Why UL 325 Guidelines Concern You

Let's find out what UL 325 is and why it concerns every homeowner with a gate! The Underwriters Laboratories 325 is actually a set of guidelines, which list the basic requirements for safe residential gate openers. New operators are tested in laboratories and they are either listed, which means they are approved as safe systems, or not for either home or industrial use. It's imperative that your swing gate operator or the opener of any gate type you might have installed should comply with these requirements for your own safety.

Make gate safety your priority

These guidelines explain what sensing entrapment devices are needed for each gate type and in relation with its application. Having inadequate safety systems might not save you from accidents. For this reason, openers must be chosen with attention and you must make sure gate opener installation is done in accordance with these regulations, too. Failure to follow these rules might lead to tragedies. The gate must not only stop when sensing obstruction but it must also reverse. People have been injured because their systems were operable only during the closing cycle. Other systems will just stop movement only in the opening cycle. Such systems are incomplete and not safe!  

In 1996 a man in California nearly choked to death when his jacket got caught in a steel gate cutting off air supply simply because the sensor device stopped movement but didn't reverse. The gate must reverse at least 2 inches when entrapment is sensed. Movement must not only be stopped but reversed in both opening and closing cycles. The sliding gate safety sensor must activate the opener whether the panel has come in contact with the entrapped person or object, or not.

Scarves, jackets, feet, little kids or even your car might be entrapped and the presence of such reversing devices will make a difference between life and death. So, it's important to choose the right systems as it is also crucial to make sure they are installed properly and never underestimate the value of electric gate repair. Good maintenance will only ensure that the right sensing system works at its best.