Parking Gate Do’s & Don’ts

Have you ever thought about how often a parking gate opens and closes at a 10 unit
apartment complex? How about an office building with 20 plus workers? Or, what about
your own home with all the trips to work, taking the kids to school or going to the
grocery store. If you have a gate that opens electronically it is going to be used a lot.
Given this, it is critical that one must carefully consider the following before installing or
maintaining an electronic gate and or choosing an installation and maintenance company.
This article is written to help you in your decision making process.
Gate Construction & Installation
• There are different types of gates. There are gates for vehicles and gates for
pedestrians. Make sure to install the proper type of gate according to your needs.
Vehicular gates should only be used for cars and trucks. It may seem obvious, but
never use a gate for cars and trucks that is designed to be used by people.
• Adequate clearance should be provided between a swinging gate and adjacent
structures to reduce risk of entrapment.
• A sliding gate should work smoothly with easy rolling movement in both
directions.
• Controls should be as far away from the gate as possible to prevent “reachthrough” occurrences.
• Warning signs and placards must be installed and be visible in the area of the
gate. Warning signs must also be permanently affixed to the gate panel.
All openings of horizontal slide gates, and the portion of the fence where the slide gate
passes, must be guarded or screened. For example, slide gates must have a protective
cover 48 inches in height extending from the bottom of the gate/fence panel.
Another featured requirement intended to keep a person from bring entrapped by the gate
system is, after sensing an obstruction, reversing must begin within two seconds. After
the first contact, the gate must reverse and travel a minimum of two inches and if there is
a second contact, the gate must stop completely. Should this occur, a wired device is
required to reset the gate.
All exposed entrapment points must be eliminated or guarded. It is up to individual gate
and fence dealers to identify these points on a product-by-product basis, or on a job-byjob basis.
Preventative Maintenance
Make sure you to have your gates maintained regularly. When the maintenance man
arrives he should do the following in order to thoroughly service your gate.
• Remove all covers to expose mechanical, electrical and electronic components.
• Inspect belts and/or chains for proper tension and wear. • Using approved lubricants, service chain shafts as needed. Inspect all connections
for corrosion and proper contact.
• With the covers off, cycle gate several times to make sure of proper operation.
• Check gate operating chain for proper tension. If the gate is operated by folding
arms, check for twisting or damage.
• Lubricate operating device as needed.
• Check gate opening and closing positions. If necessary, adjust to meet installation
criteria.
• Check operation of safety devices and exit loop if installed, making sure that gate
operates properly under all modes of initiation whether by radio receiver, push
button or telephone.
Use a Licensed Contractor with Proper Insurance
Don’t even think about using a non-licensed contractor to install a gate that may open and
shut hundreds of times per month. You may say, “But I can save hundreds of dollars
hiring an unlicensed contractor.” How much would you pay for a good night’s sleep and
peace of mind? A few hundred dollars is cheap.
Make sure to ask the company if they have a valid contractor’s license, write down the
number and then go to www.cslb.ca.gov and click “check a license.” You’ll be taken to
an information page with data on the company you are researching. It will give you the
name of the company, type of license for their business and whether or not they carry
Workers’ Compensation insurance. There are also expiration dates to inform you if they
are current with their policies and licenses.
Many licensed contractors do not carry Workers’ Compensation insurance claiming they
do not have any employees. Keep in mind that if the contractor hires someone else to
work at your property and they’re injured, you could end up with a liability issue.
Always remember to ask for referrals and make sure you have your questions ready for
the company before they arrive to give you an estimate. Let them know that you’d like to
see their Workers’ Compensation policy, a list of referrals and anything else that they
may have that will give you more confidence to hire them for the job.
If there is any hesitancy on the part of the company during the hiring process, don’t use
them. Think of it this way, if they are giving you a hard time now before they’ve been
paid, just think about how hard it is going to be to get them to return a phone call after the
gate has been installed and they’ve been paid. The bottom line is that you do not want to
work with a company that is cutting corners with their business, because they’ll end up
cutting corners on your job too.
Always remember to:
• See a Workers’ Comp policy
• Get and call their list of referrals
• Get a contractor’s license number
• Get a written estimate