Introducing “Gate Guy’s” Tips…
Hi
Folks!
Guy
Gates here with some helpful hints I would
like to share with you. I am sort of the PR
guy (no pun intended) here at Alltec
Industries. They call me “Gate Guy”
around this place when I am in ear-shot and
I’m sure they call me a few other things
out of ear-shot. But anyway, I was told my
duty of the day was to mention some ways you
might save yourself anxious moments when someone
walks into your office and wants to know,
“Why can’t I get in the
gate? I paid my @#$%^&* rent!!!”
So the word to the wise is… an ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of flesh. These
tips will also save you some $$$, hopefully!
Ok,
first of all, this page is not intended to
make gate guys and gals out of you. Rule
#1 is — you have to know your limitations.
That may go no further than knowing
who to call when your gate is not working.
You cannot start to imagine how many times
we get a call from a manager telling us how
the previous manager (who left in a huff,
or a black and white with flashing lights),
did a fast control, alt, delete to their maintenance
list. They didn’t even know who to call
when the toilet was plugged, never mind the
gate malfunctioning. Turns out they are located
in Mooselip, Tennessee and we are outside
of Boston. They found our 800# in the Messenger.
But at least they were smart enough not to
call their landscaper.
Please
feel free to email me with any questions you
might have to make your gate life a little
easier. I can put you in touch with some qualified
gate guys around the country. Even if we don’t
sell the product, I can probably tell you
where to get it. I might not be the brightest
bulb on the office tote board, but my price
is right.
I’ll
have some more tips next month. Hope you check
in. Enough said—let’s get started.
Guy
Gates
gateguy@alltecindustries.com
 |
Click
here to find out how
Dent & Dan solve their brick
paver problems...
|
P.S.
If I get any questions of general
interest, I will answer them here in my tip
page for all to see. I might
not personally know all the answers but I
have a few knowledgeable people that I can
call on, like the guys from the Dent &
Dan Fence Company. I know the bars they frequent
on rainy days. Even gate guys know enough
to stay out of the rain. |
Contact
& Manuals Tips...
#1
Know who to call in an emergency & have contact
information available. A list on the computer
is not good enough when the power to the facility
is out and you need the phone # of the electrician.
Make a hardcopy/ printout to keep in your file cabinet
OR keep an up-to-date Roladex card file handy.
#2
Keep equipment manuals in one place. Make
sure you have a section on your bookshelf or in your
filing cabinet with manuals of all your equipment,
especially your gate & access control equipment.
If you cannot find the manuals, obtain one from the
respective manufacturer. Also, obtain the name and
phone number of your local representative and keep
with your manual and with the contact list as mentioned
in Item #1 above.
Via telephone— call 411 or the 800 directory
assistance at 800-555-1212, or Lori at the Messenger,
or check your local yellow pages.
Via internet— ThomasRegister.com or your favorite
search engine, ie. Google.com, msn.com.
Equipment
Operation Tips…
Next, you’ll want to check the overall operation
of the various components of your gate and access
control system.
#3
Keypad
Wobbly mounting post — Push a code at the keypad
to operate the gate. Is the mounting post wiggly or
wobbly? If so, now you know why customers hit their
code wrong from time to time. Tighten the bolts or
add some washers to the bolts to make them tighter.
Or, sometimes a few washers under the base of the
post will help out.
Does your keypad have a LED display? — If so,
is the keypad light working so the tenants are not
just sending Morse code at night? Have a LED display
that tells the customer time/ date/ temp and the code
they just punched in. More than likely your display
might leak. A little clear silicone around the edge
of the display glass will probably stop the leak.
Fixing this problem yourself will most likely give
the manufacturer of that keypad fits because he was
counting on the service call to fix it which would
pay for his next Porsche tune-up!
#4
Wire/ Safety Loop Now look down on the ground.
Do you see any wires sticking there cute little selves
out? You do — uh-oh. Them there are your vehicle
safety loop wires. But don’t panic! If the gate
is working, they are probably all right. But, not
for long, trust me. Somewhere out there in that cruel
world there is “Loop Guy”. If you don’t
take care of those wires now, he will. He has his
$450 chop saw in his van with a $425 diamond blade
in it. And, he is going to pay for that with your
soon to be broken wires. Now that’s not the
worst thing in the world. It will be if he’s
busy and cannot get to you for the better part of
a week. Cutting vehicle loops is a dirty job. You
can fix them temporarily rather easily. A couple of
$1.98 tubes of asphalt or concrete sealant and a caulking
gun will do the trick. Carefully brush the dust and
dirt from around the exposed wires, especially underneath
them and gently push them back into the groove. Cut
the tube of sealant on a slant, puncture the working
end of the tube. Apply the goop and smooth out with
a stiff piece of cardboard. Reapply the goop if necessary.
Now your on a roll ,so check both sides of the gate.
Be sure to apply goop to small gaps in the pavement
as well. Don’t step in the sealant as it is
very difficult to get off and will track all over.
#5
Gate & Sign Appearance How does the gate
look? Do your signs look like they belong on the side
of the house that Jack built? Take them off and make
them right. Now that you have them off, why not paint
the gate. Curb appeal is a close second to location
in rent up. Try a rust inhibitive paint, a little
primer first will not hurt. When you put the signs
back on the gate, if you’re screwing them into
metal, a little silicone should be put on the screws.
This will help prevent water from getting into the
gate and causing rust.
#6
Gate Chain How is the chain on the gate?
Is it rusty and loose? Try to take up the slack and
put some roller chain lube on it. No WD40, no spray
silicone, no goose grease, no 3-in-1. ONLY use roller
chain lube. Local hog shops will have plenty of it.
Hardware store might have it. Gate Guy carries a can
in his lunch box on the back of his Schwinn. Alltec
sells it by the 6 can case right here on the website.
#7
Inside Keypad Now check the inside keypad.
You know the drill. Plus this was the keypad the manufacturer
was going to repair to pay for the detail job on his
Benz.
#8
Gate Operator Operate the gate a couple times.
Listen to how the gate operator sounds. You can sometimes
ward off a gate operator problem by how they sound.
Iknow, how are they supposed to sound? Some go clunkity
clunk by design, but chances are, if it’s working
fine now, clunkity clunk is not that bad. But some
day you might hear it go clunkity clunkity clunk clunk
bang. It might be time to call your local gate guy.
Also look on the ground around the gate and gate operator.
See any metal shavings? That’s a bad sign. Something
is starting to come unglued. Problem is it will probably
come unglued on a Sunday afternoon when you are ready
to leave the property, and gate guy is on his 2nd
well deserved six-pack watching the Darlington 500.
So, before that happens, you better find out where
the shavings are coming from and get it fixed pronto
Tonto.
#9
Never attempt to be “Gate Guy” yourself
Like I said earlier, never, never, never attempt to
be gate guy/gal yourself. You could get hurt or cause
the gate to really malfunction. And besides, gate
guys have to make a living also.
#10
Things you should know about UL325 This topic
is addressed in another section, CLICK
HERE.
