Entrance gate opener doesn't work below freezing, any suggestions?

[Badger]

We have an automatic entrance gate across our driveway. It was professionally installed and I think it’s the pro version of the Mighty Mule. It’s run off of solar panels. It works quite well unless it gets close to freezing or below, and then it won’t open, or if it does open it stays open until it warms up.

Luckily, that isn’t very many mornings around here, but I’d love to get it working even in cold weather. The installer can never seem to get here when it’s cold to fix it, and I don’t want to pay for another service call. This is our second winter with the gate.

I know there are plenty of gate openers installed in colder climates, so I don’t think it’ normal for them to refuse to work when the temp drops into the low 30s.

Any ideas?

[connemarafan]

You said it’s run off solar panels and that it doesn’t work so well when it gets to zero or below, is this because of lack of sunlight to charge it up? Our gate has been doing this on very cloudy days, turns out it needs a replacement battery… Could your battery be faulty?

[Badger]

It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with sunny vs cloudy, it’s only related to temperature. Battery has been checked and is okay.

[tangledweb]

How old is it? The cold weather performance of batteries is the first thing to go on them as they age. Replacing that might be an easy fix.

Alternatively, is it just when you try to leave on a cold morning. The battery in the remote might not work in the cold at all. Storing the remote in the house could fix it.

[Badger]

This is only it’s second winter. It’s not the remote, it’s the gate. It tries to open, and can’t, or sometimes it does open but beeps it’s “Warning, I’m closing!” beeps in frustration and can’t close. If it doesn’t open to the remote, it also doesn’t open to the keypad or to the switch on the box itself.

[Valentina_32926]

Spray with silicon and make certain the “holes” in the plastic black housing - aren’t clogged. (Holes on bottom of housing.)

Our older model MM was doing the same thing. Turns out water had gotten inside - holes were clogged - the plastic container and rusted up the sliding mechanism. Silicon kept it going for a while but we just replace it since our farm is going up for sale and we wanted new owners not to encounter any issues.

[Badger]

We did spray with silicone when we first had problems but it didn’t fix it. Holes on plastic housing? I think the opener arms are metal, are you referring to the arms?

[clanter]

The Mighty Mules uses a 7 AmpH battery… it is an alarm system battery. Batteries lose ability as temperature drops at about 10% per 10 degrees from 72F

You might try a larger marine grade battery that has the addition mass and greater reserves

— there are few versions that use an even small battery that inside the arm which is more problematic

[Valentina_32926]

[QUOTE=Badger;7953589]
We did spray with silicone when we first had problems but it didn’t fix it. Holes on plastic housing? I think the opener arms are metal, are you referring to the arms?[/QUOTE]

No - plastic housing (bottom) which arms retrat into.

Clanter is correct - marine grade battery is what we use - lasts longer. My So also added 2 solar panels (we don’t have electricity up there and 2 solar panels can be aimed in different directions to capture more sun as sun’s position changes (a bit) based on time of year.

[jcotton]

Deep cycle marine batteries will last about two years with an occasional overnight recharge, if there is a heavy day of use and low or no sunlight conditions.
I have a solar panel with a deep cycle marine battery. I do not remember the brand of gate opener that I have. I was recommended not to get a mighty mule because it would most likely not be capable or durable.

[clanter]

[QUOTE=Valentina_32926;7968965]
2 solar panels can be aimed in different directions to capture more sun as sun’s position changes (a bit) based on time of year.[/QUOTE]

this arrangement should have bypass diodes installed on the panels, if not there will be a reduction in charge rate and possible early failure of the shadowed panel

see this link

http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/diode/bypass-diodes.html

[Alan_Shank]

Might Mule gate opener freezing

To Badger: I was wondering did you get the freezing gate opener solved? I had one installed in November and immediately started having trouble with it freezing and not working.

[Badger]

I did! I called the manufacturer and they asked where the battery was. I told them it was a marine battery sitting in a plastic battery box sitting on the ground. That was how it was professionally installed. And that was the problem. The manufacturer told me to raise the battery off the ground. We got a $1 plastic step stool and put the battery on that in the same location. Gate has worked on cold mornings just fine ever since.

I am DONE with the installation company who couldn’t help me after several expensive trip charges to try to find the problem…