Electric Gates Installation
We attended a call out to customer who required an emergency electrician. The customer’s electric gates had stopped working. The initial idea was to see if they could be fixed, however it became quickly apparent that this wouldn’t be possible. The gates, wiring centre, and joint boxes used to supply the motors all showed signs of moisture ingress which had shorted some connections; the motors themselves were also badly corroded. So, we decided that we’d have to carry out an electric gate installation.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t carry out a like for like replacement due to the fact that the original system is no longer manufactured. We liaised with CAME UK – manufacturers of a variety of automated gate, barrier and intercom systems to find a suitable product to replace the original system with.
Various measurements had to be taken of the dimensions of gates, gate posts, movement of the gates to ensure the right motors were specified.
Some welding required
Because the new motors were a different size to the originals motors, we arranged for some new brackets to be welded to the gates to facilitate the mounting of the new units. We were careful to ensure that these plates fit in with the original finish of the gates prior to mounting.
We were able to re-use the existing control wiring, and mounted new IP68 rated joint boxes which would guarantee our connections with the motors would remain weatherproof.
The motors and sensors were calibrated to function in the way that the customer required: CAME electric gates can be set up to work in a number of different ways when a vehicle is detected by the photocell sensor units.
Minor works certificate for the electric gates installation
A minor works certificate was required for this work to ensure that the supply from the garage consumer unit to wiring centre was safe.
The tests carried out revealed that there was no bonding conductor between the garage consumer unit earthing terminal and the adjacent water pipework – an important safety requirement which although doesn’t directly impact the work Heritage carried out, needs addressing as soon as possible to ensure the customer’s safety.
The board was missing blanks which meant the potential for accidental contact with live parts; mis-matching manufacturers of MCBs were also used in the board – another issue which requires rectifying.
Hopefully you can see that it is imperative for your electrician to be thorough when completing this paperwork, because it may reveal issues such as these which need rectifying.
For more details about automated smart technology take a look at our Smart Home Installation services.
