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The holidays are fast approaching and, although it is a joyous time of the year, you certainly would not want it interrupted by an accident that could have been easily avoided. This is why we have put together this useful list of six crucial gate safety tips to help you keep your family, pets and vehicles out of harm’s way.

 

Safety beams

When it comes to automated gate safety, the installation of gate safety beams is a non-negotiable. They’re inexpensive, easy to install and could potentially save you or a loved one from serious injury. CENTURION even manufactures wireless beams which greatly simplify installation and reduce installation costs.

Safety beams consist of two modules – a receiver and a transmitter – that “talk” to each other via a modulated infrared beam. As long as the receiver can “see” the beam, it knows that the gate’s area of travel is clear and it can give the all-clear to the gate motor that it is safe to move. But when the beam is broken – for example by someone standing in the path of the gate – there’s a break in the circuit and the gate won’t move. The beam acts as sort of a crossing guard, telling the gate when it is safe to move, and when it needs to remain stationary.

 

Check your gate’s collision sensitivity and adjust it if necessary

While many users are tempted to set their motor’s sensitivity to minimum to compensate for some deviation in the rack or rail (for example a missing tooth or poor welding), this is merely treating the symptom and not the cause and may, in fact, make the installation more dangerous. It is wise to adjust the gate motor’s sensitivity setting so that the gate immediately stops and reverses should it encounter an obstruction.

 

Courtesy lights

It is critically important to ensure that the gate’s area of travel is clear before it is operated. A courtesy light can be connected to the gate motor to warn people via a series of flashes when the gate is about to be set in motion, and can also be switched on and off using a button on a remote control to illuminate the area around the gate for added safety. Having a well-lit driveway is also beneficial from a security perspective.

 

Slow things down

One of the great things about CENTURION gate motors is that the opening and closing speeds can be individually adjusted according to your personal requirements and preferences, so you can have the gate opening super-fast but with a more tempered closing. This is generally preferable where children are involved, but do take note that this may compromise the security of the installation. We recommend enabling PIRAC mode, so that the gate closes immediately once the safety beams have been cleared.

 

Give your gate the edge

A sensitive edge is a foam buffer that can be fitted to the leading edge of your gate in order to make it more sensitive to collisions. The sensitive edge is a passive component, so no additional wiring is necessary.

 

Secure all easily-accessed gate motor controls

Fact: kids are inherently inquisitive and will want to play with anything that looks remotely stimulating, and that includes remote controls. Be careful not to let your key fob out of your site when little ones are around and, if you have a keypad or other access device at the actual gate, be sure to mount it high enough so that kids can’t reach it and inadvertently activate the gate.

 

The CENTURION family wishes you a happy and safe festive season.

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