A gate that will not open is one of the most common electrical callouts in Johannesburg — and after years of load-shedding, the cause is usually simpler (and cheaper) than people fear. Here is how to narrow it down.
Start with the battery
Gate motors run off a small backup battery so they work during outages. That battery takes a hammering from constant load-shedding cycles and often fails within 1 to 3 years. The classic symptom: the gate works on mains power but dies the moment the power goes — that is a flat battery, not a dead motor.
Then check the power
If the gate is completely dead even on mains, check whether the circuit feeding it has tripped at the DB board, or a fuse on the gate's control board has blown. A gate on a shared or faulty circuit can lose power without you realising.
Motor and controller faults
If power and battery are fine but the gate hums, stalls or behaves erratically, the controller or gearbox may be at fault — that is where a gate specialist comes in.
Where we fit in
The electrical side — the dedicated supply, the circuit, the wiring and the battery — is the most common origin of gate failures, and it is exactly what we diagnose with fault finding. We will tell you honestly whether it is a quick battery or power fix or a job for a gate technician. Book a callout.