Gate motor not working after load shedding

• The gate stopped during an outage, or works for a while and then dies: the battery has run out. See during an outage.
• The power is back, but the gate still won't work: the motor isn't getting its supply, the battery is too flat to move the gate yet, or something was damaged when the power returned. See after the power returns.

The motor's own signals usually tell you which. Count the beeps or the status light's flashes before you do anything else.

In a power cut, your gate runs entirely on its battery, and every opening takes something out of it. A healthy battery on a gate that slides easily gets through a typical outage comfortably; a tired battery, a stiff gate, or outages so close together that the battery never fully recharges can't. Our guide to how long a gate motor battery lasts has the makers' figures.

When the battery gets too low, the motor protects it. Centurion's D5-Evo closes the gate and shuts down below 10.5 V, and the D10 below 21 V, until the power returns and the battery recovers. A gate that stops in the closed position during a long outage is usually doing exactly that, and you'll need the manual release to get out.

If the mains-off signal is still showing after the rest of the property has power back, the motor's own supply hasn't come back. That's the first thing to check.

Work through these in order:

1. Is the motor's supply back? The mains-off signal, or no light on the charger (Centurion's chargers have a red light for mains), means it isn't. Check the motor's plug or isolator, and whether a breaker or earth leakage tripped when the power came back. If a breaker trips again as soon as it's reset, stop: that's a fault, and wiring is a job for a registered electrician.
2. Give the battery time. After a long outage, a battery may be too flat to move the gate for a while even with the mains back. ET advises at least 8 to 10 hours of uninterrupted charging after a low-battery warning before judging it.
3. Re-engage the motor if you released it during the outage. A motor left released runs without moving the gate.
4. If it's still dead, with the supply on and the battery charged, suspect damage from the return of the power. That's one for us.

The moment the power returns can bring a spike with it, and gate motors sit at the end of long cables, close to the street. Centurion builds surge protection into its controllers, but is careful about what it promises: it greatly reduces the chance of damage from a surge or lightning, without ruling it out, and it only works if the motor is properly earthed. ET, for its part, lists damage from high-voltage surges on the household mains, along with lightning, among the things its factory cover doesn't include.

Signs of surge damage are a charger with no light though the mains is on, a controller that's dead or behaving erratically, or a burning smell. We test the charger and controller and replace only what's failed. Adding surge protection to the household supply is a job for a registered electrician.

A spike on the household mains doesn't stop at the gate. If the fridge, washing machine or oven also stopped working when the power came back, that's a job for an appliance repairer rather than for us: pink ideas repairs fixes household appliances across Johannesburg.

• A healthy battery, tested before the outages start rather than after the gate dies. Centurion expects at least three years from a maintenance-free battery; an older one may not cope with repeated outages.
• A gate that slides easily. A stiff gate drains the battery far faster.
• Time to recharge. Keep openings to what you need during an outage, and give the battery the hours it needs afterwards.
• A properly earthed motor, so its surge protection can work.
• A key you can find, for the manual release.

Whether surge damage to a gate motor is covered depends on your insurer and your policy, and the wording differs from one to the next. OneCompare has answers to common questions on is load-shedding damage covered? if you're looking into it. This is general information, not insurance advice.

On the job card, say what the motor's light or beeper shows, whether the rest of the property has power, and whether the gate can be secured. A gate that won't close is covered by our 24/7 emergency repairs across Gauteng. All our spare parts are genuine, and every repair comes with our six-month guarantee on our repairs. No call-out fee when we do the work. If no work is done, a R650 call-out fee applies.