Your automated gate got hit by flood waters–now what?

The inside of a gate operator with dried mud all over the parts and components due to flooding

As most people know, the Midwest has experienced historical flooding this spring. The flooding caused (and is still causing) issues to homes, businesses and peoples’ lives. The cleanup is still in progress and American Access Company is still receiving calls from flood victims who cannot get their gate operators to work due to water damage. The flood waters rose over the gate operators and access controls and drowned for at least a few days at a time.

Once the flood waters had receded and residents were able to return to their homes and businesses, one of the first things that needed to be inspected, cleaned and repaired were their gates, operators and access controls. The pictures below show just how far the water was in the operator and the dried dirt and mud that the flood waters left behind.

The picture alone cannot fully portray the extent of the mud and water damage inflicted on these devices. This particular customer said that the flood waters rose up to five feet on their property, submerging their gate operator and access control devices. You can imagine how we sympathized with our customer’s misfortune. “The gate shut once but then I could not get it to do anything after that,” the customer said.

Reviving a drowned gate

Caked mud all over the gate operator motor

Our team at American Access Company was amazed that the gate moved at all, and we became more optimistic about the situation. Dried mud caked on the components and there were oxidized copper wires, but after cleaning these up with a brass wire brush, reinstalling and turning the power back on, the gate operator worked once again. This wasn’t the final solution, however. The gate did not work every time, but with a little more time and cleaning the gate came back to life. Note the motor in the operator did not sound as clean as it would have when it was new, but it was operational.

Flood damage and caked on mud in a gate operator from Midwest flooding

After several successful tests, it was then time to work on the drowned keypads. The light on the first keypad was still on and the it beeped when the numbers were pressed. Great! We were 1 for 2 at that point on the keypads. The second drowned keypad had a red light lit up as well. We pressed the first number and it worked perfectly. We pressed the second number one time, then a second time, but it did not work.

One non-functioning keypad would be easy to replace, but before we went ahead and ordered a new part, we took it apart and cleaned out the system. With some elbow grease and determination, we reversed the effects of the muddy water and the Linear AK-11 keypad worked once again.

American Access will help you recover

Gate operator mother board and wires covered in mud from recent historic flooding

If your property experienced flooding and now your automated gate isn’t working, all hope is not lost. Before you get ready to buy all new operators and access control devices, take a little time to clean them. Even if your device comes back to life, it’s important to note that the longevity of your device still took a hit, and your device will not last as long as a similar device that didn’t get submerged underwater.

If you would like help to see if your access control system can be salvaged, or if you need all new equipment, American Access Company would love to work with you. Submit an online request for a service call or to get a FREE estimate today.