Electric gate opener

[hhfarang]

Does anyone have the phone number of a local company that installs/repairs electric gate opening/closing motors? I know there used to be one at the top of the escalator facing HomePro in Market Village but the missus says they are not there any longer.

[moja]

0865298222 This is the number for the salesman who works for the company that used to be outside Homepro. Sorry cannot remember his name but this is his current number as we called him recently.

[brianks]

You guys are not looking good enough. Gate opener booth has just moved to left of Home Pro when exiting. Booth is now up against the wall but rarely see anyone there.

Have one of their openers and extremely satisfied with the unit he installed at my home.

[hhfarang]

Thanks both Moja and brianks. We have them coming out this afternoon. For now I have an electrified stainless steel gate... maybe should leave it that way for security but I almost died today grabbing it and I'm afraid for the dogs that may lean against it...

[PeteC]

Thanks both Moja and brianks. We have them coming out this afternoon. For now I have an electrified stainless steel gate... maybe should leave it that way for security but I almost died today grabbing it and I'm afraid for the dogs that may lean against it...

Somewhere there should be an in-line breaker for the gate HHF, located before you get to your main breaker box which controls the entire circuit other things are probably on as well. My neighbor has one in a box right next to the motor. Pete

[hhfarang]

^ Thanks Pete, but I'm afraid to go near the thing now after my near death experience earlier. My hands and arms are still tingling after nearly 4 hours! The repairman is supposed to be here shortly...

[PeteC]

If there isn't a breaker near the motor, now is a good time to ask him to install one. It won't be expensive. Have him put it one of those small, plastic electrical boxes with a door. Next time if there is any kind of short and that alone doesn't trip the breaker, you can easily switch it off and cut all power to the motor and gate without disrupting any other things that may be on that circuit. Pete

[Nereus]

Thanks both Moja and brianks. We have them coming out this afternoon. For now I have an electrified stainless steel gate... maybe should leave it that way for security but I almost died today grabbing it and I'm afraid for the dogs that may lean against it...

Something seriously wrong with this. Even if the motor and or control circuit has developed a fault, it should not have electrified the actual gate. Are you sure a wire from overhead has not fallen down on it. Or, have the supply people been along doing any work in the street and reversed the polarity of the supply into you house.?
As Pete as mentioned, the supply should be on a breaker, even if there are other things on it. Keep trying each breaker until you find the one where the gate won`t operate with the remote, that should isolate it for now. And let us know what they find. Another case of shoddy installation work by the sound of it.

Jeez, it could have killed you!

[hhfarang]

Nereus, here's the full story. We left the house yesterday and when I tried to close the gate with the remote it just kept going forwards and backwards about six inches. I jumped out of the car knowing something was wrong and wanting to disengage it before the motor burned up, I ran into the house and got the "T" key that disengages the gate from the motor so that it can be opened and closed manually. I disengaged it but it still remains engaged with the gears that connect to the motor (though the gears are disengaged). I closed the gate manually and when it was almost closed I touched the steel post opposite the gate while touching the gate with the other hand and got a small shock. I then went inside and flipped the breaker off that I thought controlled everything in my front wall. We padlocked the gate and left.

When we got home it was dark and when I pushed the gate open (with one hand) I noticed sparks or fire flying from the gears in the dark, but didn't tie this to the fact that the gate was still hot...

This morning I went to go outside the yard and I firmly grabbed the gate and the post it locks into to separate them and got the shock of my life (could have been the shock of my death ) so then I went and threw all the breakers that have anything to do with outdoor lighting and that seems to have cut the power to the gate.

The gate motor was professionally installed by one of the best (according to recommendations) in Bangkok as they also were the ones who installed my home and wall alarm system at considerable cost. (nearly 1/2m baht for everything). I know this sounds a lot but we have an impressive system that covers a lot of openings plus beams around the perimeter of the 1.5 rai property and multiple sirens that will deafen you (along with multiple strobe lights that attract attention and disorient), unlike the wimpy ones I've heard on neighbors houses. When my alarm goes off all the soi dogs in Takiab and south Hua Hin start howling and everyone within a kilometer will have a splitting headache or at least an earache for several hours. With an XX million baht house and garden I did not skimp on the security system.

The entire system has worked well for 5 years until now.

[Nereus]

Have you got it fixed yet? If the fault was in the motor unit you should have got a wallop from that as well. (I have a similar unit on my gate, btw)

It does not matter much what you paid for the installation, or who did it. The fact is if the system was wired up with a correct grounding wire it would trip the breaker with any type of fault that you are describing. I guess that you have no way to test the frame or post with a voltmeter? It is possible that with all the recent rain a fault has developed that is putting voltage onto the gate, and it is not coming from your breaker. Any recent gardening or digging been done around that area?

[hhfarang]

No recent gardening or digging. The guy from inside HomePro (not the one that used to be outside) just came by and said the motor has a short inside and needs to be replaced at 24k baht...

I didn't decide yet as I want to check with the other one who used to be outside HomePro... anyone know his number?

[moja]

0865298222 This is the number for the salesman who works for the company that used to be outside Homepro. Sorry cannot remember his name but this is his current number as we called him recently.

This is the number for the company that used to be outside Home Pro

[Nereus]

No recent gardening or digging. The guy from inside HomePro (not the one that used to be outside) just came by and said the motor has a short inside and needs to be replaced at 24k baht...

I didn't decide yet as I want to check with the other one who used to be outside HomePro... anyone know his number?

I think that I would be trying to get an "electrician" to look at it, rather than somebody with a vested interest that wants to sell you a new motor. (if that is fact the problem)

Back to your previous post re who installed it. A device such as this, that is outside in the weather and open to the elements should be on its own dedicated circuit, AND protected with some type of safety device, such as an ELCB or better, a RCD, that will trip with any fault, especially one where somebody can touch the exposed metal of the device.

I have seen many examples of mixed circuits installed where the equipment should be on its own dedicated circuit, combined with a complete lack of ANY earthing (grounding) conductor. (mine is Thai style, as I bought the house already built) I have found that it is just impossible to convince some Thai, that knows better than any Farang, that an earthing conductor is just as important as a live conductor.

For evermore you are going to be very wary of going anywhere near that gate!

[Big Boy]

I think that I would be trying to get an "electrician" to look at it, rather than somebody with a vested interest that wants to sell you a new motor.

I think I'd agree. If you simply replace the motor, does that mean in a few years time (when maybe your heart is a little weaker) you can be electrocuted and die? Get somebody who knows what he's talking about, and ensure you eliminate any chance of a repeat incident.

[chopsticks]

From the description given it's likely that the motor casing had no effective earth/ground conductor fitted or it's resistance is too high. The gate post then acted as a substitute earth/ground rod when the motor became defective causing the steel gate to become 'live' and the current to pass through you and the gate post to ground.

If the gate is some distance from the house it would probably be easier to sink a separate earth rod near the gate and bond (connect) the gate metalwork and any other exposed metalwork nearby to it.

Also, make sure the circuit breaker is not over-rated for the circuit and fit a RCD/ELCB (similar to Saf-T-cut) as an extra precaution. The rest of the house including any exterior lights and sockets should be similarly protected.

Or consider changing to a low-voltage gate motor and exterior lighting system. If fitted with a battery back-up this is more convenient when there's a power cut.