Automated gates in Dublin: what to know before you buy
Automation is the part of a gate project that people underestimate. The gate itself is steel fabrication; the automation is electrics, safety engineering and a set of decisions that are awkward to change later.
Motor types
Swinging gates use either ram arms, which are visible and easy to service, or underground motors, which are hidden and suit a period entrance where appearance matters. Underground units cost more and need proper drainage in the foundation box, because a flooded motor box is the most common failure we see.
Sliding gates use a rack and pinion motor at one side. They need a clear run alongside the opening for the gate to slide into, which is the main constraint on whether a slider is possible.
Safety is not optional
An automated gate is powered machinery and can cause serious injury. Photocells across the opening, force limitation in the controller, and safety edges where crushing or shearing points exist are all part of a correctly installed system.
There have been fatal accidents with poorly installed automatic gates. Any installer who treats the safety devices as an optional upgrade should be avoided.
Power and access control
The gate needs a mains supply at the entrance, which usually means a trench from the house and an electrician. Plan this while the driveway is being dug rather than after it has been paved.
Access control options run from simple remote handsets to keypads, intercoms with a handset inside the house, video intercoms, and GSM units that ring your phone. Decide early, because the cabling differs.
Living with it
Automated gates need occasional servicing: hinges lubricated, safety devices tested, battery backup checked. Ask what happens in a power cut, because every system should have a manual release you can reach from outside.
We fabricate the gate and coordinate the automation so the two are designed together rather than bolted together.
Want this priced for your own job? Send us your drawings or a photo and we will come back with a fixed price, usually within one working day.
Common questions
Need this done properly? Talk to the workshop.
Send us drawings, a sketch or a site photo. We come back with a fixed price and a firm lead time, usually within one working day.