Winter comes with a variety of harsh weather conditions. From the deep cold and heavy snow falls to the increased humidity and ice accumulation, Canadian winters can impact many aspects of your property, including your commercial gates. 

Preparing your commercial property to deal with the realities of the colder months takes a good understanding of how the weather can affect each component of your gate and how to stay ahead of the wear and tear. To protect gate performance, reduce costly repairs, and keep your property secure during winter, preventative maintenance is crucial.

Common Issues That Come with Winter

Winter conditions can create a range of operational problems for commercial gates. Some of the most common include:

The Gate Isn’t Opening or Closing Properly 

When the temperatures start to fall, you may notice your gate failing to open or close fully, a problem that may be the result of a few different causes. It’s common for ice and snow to build up in key areas along the hinges or the movement path, preventing the gate from moving normally. Additionally, internal condensation can also freeze your gate operator, causing further issues. Clearing the ice and snow is a key maintenance task to avoiding this, but gate heater or insulated covers can also be installed to help prevent freezing components. 

Gate’s Movement is Slow or Delayed 

If you’ve noticed that your gate’s movement has slowed down as winter sets in, and snow or ice buildup isn’t the culprit, the hydraulic fluid needed to move your gate may be the cause. In colder temperatures, the viscosity of the fluid increases, making it more difficult to move through your gate’s hydraulic system. For a gate that can move fluidly even in colder temperatures, consider using a High Viscosity Index (or HVI) oil, a special type of hydraulic fluid engineered to maintain its thickness in extreme weather temperatures. 

Your gate’s motor may also be struggling due to a cold battery. Batteries operate by creating a controlled chemical reaction, which is converted then into energy. In lower temperatures, that chemical reaction is slowed down, making the battery less effective. The effects can extend to your access control systems, leading to people potentially being locked out as the system no longer responds to remote, keypad, or access app. Counteract the effects of the cold by using a protective box for your motor; this helps keep your battery charged even in subzero temperatures.

Gate Stops or Reverses Midway 

During the winter, ice and snow can build up on the safety sensors. The sensors read this as an object being in the way of the gate and activate, causing it to stay open longer than necessary or opening when it shouldn’t, which is a big security vulnerability. Alternatively, if the gate encounters resistance from snow and ice in the tracks, the opener may interpret that as an obstruction and reverse course. 

Clearing the tracks can be as simple as shoveling or brushing snow off before it accumulates. If you want to be proactive about it, you can use salt or sand to prevent ice buildup. When it comes to the more delicate sensors, clearing snow and ice is a job best left to professional maintenance technicians to avoid inflicting permanent damage. A proactive solution is to install a small canopy over the sensors to keep the snow off of them. Keeping the tracks and sensors clean is a crucial maintenance task to ensure your gate opens and closes only when it needs to.

Rust and Corrosion Are Causing Damage 

With winter comes moisture. Whether you’re in rainy Vancouver, snowy Winnipeg, or anywhere in between, a wet winter can lead to rust and corrosion in the many components of your commercial gate. If you use a de-icing product, it can make the corrosion even worse. Rust and corrosion eat away at the metal in your gate, weakening it. If you don’t act, the rust will damage components beyond repair, causing extra costs for you and leading to a vulnerability in your security perimeter. 

Why Choose Professional Preventative Maintenance

Preventative maintenance is an investment in peace of mind. Making that investment for your commercial facility allows you to prepare your gate for the colder month ahead and to be aware of potential problems before they turn into expensive repairs and downtime. When a professional maintenance technician examines your commercial gate, they’ll note any damage that might go unnoticed by the untrained eye. Components that are inspected include all electrical connections, moving parts and mechanical parts, plus manual release, obstacle detection, and auto-reverse functions. That gives you a chance to rectify any issues before you experience easily avoidable disruptions, security breaches, and safety lapses. 

Maintain Productive Uptime

In any busy property, the commercial gate is a key artery for employees, visitors, and customers to come and go on your property. However, production can grind to a halt when that fluid movement of goods and personnel stops because of a stubborn gate. To maintain uptime, staying ahead of the issues that winter inflicts on your commercial gate is crucial. With a thorough preventative maintenance inspection for your commercial gate, you protect your operations and stay as productive throughout the coldest months as you do the rest of the year. 

Keep Your Property Secure

The purpose of a gate is to provide security, prevent unauthorized access, and give occupants peace of mind. However, cold weather can affect its operation, causing your gate freezes in an open position and leaving a massive vulnerability for unauthorized parties to exploit. Preventative maintenance helps reduce the risk of your gate freezing by inspecting all components and making sure they are winter-ready. 

Prevent Accidents and Improve Safety

All your property’s occupants, whether employees, visitors, customers, or tenants, deserve to have safe access at all times, and taking care of your commercial gate shows that you make their safety a priority. A gate that’s not operating correctly can pose a safety risk to anyone trying to pass though, such as trying to close prematurely and colliding with a vehicle or pedestrian. Additionally, the presence of ice and snow makes for a slipping hazard, which could lead to cars skidding into the gate or people falling as they try to walk through. Being proactive with your maintenance ensures that your gate can operate properly throughout the winter and that all occupants of the property get the safe experience they deserve. 

Call Creative Door Services for Preventative Maintenance During Any Season

At Creative Door Services, we bring more than 55 years of experience to every preventative maintenance job we take on. Our elite team of maintenance technicians have serviced and maintained commercial gate and entry systems of all kinds and are at your service to get your gate ready for whatever winter throws at it.

With several convenient locations throughout Western Canada, in Kelowna, British Columbia; Vancouver, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta; Fort McMurray, Alberta; Regina, Saskatchewan; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; and Winnipeg, Manitoba, we are ready to get your commercial gate winter-ready, no matter what winter looks like where you are. Contact your nearest location today.