How We Work
Some gate jobs take one short visit; others take several days of posts, concrete, hanging and wiring. Either way the work runs in much the same order, and it often starts before anyone drives out.
Customers often send photos and measurements first. Useful ones: the whole gate, the hinges or rollers up close, the label on the operator and the width of the opening. Email them to office@bexleydoorsgates.com. With those in hand, we arrive with the right hardware and make fewer return trips. We also keep notes on each gate, which makes a repeat repair quicker when you call back.
The Usual Order of a Gate Job
A small repair may need only the first stage and the last.
- Site review. Posts or pillars, the slope of the drive, the soil, the nearest power and how often the gate will run. A repair starts at the hinge post or the track, where sag and drag usually begin.
- Design and material choice. Space decides swing or slide, and looks and upkeep decide iron, aluminum or wood. The operator is sized to the finished gate’s weight and length.
- Permits and utility marking. The city or township may want a permit, and an HOA may need to approve the design before anything is ordered. Ohio 811 must be contacted at least two working days before digging.
- Footings and installation. Posts go into concrete below the frost line, since a shallow footing in Ohio clay can heave in a freeze. Once it cures, the gate is hung or set on its track and adjusted to move true.
- Operator and safety device setup. The operator is mounted, the wiring runs in conduit, and the photo eyes, edge sensors and keypad connect to the control board, which is set for travel limits, obstruction sensitivity and auto-close.
- Testing and handover. Every moving part and safety device is tried under power before the owner takes over.
Checked Before We Leave
Much of what matters happens where no one is looking: at the bottom of a post hole, inside the control box, at the far end of a track. A gate can look finished and still have a post that will lean by spring, or photo eyes a few degrees out of line. So before we leave, we check:
- Posts plumb. A leaning post is where sag starts.
- A level hang. Level from hinge to latch.
- No sag or drag. The hinges or rollers carry the weight.
- Auto-reverse. The opener reverses when it meets an obstruction.
- Photo eyes. Breaking the beam stops the gate.
- Limits. Set correctly at both ends of travel.
- Manual release. It works, so the gate can be freed by hand.
- Battery backup. It holds when the power drops.
Billy Dean, who owns the company, expects every job to end with a full run of open and close cycles and the customer holding working remotes and codes.
Codes, Standards and Approvals
An automatic gate moves hundreds of pounds across a driveway, so it answers to more rules than a fence. Two industry standards cover the opener and the gate. The rest are state and local: utility marking, permits, HOA covenants and, on access roads, the fire department.
Older gates often fall short of the construction standard, with wide gaps near the ground, exposed rollers or a latch that sticks out. Fixing that comes before a new gate opener goes on.
| Topic | Rule or Standard | Who It Affects |
|---|---|---|
| Opener safety | UL 325, the operator safety standard: built-in reversing, monitored photo eyes or edge sensors, and usage classes from Class I (homes) to Class IV (secured sites). | Anyone installing or replacing an automatic opener. |
| Gate construction | ASTM F2200, the construction standard for automated gates: guarded rollers, screened openings, no protrusions, positive stops on slide gates. | The gate an opener will drive, new or old. |
| Digging | Ohio 811: at least 48 hours (two working days) of notice before digging, weekends and legal holidays not counted. Private lines go unmarked. | Whoever digs post holes or trenches, homeowners included. |
| Fence and gate permits | City of Columbus Building and Zoning Services, or the suburb’s own building department: permits, heights, setbacks and sight lines. | Property owners, front-yard and corner-lot gates most of all. |
| HOA approval | Covenants and architectural review: height, style, material and color, often approved before work starts. | HOA homeowners, and boards replacing an entrance gate. |
| Fire access | Fire code and fire department: a gate across a fire lane needs approval and a way for crews to open it, often a Knox key switch. | Apartment communities, HOA entrances and commercial lots. |
Questions About Permits and Concrete Timing
How long does a fence or gate permit take around Columbus?
It depends on the city and the season. Columbus reviews permits through Building and Zoning Services, and each suburb has its own office, review steps and backlog. A variance or an electrical permit for an operator adds time, and an HOA review runs on its own schedule. Ask the office for its current turnaround before you set an install date.
How long do concrete footings need before a gate is hung?
Concrete typically sets within a day or two but keeps gaining strength for weeks. A hinge post carries the leaf’s weight as leverage, so many installers wait several days before hanging a heavy driveway gate or bolting an operator to a fresh pad. A light pedestrian gate can usually go up sooner.
Does winter change how long the concrete needs?
Yes. Curing slows sharply below about 40°F, and concrete that freezes before it gains strength can be weakened for good. Winter work in central Ohio is still possible, with frozen ground thawed and fresh footings covered and kept warm, but expect a longer wait before the gate goes up.
Questions to Ask Any Gate Contractor
- Is the operator UL 325 listed, and for which class? A Class I residential operator does not belong on an apartment entrance.
- How is entrapment protection set up? Which zones get photo eyes, and which get edge sensors.
- Does the gate meet ASTM F2200? If not, what will it take?
- Who handles the permit, the HOA and Ohio 811? Settle it before anything is dug.
- Will you be shown the manual release? A power cut is a poor time to learn it.
- What does the handover include? Full cycles, safety devices tested in front of you, every remote and code working.