How to Troubleshoot a Bad Electric Gate

Tips for troubleshooting a faulty electric swing gate.

A guide with some useful tips for troubleshooting the installation of a faulty electric swing gate. I hope this guide helps you if you are having problems with your electric gates. Their goal is to help you find the source of the problem and hopefully help you fix it, or give your friendly door repairman an accurate description of the problem.

• Check the power supply. Yes, I know it sounds obvious, but some people don’t check it. Because the light is on in the house, they assume it’s on at the door. Check circuit breakers. Look at any other equipment, such as the intercom or keypad, to see if the lights are on. Press buttons on keypads to see if there is a corresponding beep or sound. All of this will give you an indication of whether there is power to the doors or not. If the breaker continues to trip, call the repairman. If you have power at the control box, check the remotes.
• Check the transmitter. There is normally a light on the transmitter (remote control) indicating that it is working when you press the buttons. This can be tricky, as sometimes the light works, but the signal isn’t strong enough to reach the receiver. Replace the battery just to be sure. Check with another transmitter if you have one, or use another form of access control, eg digital keypad, intercom, key switch, etc. If the remote controls work, check the photocells if there are any.
• Check safety devices. Sometimes a short circuit in a photocell can cause the system to stop working. Wave one hand (it’s easier to use one of your own) in front of the photocell and you should be able to hear a very quiet click. If you can hear this click, you know you have power to the control box.

If your doors still do not work after verifying that the power supply is present and peripheral equipment is working properly, follow these steps:

If your doors are stuck in the open position and won’t close, try moving your hand in front of one of the photocells (as shown above) and you should hear a quiet click. This can only be heard from one of your photocells, so you may need to test both. If you can’t hear that clicking sound, there may be a problem with your safety beam/photocells, or the power they receive. The security beam may have failed because it is broken, or it may be full of bugs that are blocking the beam, or it may be without power.

It is quite easy to remove the photocell cover. Check that the beams are clear. There is usually a small light inside the box if you have the correct voltage connected.

You may have reflector type photocells, check alignment as this is a very common cause of failure. If the photocells appear to be aligned, but are not working, you should contact a professional. This type of photocell is normally a sealed unit, with no serviceable parts.

If the gates failed in the closed position, using the manual release, move the gates to approximately half open, if on a ram arm system, relock the arms. If you are in an underground system, leave the doors spinning freely (as you can see the motor spinning), now activate the doors with a transmitter (if you are sure it is working) and watch for any movement of the doors. If neither motor is running and you know you have the correct power supply, there is probably a problem with the control board electronics. If one motor works, it is likely that the other motor has failed. If both engines work, this has not provided you with a solution to the problem. It could be a mechanical problem, the doors could be stuck on something.

If the doors work again, we recommend that you continue to use them. Only until perhaps a professional can service your doors.

Please – Remember.

Electricity is very dangerous, please do not touch any exposed wires or circuit boards. convert power OFF before opening the control box.

Call an expert if you have any questions.