as to not create an entrapment area between the gate and other fixed objects.
- Installed in such a way so that the pillar or column covered by the swing gate when in the open position does not exceed 4-inches.
- Smooth bottom edges.
- Insure that the gate cannot fall over if it becomes detached from the supporting hardware.
Unfortunately most gate personal are not aware of all features and regulations. Gates are not to be judged by prices since there are many elements which can be out with out consumer knowledge.
Emergency Access
When an automated vehicular gate system is installed on a property in general access applications, there must be a method to allow emergency vehicles (fire, police, ambulance) access to the property without the gate hindering their entry. The access system must allow for entry through the vehicular gate under three different and unique situations:
- The system is in service and under normal operation.
- A power failure has occurred and battery powered convenience open systems are employed.
- A power failure has occurred and the convenience open system has failed (dead or low charged battery).
Situation 1 - Normal Operation
Under normal operation, there are many devices that can be integrated with the vehicular gate system to allow emergency vehicles access to the property. When any of these devices are activated, the vehicular gate(s) is commanded to open and remains open until the device is deactivated. Typically, the emergency vehicle access device will by-pass the primary access control device (telephone entry system for example) and is wired directly to the gate operator open input. Some of these devices are listed below.
- Click-2-Enter. This system consist of a special radio receiver that allows Fire Departments, Police Departments and Ambulance companies to open the access gates by using their two-way radio installed in their trucks / cars.
- Special Keys and Key Switches - With this system, emergency vehicles each have a special access key that that activates an emergency override key switch. These key switches are typically labeled FIRE DEPT. and are installed in a location at the gate that is visible and easily accessible.
- Lock Boxes - Lock boxes are essentially the same as the key switch option in that a special padlock (that only emergency vehicles have a key too) is placed on the lock box to lock it shut. When the padlock is removed (or cut off), the lock box automatically commands the gate to open and will hold the gate open until the lock box is re-closed and locked. Lock boxes are typically labeled FIRE DEPT. and are installed in a location that is easily visible and easily accessible.
- Siren Sensors - These devices detect the "yelp" mode from an emergency vehicles siren. When the yelp is detected, the gate will open.
- Strobe Light Sensors - These devices respond to the flashing strobe light from the emergency vehicle. When the strobe light is sensed, the gate will open.
- Wireless Transmitters - Like garage door openers, wireless transmitters open the gate from a distance of 75 to 100 feet. These transmitters are specially encoded with a code that is unique to emergency vehicles.
Because of the many different devices available, the city building department should be consulted to determine which method of entry is preferred by the local authorities.
Situation 2 - Power Failure with Battery Powered Convenience Open System
Many manufacturers of vehicular gate operators now offer battery powered convenience open systems that provide a method to open the gate when primary (AC) power is removed. DKS offers this type system in many of its gate operator products. This type of system is completely self-contained in the operator and is completely independent from the primary drive system. In essence, this provides a redundant drive system when the primary AC power is removed. Note: If your operator does not employ a battery back-up system, please refer to situation 3 below.
Operators equipped with a battery powered convenience open system typically operate in one of two different methods. 1) When a power failure occurs, the system immediately commands the gate to open and remain open, or 2) when a power failure occurs, the system remains in a stand-by mode until a command from either a wireless transmitter or manual switch is received to open the gate. In the second option, it is important to note that the radio receiver is powered from the batteries which allow the receiver to remain in operation during a power failure. This design feature assures that any emergency vehicle using the wireless transmitter method of entry will be capable of commanding the gate open even during power outages.
Battery powered convenience open systems in vehicular gate operators provide a trickle charge to the batteries during normal operation. It is advisable that maintenance personnel and property managers check these systems on a monthly basis to assure that the batteries are in good condition and have enough power to open the gate. Batteries in these systems are good, on average, for about two years before they will need to be replaced.
Situation 3 - Power Failure and Battery Powered System Failure
This is the "worst case" scenario that must be addressed during the design of the vehicular gate access system. In other words, system designers and installers must assume that at some point in time there will be a primary power failure and the battery powered convenience open system will fail to open the gate because of dead or low charged batteries or because of some other system component failure. Under these circumstances, the gate operator must assume a FAIL-SAFE mode. Simply stated, the operator "fails" in a safe condition allowing the gate to be manually pushed open without the need for any keys, cranks, or other mechanical devices. This is an essential feature for both emergency and non-emergency vehicles. Obviously, emergency vehicle personnel cannot waste time looking for keys, cranks, or attempting to force the gate open with bolt cutters, the "jaws of life" or other mechanical devices. They also cannot wait for maintenance personnel to arrive to activate gate release mechanisms that are typically located on the inside of the gate. Likewise, apartment and gated communities cannot allow a situation to develop where residents are "locked" out of their homes. Many Fire Department regulations require that "fail-safe" gate operators be installed to allow emergency vehicle access during power outages.
Summary
Automatic vehicular gate systems provide convenience and limit traffic in gated communities, apartment complexes, condominiums, and private homes and businesses. When vehicular access is restricted, there must be a means to allow emergency vehicles access in the overall design of the system. This design must include failure modes under the worst-case scenario, and the access system must have in place equipment and products to over come the worst-case situation. DKS can provide you with vehicular gate products that meet these requirements. Regardless of who is providing you with your gae or gate service please note these issues.
Mulholland offers a 5-year warranty
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