The garage door is the largest moving object in any household. This is unless you have front doors similar to the gates of heaven. A garage door can be a bit too heavy to open and the effects of opening it manually can be felt if you do it frequently. The same is the case with your gate. If you have a very large gate, you might need some assistance opening it. Of course, there is the option of hiring a gatekeeper who will open the gate for you whenever you enter or leave, but you can also have it automated.
With the rate of technological development that the world is enjoying currently, you should not have a problem automating your gate and garage door. You can buy some really powerful garage door and gate openers right from the comfort of your home. The internet has a whole lot of options for you to select from. The biggest problem is often selecting the right one for your home. You can check out the elements that are most important when you are selecting an electric gate opener. They are basically:
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Type of gate- do you have a swinging or sliding gate?
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Length of the gate in the case of sliding gates
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Number of swinging parts in the case of the swinging gates
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Weight of the gate
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Size of the columns the gates are attached to
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Power options
How many power options are available?
To a majority of people the main option of power for the gate opener is the electricity supply to their homes. There is absolutely no problem in that but this can be a source of many other problems. What happens when there is a power outage in your home? Does it mean that the gate will not be opened? This is a possibility. There are some openers that might render the gate stuck if there is a power outage- not so convenient anymore.
There are basically three power options available for you to work with. If you can get all three of them for your gate or just any two of these options then you will be good to go. There is the AC power supply aforementioned. This is practically compulsory so do not leave it. Nonetheless you should have backup power in the event that the AC power is not working.
This brings up to the DC and solar energy. There are some gate openers that can be battery operated. Of course it is not the small batteries in this case. You will need a sizeable battery perhaps that of your car. This is a good backup but then too costly considering that you will not be using it all the time. This is why solar power is great. You can use solar power to heat your home, boil water and also open the garage door and electric gate. It goes without saying that if you got AC and solar power for your garage door then you are good to go.