Why do gate & garage motor batteries keep on dying?

Why do gate & garage motor batteries keep on dying?

by: Dean Janse Van Vuuren
October 2022
0 comments

One of the more frustrating interruptions in daily life has to be a flat gate or garage motor. Not being able to leave your home during the bustle of a busy morning, or, even worse, being stuck outside after rush hour traffic, is far from ideal.

This leads us to question why these batteries can be so finicky in the first place, and if there is any solution to this problem.

Before we delve deeper into this problem, let’s get some basic understanding of how these batteries get their charge.

Gate and garage motor batteries are connected to mains power via their controller's charging system, meaning that they are constantly being charged when the electricity is on. Often, the cause of them dying so frequently is due to an inconsistent power supply.

Because gate and garage motors are limited by size constraints, they are not very high in capacity. This means that, without a source of charge, they will die after a few hours. Batteries under heavier use will also die much sooner.

When your power goes out, it goes without saying that life still needs to continue as normal. Most likely, there will also be more than one person needing to get in and out of your property on an ordinary day. This means that your battery still needs to meet its normal load requirements, despite going without charge for a number of hours at a time.

To make matters worse, more than one power outage during a day will mean that they will not have a full charge at the start of each load shedding session, so they will go flat even quicker.

Power outages can cause unexpected failure if batteries don’t charge sufficiently

Frequent power outages put more strain on batteries by requiring them to provide longer and more regular intervals of power.

This is not the only factor that contributes to battery failure during periods of frequent load shedding. The most frequently purchased gate and garage motor batteries are lead-acid batteries, which are compromised when drained to below 50% capacity. Even if they are recharged, frequently allowing these batteries to drain more than they should will compromise their lifespan.

How long should a gate motor battery last?

Under normal circumstances, a quality gate motor battery should last 2-3 years.

However, during frequent load shedding, the lifespan of a battery can be shortened significantly, with some batteries only lasting a few weeks to a few months.

How do you maintain a gate motor battery?

Using a solar charger

A solar charger can be used instead of a full-time connection to mains power. A small solar panel is connected to a controller, which is connected to the battery. The solar panel is able to draw solar energy during the day, which is then stored in the battery.

Because solar power will only be available during the daytime, the battery will still need to run off mains power at night. However, this is not usually as much of an issue, as a gate motor is generally used more during the day.

Connecting a battery maintainer

Connecting a smart charger to your battery, even in the absence of solar power, can do a lot to keep your battery from experiencing frequent low voltage.

A smart charger is able to ensure that your battery is fully charged, and then supply a continuous top up charge at a low voltage (in what is known as trickle charging). The charger itself will be able to keep charging your battery for some time during a power outage, preventing some of the damage associated with low charge.

Doing regular battery checks

Checking your battery regularly for the beginning signs of corrosion or swelling will help you diagnose any issues before they cause significant issues. Often, a good cleaning and a restorative charge can do wonders for a battery in the initial stages of damage.

Using the gate on manual during outages

In the absence of alternatives, it is always a good idea to turn off your gate motor during outages. This means that the gate will need to be opened and closed manually. Security risks can be mitigated by keeping the gate locked.

Is a garage door motor battery different to a gate motor battery?

Yes. The size difference between the average gate and garage motor means that a gate motor battery will generally be much larger and have a higher capacity. Gates are generally much bigger and heavier than garage doors, so a more powerful motor will be needed to move them. Because of this, the battery supplying the motor will need to be a higher capacity.

How will I know when the gate or garage door motor battery needs replacing?

It will be quite clear when your gate or garage door motor battery goes flat. What may not be so easy to determine is if the battery needs replacing, or if the problem may be attributed to something else, like the motor or the remote.

Look out for these signs to recognise when your battery may need to be replaced:

The gate or garage door:
- Does not open at all
- Opens partly and stops midway
- Displays irregular or jolting movements
There is corrosion on the battery terminals
The battery is swollen or emitting a bad smell

Once these signs have been observed, it will be important to test the battery to see if the battery is still able to hold a charge. The voltage on a 12V battery should never drop below 10.5V. If this happens, it is a good indication that your battery will need to be replaced.

If you do not have access to a multimeter or do not know how to use one, Battery Power-Zone offers free battery testing. Simply take your battery to our nearest branch, and one of our friendly consultants will assist you.

How is the gate motor or garage door motor battery charged?

As mentioned earlier, a gate or garage motor battery can be charged with mains, a solar charger, or a battery maintainer by connecting it to the gate or garage door controller. Either way, your battery will be drawing power from your chosen electricity source to keep it topped up.

How to reduce the chance of a flat gate or garage motor

Keeping your battery connected to an alternative charging source

Connecting a smart or solar charger to your battery will ensure that it is always topped up during periods of frequent load shedding.

A smart maintainer would be ideal, as this device would be able to slowly supply low levels of charge to keep your battery topped up. When your battery is full, the maintainer will know to stop charging it to avoid overcharging.

A nifty device like this goes a long way to keeping your battery at optimal levels of charge. The CTEK MXS5.0, for example, has this feature. It is ideal for lead-acid batteries between 1.2 and 110 Ah.

If you have a lithium-ion battery, the CTEK Lithium XS would be the perfect alternative. It also has smart maintenance functionality, and is suitable for batteries from 5–60Ah, up to 120Ah.

Connecting more than one battery

Installing an additional battery can give you more voltage or current, depending on whether you connect the batteries in series or parallel. This is, of course, dependent on your needs. We recommend consulting your sales rep about which option would be best for you.

There are other factors to consider here, such as whether the batteries come from the same batch. If not, this could cause load distribution problems.

Using a battery with a bigger capacity

If your battery casing and electrical specifications allow it, installing a battery with a higher capacity will give you more time in between recharges. This can buy you some time to boost your charge in between load shedding cycles to prevent your depth of discharge from dropping to unhealthy levels.

Change to a superior battery technology, especially lithium-ion

Lithium-ion batteries show consistent improvements on lead-acid battery technologies. They have improved discharge rates, longer cycles, and a longer lifespan. Lithium-ion cells are also able to pack more capacity into a smaller space, so you can get a lot more out of switching to lithium-ion for your compact gate or garage battery housing.

In summary, to maintain gate and garage batteries

While gate and garage motor batteries are often one of the first casualties of load shedding, there are remedies that can help you keep your batteries in good order.

With these tips, you can be assured that you have done your best to keep your gate and garage door battery running smoothly when you need it most.

For advice on the right gate or garage motor battery that you can trust, locate your nearest Battery Power-Zone here. For online purchases, visit www.batterypowerzone.co.za to find a battery that works for you.

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