Power To Auto-Gate Opener

[OkieNCognito]

Here's my situation: I've got an automatic gate opener but she says she's gonna divorce me if I don't come up with a better solution /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Option 1: run 800 ft of underground cable from the house to the gate.

Advantage: 1) I could also run an intercom wire at the same time. 2) may be cheaper in the long haul. 3) I'd have power available for Christmas lights.

Disadvantage: I have no idea how much this will cost (I would likely purchase and install the cable myself).

Option 2: install another pole and electric meter near the gate (power lines are right across the street).

Advantage: 1) Minimal underground cable for me to run. 2) I'd have power for Christmas lights.

Disadvantage: 1) The electric co-op has an $8.00 per month minimum for each meter so I'm guaranteed to pay an extra $8 per month the rest of my life. 2) No intercom to the house. 3) An unsightly telephone pole at the entrance to our property.

Option 3: Install a solar powered gate opener.

Advantage: simple solution

Disadvantage: 1) I'm not sure how reliable the solar powered openers are. 2) My entrance is totally shaded so I would have to install the solar panel at least 75 feet from the gate. 3) No power for Christmas lights. 4) No intercom system.

I'm just beginning to evaluate my options so I'm hoping to get a big jump-start from all the knowledge and experience at TBN. Having another meter installed seems easy, but how long would it take to recoop my initial cost if I run the cable from the house versus paying $8 @ month? /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

The attached photo shows our entrance. The house will sit where the pile of dirt is in the background (and I can't get that lazy chocolate lab to open and close the gate)

 

[justractors]

Seems to me you missed the simplest solution.
Build the house closer to the gate.

Bill

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Okie, I'm in the same boat as you. My gate is about 500' down the driveway. I've done a little research on the web looking for gate openers, and intercom systems.(still researching) I'm going to check around town with some of the elec. supply houses about the intercom, and maybe a video camera for the gate.

I've pretty much ruled out the solar power, so for now it's just going to be gathering prices and options. And the final cost of materials will determine when I do it.

If I find anything that maybe be helpful I'll post it back on this thread.

 

[Michael_S]

At my last place, our house was 450' from the road. I had a solar gate opener that worked without fail for 7 years. The brand was U.S. Automatic from Lewisville, Texas. At the time it was installed, all of the openers I looked at were the same in that solar or hard wired, the electricity source was only used to charge a deep cycle battery, not power the opening mechanism. The opener was inturn powered by the battery. The technology may have changed since then.
We ran a shielded cat5 line to the house for intecom and push button opening. Paid a contractor $50 to bury the cable into the ground with a walk behind machine similar to what the telephone company uses.

 

[Taz]

Out of curiosity can someone tell me why gates seem to be so popular in the midwest? Up here in the northeast they are pretty rare. In the picture in this post it seems like a pretty simple matter to drive around the gate 20 feet to the left. So what's the scoop?

 

[JoeR]

I have the same problem. I installed a GTO opener with solar power. Works great. Next problem is the intercom. I found Sentex has a system that can be connected in with your existing phone line. Your home phone rings when someone is at the gate, and if you do not answer it can auto forward to another number. This is my solution since my phone service comes right past my gate.

Good luck,

Joe

 

[bgott]

You'll have one he11 of a voltage drop over 800 feet. I ran the numbers on a voltage drop calculator, using 20 amps because I don't know how much juice a gate opener pulls and you said you'd like Christmas lights, your looking at # 2 wire to end up with a 4.42% drop at 120 volts. I wouldn't figure on less than 20 amps because even if you skip the lights you still might want to run power tools. etc. Three strands of #2 wire 800 feet long is going to cost you a bunch and I don't think they make a breaker that you could stuff it into. You could get away with stepping the ground conductor down a few sizes but that won't save you that much. With the battery driven closer 75 feet of run might drop enough voltage to rule out a solar panel and even if it works and you end up changing a battery a year it would be a wash against an $8 a month electric bill. Installing a pole and meter would be the cheapest initially and the most trouble free in the long run. No solar panel or battery to take a dump and you could run just about as many Christmas lights as you desire. You'd have dependable power to run a wireless intercom, also.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I think Brad hit all the bases. The telephone intercom is a very doable and common thing also.

Since you're so far from the gate and security might be a consideration the costs of video have came down tremendously lately. I haven't priced a system lately but a simple one used to be about five hundred dollars. That's one where on the intercom there's a minature camera.

Another option to think about is chances are you have a five pair buried telephone drop to the house. If you're typical you have three phone lines in use. That leaves you with four conductors sitting there doing nothing. What you do is you splice those at the telco pedestal to the drop going to the intercom at the gate and you have your video 24 seven.

The reason folks put in barrier gates like the one he has is the same as the reason you lock your car at the mall.

A long time ago I had a revelation or made an observation depending on your religious tendencies.

I noticed something about human nature.

A family finally gets ahead. They buy the five to ten acres in the country. They have their dream home built. They call me to fence the place in to keep in the cows and or horses.

It takes awhile to for me to do the job. There are only a couple of things that get me in a hurry. Folks in a hurry don't get me. But probably the most common complaint from the newbie country folks is how nosey they neighbors are.

I mean here they all have five maybe ten acres and they know everything about everybody. The newbies just don't get it. They moved to the country to get away from folks and now they're in the middle of the biggest bunch of gossipers they ever met.

A couple three years they call me back, almost always do, more fencing, another barn, etc. As we're going around the place they'll be updating me on all that's happened with the neighbors. I have to grin.

I don't know why but you folks into an apartment complex and they can't tell you what their neighbors drive or even how many kids they have. But you put them out into the country and they can darn near tell you not only how many kids they have but what they had for supper last night.

I don't know why. Just know that it seems to happen.

 

[RSeymour]

My gate opener is by OSCO. It is a 220 single-phase ½ hp. It’s max draw is only 5.1 amps. As the house is only 110’ from the gate I was able to use #10 wire. I forgot the cost, but getting the wire buried was an insignificant amount when compared to the cost of the 16’ gate, opener, and the in-house part of the wiring. If I ever want to do Christmas lights at the entrance, I will just use one leg of the 220 to an outside outlet mounted on the gate opener.

Because of the relatively short distance from the house we are able to use wireless openers. Have one in each car and a couple in the house.

Our gate is only closed at night, when we are gone, or both in the back yard working. Our gate is visible from the kitchen and breakfast room so we have yet to need a camera or intercom.

 

[soon2b8]

I also went with the GTO opener powered by solar. GTO (Gates That Open) is based in Tallahassee, FL. They also make the Mighty Mule brand opener. I have two 12 ft gates that are powered by two solar panels. THe solar panels sit under a large oak tree on the gatepost but they get enough light to power that gates without fail. I've had it now for three years and haven't had a problem (except for when lightning zapped that gate and fried the panel.....GTO replaced it no charge) I am in the process of building a new place with new gates...and plan on purchasing the same openers and solar panels.