How to repair sliding gates?

Sliding gates are modern fences, the construction of which in most cases is characterized by simplicity and reliability. Nevertheless, even these functional and practical devices sometimes fail. Today we will talk about the most common failures of sliding gates and how to eliminate them.

The need to repair the gate may occur when the following unpleasant phenomena:

• uneven movement of the door leaf;
• the door curtain moves with jerks or stops it;
• seizes the mechanism;
• gate operation is accompanied by extraneous sounds or the drive is very loud;
• gate leaf closes incorrectly, that is, it does not fall in the closed position in the "trap".

Therefore, there may also be such faults as the impossibility of closing the door curtain after opening it, or the absolute immobility of the system.

In the first case, the cause of the malfunction is inoperative photocells or knocked-down end positions, in the second - damage to the rollers, malfunction of the control unit, failure of the drive gearbox. Other reasons may be a change in the position of the rack, the ingress of debris or ice inside the guide rails.

The most common examples of failures in the sliding door system are:

• the impossibility of closing or opening such gates;
• lack of response to commands from the remote control device;
• control device failure;
• mechanical damage to the door leaf;
• complete failure of the system to make any movements when the drive is running.

The probable factors causing these problems are:

• failure of the control unit;
• failure of end safety breakers;
• breakdown of the support rollers;
• failure of the gearbox on an electromechanical drive;
• low oil content when using a hydraulic drive;
• wear of the drive gear;
• distortion / contamination of the carrier beam;

• support roller stoppers or mechanical changes in the foundation;
• blown fuse;
• failure of the motor system and step-down transformer;
• breakdown of the control board and incorrect configuration of the electric drive.

If there is no response to the commands from the remote control, the most likely options are a fault in the electrical wiring or a dead battery in the control panel. These problems are easily fixed with the replacement of the relevant elements. A worn remote control (or buttons on it) can be replaced in specialized stores or institutions.

It is better to entrust the repair of sliding gates (including swing or sectional automatic) to the appropriate service centers.

To eliminate the above problems, the service center specialists will check the receiver, remote control and wiring, replace the elements and set them up, check the photocells and fix the wiring, test the operation of the switch and the control unit.

To correct mechanical problems, qualified technicians will check the gearbox and the amount of oil in it, inspect the structure for oil stains, check the movement of the support rollers and the condition of the carrier beam, the presence of deflection deviations from the horizontal and the so-called nod during movement, inspect the rack and the drive gear wheel. If necessary, they will repair or replace the gearbox, oil, drive gear and adjust the rack rail.

If the sliding gate has been damaged due to mechanical impact such as hitting a vehicle or displacing the soil under the gate foundation, specialists will have the problem of checking the beam for deformation and horizontal barriers.If necessary, in the course of work, it is possible to replace the door trim, fill the soil, dismantle and replace the carrier beam, which can only be done under production conditions for the above reason.

In order to avoid possible damage to sliding automatic gates, it is necessary to observe some tricks during operation.

Observing them, you will reduce the probability of breakage to a minimum, thereby the construction will last longer:

• Driving vehicles should go through the fully open door leaves.
• Ensure that there are no foreign objects in the movement sector and mechanism.
• Attention should be paid to the sound emitted by the gate at the time of its opening / closing, since the appearance of strange sound effects can be a sign of the problems encountered.
• To prevent malfunctions, it is required to regularly lubricate moving elements of the gate with a frequency, for example, once every 3 months. A special tool for prophylactic purposes should be applied to the previously cleaned surface.

• Another way to prevent malfunctions is to adjust the door leaf.This manipulation, in contrast to the lubrication performed by the owner on his own, must be carried out by professional experts.
• Once a year, the owner should pay attention to the diagnostic inspection of the gate. This simple and regular procedure will allow you to maintain such a gate in proper quality and in which case it is time to contact the service. Proper care will allow you to operate the structure long enough.

• The gate must be kept clean, and in winter conditions must be constantly cleared of ice or snow. Particular attention should be paid to the surface of the toothed rack and the working zone rollback. The work of the structure should not be disturbed by foreign objects, for example, logs or embankments.
• It should be noted that you should monitor the status of wiring and cables. They must be insulated from rain. It is desirable to firmly fix their position in order to preserve integrity. When detecting the wear of any elements of automation, they should immediately be replaced with new ones.

From time to time it is necessary to tighten loose nuts of the structure, and a stabilizer should be used to protect the electrical network from voltage surges.When installing electromagnetic limit switches, their safety should be monitored.

In conclusion, we can conclude that the repair work of sliding structures is better to be entrusted to professionals professionally engaged in the production and installation of such structures. Sometimes independent mechanical interventions can lead to undesirable results up to the failure of the entire system.

The process of repairing sliding gates can be seen in the next video.