Aluminium Gates are virtually maintenance free, unlike steel gates, which require continuous upkeep, such as rust protection & painting on a regular basis. Wooden gates not only need staining / uv protecting regularly but are prone to more serious problems such as swelling, warping & rotting.

All Horizal products are subject to a rigorous QC system and are factory-tested prior to despatch & fully CE Marked. They are all designed with the possibility of dismantling and replacing sections or items in the event of damage. Manufactured to the highest possible standard, c/w heavy-duty extruded framework, infill panels and reinforcement for automation, guaranteed for 5 years. All products are finished & protected with an internationally recognised process called “Qualicoat”, offering a robust outer coating, guaranteed for 10 years.

Planning permission, It is a possibility, but not very common. If you live in a conservation area, have a Grade 1 or Grade 2 listed building, or if in any doubt whatsoever, we would always recommend that you check with your local planning department.

If you would like to contact us it always helps if you can send us imagery of the site, roughly what you are looking for and approximate dimensions, via email. This would allow us to give you an indication of costs prior to us meeting with you to finalise everything. From the date of survey we endeavour to e-mail a written quotation within 2-3 days.

More often than not it is all dependant on various circumstances that would help you make this decision. For instance, if you do not have enough room to close a swing gate/s once you have parked your vehicle on the driveway, you may wish to consider a sliding gate, although you must have enough room for this to fully open into. Some customers prefer a sliding gate & others swing gates, although by sending us imagery on e-mail or visiting you at your property, we would be able to advise you of the best solution.

We would need to establish if your existing piers are strong enough to withstand any “potential wind loading” or “gate weight” when operational, which may adversely affect them. If there is any doubt in our minds, we would recommend either rebuilding stone or brick piers with suitable steel reinforcement, or installing new steel posts either between or behind an existing pier to independently take the weight of the new gates.

Safe and reliable gates are a necessity in the UK, of course your gate can be automated and by discussing various options, we could tailor-make a full working system to suit your exact requirements. All Horizal gates have solid infill frames for the equipment to attach to, ensuring strength when operational in adverse weather conditions. Following a full risk assessment by our experts, we install all necessary safety devices such as photocells, safety edges or loop detectors to make sure there is no possibility of vehicle, human or animal entrapment whatsoever. Not only this, we force-test the gates, CE mark the system and issue handover certification with how to use the system in a safe way. Automatic gate systems should give you many years of satisfactory service and by choosing a reputable company such as ourselves, we offer a full warranty for 12 months from installation completion, with a yearly Service & Maintenance contract offered after that, to give you complete peace of mind.

If in the event of a power cut to the gates, there is a manual release mechanism on all motors, allowing you to disengage this using a key & open or close the gate manually. Once the power is restored, the motor can be re-engaged and the gates will work automatically again. It is very important that these manual release mechanisms are serviced on a regular basis, to prevent them from seizing and not releasing, leaving you “locked” in or out of your property. At handover of any new installation, our engineers will hand over the manual release key (which should be kept in a safe place) & show you what to do as part of your training.

How secure will my gates be? It is important to understand that the primary application of automatic gate operators is for convenience of use. You cannot assume that the gate will automatically be secure and if this is an important factor you may want to add an additional locking device. If you feel that even this may not be enough, adding an automated rising bollard, in front of the Gates, capable of withstanding significant vehicle impact, may be be more appropriate.

Generally speaking hand held remote transmitters can work from 20 to 30 metres away from the Gates.

Remotes (fobs, zappers, clickers, blippers etc.) work on a radio wave frequency and actual range will depend on various local environmental factors such as trees & foliage, stone walls, overhead electricity, heated car windscreens & weather conditions. An additional radio antenna can be fitted which can, in most cases, offer extra range. To avoid having different transmitters for any other remotely controlled devices within your property, the other buttons may be programmed to open a second gate, a garage door or even operate outside lighting. Each extra device will need an additional radio receiver installed to accept the same remote control transmitter.

You would automatically receive two hand held remote transmitters for opening and closing your gates. These are normally attached to your car-keys to operate from a vehicle and you would have an option to purchase more of these for other members of your family. As for additional access control equipment, you would need to talk to us about who you want to let in or let them out again and identify primary, secondary, unexpected or other users. Primary users are you, your family, close friends and relatives. All could have remote controls or there are other options to consider.

By installing a Keypad, you could issue a 4-digit code to trusted persons such as close neighbours, postmen or regular delivery / collection companies. For less secure situations the gates can be held open on a ‘timed’ basis, during key periods of daylight hours and programmed to close in the evening, in very much the same way as you would operate your central heating.

By installing an intercom (with or without a keypad) – This would allow you to identify a person before deciding whether or not to let them in, issue the keypad code to trusted persons which can be changed for security and is ideal for identifying unwanted or unexpected visitors. We have a large range of options such as GSM, video, wireless & hard-wired types and our team of experts would explain all of their different benefits.

When leaving your property you can open your gates via your remote transmitters, your internal intercom handset or you may also wish to consider a ground loop on the inside of your property which automatically recognises the magnetic field & direction of a vehicle for free-exit. A standalone keypad should your gates be programmed to automatically close, is a also popular option for visitors leaving.

Yes we do, in fact gate repair is a very important part of our business. We have dedicated service and repair engineers to ensure your system is maintained to a high standard and offer 24hr call-out 365 days of the year! To ensure that the system is kept in good safe working order, we can offer you a service and maintenance contract in the first year & send you an annual service reminder letter, to continue with this.