Electric gate openers – DIY or pro?
05 January 2004, 12:24 PM
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Happy New Year you lot!
Anyone got any experience of electric gate openers – buying or fitting a kit, or paying for it to be done?
I’ve a pair of gates I want to open, and the wiring is already there. But I’ve had quotes of between 400euros for a basic DIY kit to 2000 for a pro installation (and labour costs here are dirt cheap, so most of that is for the kit). Why should I pay the higher price? The three brand names I’ve seen are Avidsen, Aprimatic and Ducati. I must say, Aprimatic seems to be the most organised, at least on the web.
Had a quick browse of Google and can’t really find much technical info that helps me rule out any of the DIY kits I’ve seen. I know I should be careful with my solid gates as high winds can catch them (though they’re in a pretty sheltered position), but otherwise buzzwords are thrown around like electromechanical, endless screw, hydraulic, without any explanation as to which is more desirable. All seem to feature manual opening for power cuts and “anti-crush” systems (if the gate hits an obstacle it stops, and perhaps reverses).
I get the feeling that I can buy pretty much anything and it should work, but if anyone can tell me that one design/brand is so much better than another, and is less likely to die three days after the 2-yr guarantee expires, then I’d appreciate it.
Many thanks
Brendan
Anyone got any experience of electric gate openers – buying or fitting a kit, or paying for it to be done?
I’ve a pair of gates I want to open, and the wiring is already there. But I’ve had quotes of between 400euros for a basic DIY kit to 2000 for a pro installation (and labour costs here are dirt cheap, so most of that is for the kit). Why should I pay the higher price? The three brand names I’ve seen are Avidsen, Aprimatic and Ducati. I must say, Aprimatic seems to be the most organised, at least on the web.
Had a quick browse of Google and can’t really find much technical info that helps me rule out any of the DIY kits I’ve seen. I know I should be careful with my solid gates as high winds can catch them (though they’re in a pretty sheltered position), but otherwise buzzwords are thrown around like electromechanical, endless screw, hydraulic, without any explanation as to which is more desirable. All seem to feature manual opening for power cuts and “anti-crush” systems (if the gate hits an obstacle it stops, and perhaps reverses).
I get the feeling that I can buy pretty much anything and it should work, but if anyone can tell me that one design/brand is so much better than another, and is less likely to die three days after the 2-yr guarantee expires, then I’d appreciate it.
Many thanks
Brendan
05 January 2004, 12:52 PM
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Brendan- I've had my electric drive-way gates fitted for 10 years now with not one problem.
Fadini are the makers of the kit, who according to the instruction booklet are an Italian company.
I sought professional help due to the wiring involved as I also had an outside/inside intercom and lights fitted at the same time.
There was quite a bit of fine tuning involved in getting a perfect open/close so i'm glad I had guys who do it everyday.
Once finished though they have performed impeccably.
During a power cut they can still be opened too.
Really it's up to you whether or not you tackle the fitting.
Brackets on your gates will need to be made with the correct alignment to fit the rams too, unless you are thinking of the underground kit.
Fadini are the makers of the kit, who according to the instruction booklet are an Italian company.
I sought professional help due to the wiring involved as I also had an outside/inside intercom and lights fitted at the same time.
There was quite a bit of fine tuning involved in getting a perfect open/close so i'm glad I had guys who do it everyday.
Once finished though they have performed impeccably.
During a power cut they can still be opened too.
Really it's up to you whether or not you tackle the fitting.
Brackets on your gates will need to be made with the correct alignment to fit the rams too, unless you are thinking of the underground kit.
05 January 2004, 01:21 PM
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Over Xmas I helped change the actuators on my Dad's electric gates which was fairly straightforward, although they are the underground type that turn the gates on a spline fitted to the shaft of the gate below ground level.
The worst part was figuring out the wiring, as they have radio open/close, hard wired open/close, proximity sensors to detect obstructions and induction loops under the ground to detect the presence of a car - i.e. quite a lot of wires!
The worst part was figuring out the wiring, as they have radio open/close, hard wired open/close, proximity sensors to detect obstructions and induction loops under the ground to detect the presence of a car - i.e. quite a lot of wires!
05 January 2004, 03:31 PM
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I've seen Fadini mentioned, I think in the same vein as Aprimatic.
Avidsen website under construction, Aprimatic seem multinational - have sent an email to their HQ in Italy to see what they can tell me about Lisbon dealers. They suggested it could be fiddly to fit and wire though.
Avidsen website under construction, Aprimatic seem multinational - have sent an email to their HQ in Italy to see what they can tell me about Lisbon dealers. They suggested it could be fiddly to fit and wire though.
05 January 2004, 05:07 PM
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