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Operating Temperature Range

The operating temperature of the Ghost Controls Automatic Gate Opener system is dependent upon a number of factors that you must consider:

  • Keeping your battery healthy and fully charged is the primary issue to solve.  Because the system is battery operated, you must maintain a fully charged 12V battery for the system to operate. As the temperature drops, so does the ability of the battery to deliver the maximum amount of current needed to operate your system. 
    • If your system is using the AC transformer to recharge the battery, then this should not typically be an issue until your battery has reached a certain age where it cannot maintain a full charge. At this point, all you can do is replace your battery.
    • If your system is using solar to recharge the battery, then keeping that battery fully charged becomes harder because the amount of sunlight hours tends to decrease as the days get colder.  You should keep your solar panel clean and it should get at least 5 hours of full sunlight.  The wired accessories you connect to the system can also increase the standby current draw of your system and may require you to add one or two additional panels to your system in order to keep the battery fully charged throughout all seasons. 
  • Maintaining the gate and hinges themselves in good working order is key to maintaining a healthy gate opener system.  Your gate opener system has been tested to comply with the current edition of the UL325 Safety Standard.  This safety standard limits the amount of force at the leading edge of your gate in both the opening and closing directions so you must maintain your gate in order for the automatic gate opener system to continue to perform as expected.
    • The gate must always swing evenly, level, not drag on the ground, and must NOT use a wheel for support. 
    • The gate cannot be used as a snow plow to move the snow out of the way.
    • The hinges must be lubricated routinely to maintain easy operation.  As the temperature drops, some lubricants get thicker and cause your gate to be harder to move.  We recommend you consider lithium based lubricants which tend to be less susceptible to increasing viscosity as the temperature drops.
  • The linear actuators designed and manufactured by Ghost Controls in the gate operator arms have a recommended operating temperature range of -5 degrees to +160 degrees Fahrenheit