Frequently Asked Questions
Preparing Your Gated Access System for a Tropical Storm
With the beginning of each annual "Hurricane Season" here in the southeastern states, it is important that those who have barrier gates, swing gates and slide gates are prepared to secure their systems if storms should threaten.
The high winds, lightning and flooding that accompany these storms, pose a significant threat of damage to the gate system and it's operation. Even though the actual storm may not make landfall in your immediate area, the tropical force winds, thunder storms and tremendous rainfall amounts will often extend out hundreds of miles from the center of the storm and you need to be aware of the necessary steps to safeguard your system. This is especially true for those systems that are near the beaches.
The precautions suggested below are from our prior experience with tropical storms and high winds. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office at the numbers above or through the "Contact Us" link at left.
Precautions to Take in Preparation for a Tropical Storm
- If you have a barrier gate system, we suggest removing the barrier arms and storing them somewhere safely out of the wind to prevent them from breaking and/or becoming a "missile" in the high winds. Turn off the power inside the gates and make sure the access panel to the gate body is securely locked back in place. If you feel it is necessary, you may want to wrap "bungy" cords or "duck tape" around the gate body to further secure the access panel. Finally, you should check to make sure the barrier gate is anchored securely to the concrete pad.
- If you have a swing gate system, we suggest opening the gates and shutting off the power to the gate operator. Make certain to properly replace and lock the operator's cover. If you feel it is necessary, you may want to wrap "bungy" cords or "duck tape" around the gate operator body to further secure the cover in place. DO NOT manually pull the pin to the arm connecting the operator to the gate as this is only for emergency opening of the gate in a power failure. Pulling the pins and not having the gate leaf attached to the crank arm can cause your gates to swing wildly in the wind. Unless you can securely tie back the gates, leave them attached to the arms and check to make sure the gate operator is anchored securely to the concrete pad; this will provide the best means to secure the gate leaf(s) in the open position and prevent them from disrupting traffic once the storm subsides.
- If you have a slide gate system, we suggest opening the gates and shutting off the power to the gate operator. They can be manually pushed open when power is turned off. Make sure the access panel to the gate operator is securely locked back in place. If you feel it is necessary, you may want to wrap "bungy" cords or "duck tape" around the gate body to further secure the access panel. If possible, you may wish to secure the gate leafs to the adjacent fence panels for additional support in the high winds. Finally, you should check to make sure the barrier gate is anchored securely to the concrete pad.
- Most gate operators are designed to stop the gate's travel and go into a "hard reset" condition when resistance pressure of greater than 40 pounds is encountered. As a result, gate operators will cease to function when the wind becomes too strong and will require a manual reset to put them back into operation. Also, the connecting arms can and do break in high wind conditions; both of these conditions can stop the gate leaf in the vehicle lane and will require your presence at the gate to resolve.
- If you have battery backup system on your operator, you must make certain to shut off both the regular power and the battery back-up power to the operator. If the battery back-up system is left on, the operator will continue to function and this may create a situation where the gate operator malfunctions and goes into a hard reset condition resulting in the gate then becoming a hazard as noted above.
- If your access control system has keypads or openings in the unit cases, you may wish to cover these areas with "duck" tape or other suitable coverings to prevent wind driven rain from entering the unit and damaging the electronics inside. You should will also need to verify that the power to these units is turned off; if the system uses "plug in" type transformers, simply unplug the transformer to kill the power and/or turn off the circuit breaker for the receptacles being used. As with the gate operators, if a battery back-up system is used with the access system, you will need to disconnect the batteries from the access system to completely power down the system. Finally, you should check any equipment mounting stanchions in the system to make sure they are anchored securely to the concrete pad or ground and that the devices mounted to them are securely attached.
- To be absolutely safe, power should be turned off at the devices/operators and at the breaker panel that feeds those circuits. By shutting off power at the breaker panel, you will minimize possible electrical surge damage; by also shutting off power at the device or operator, you prevent the system from coming back on if someone was to accidentally or intentionally reset the breakers. Making certain that the devices and operators have no power to them will also help minimize damage from lightning and flooding.