In short:
- A pedestrian gate is the small walk-through gate beside the driveway or in a complex wall. Most faults come from the gate swinging out of line, not from the lock itself.
- Electric gate locks behave differently when the power goes off. A "fail secure" lock stays locked; a "fail safe" lock opens. Know which one you have before the next power cut.
- In a sectional title complex the shared gate is a matter for the trustees or managing agent. Report it to them rather than arranging work on your own.
- Don't tie the gate open, wedge the latch or spray random products into an electric lock. These turn a small adjustment into a repair.
Your own gate or the complex gate?
"Pedestrian gate" covers two quite different set-ups, and the advice depends on which one you're standing at.
- A gate in your own boundary wall or palisade. Usually a steel gate on two or three hinges with a key-operated gate lock, sometimes a slam latch, and sometimes an electric lock tied to an intercom. It's your property, so you decide what gets repaired.
- A shared gate at a complex, cluster or block of flats. Usually fitted with an electric lock released by tag, remote, keypad or intercom, plus a mechanical key override and often a gate closer that pulls it shut. Everyone uses it, which means it wears faster, and it belongs to the scheme rather than to any one owner.
For a shared gate in a sectional title scheme, take the fault to the trustees or the managing agent first. The Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act puts a duty on each owner to repair and maintain their own section; the shared walls and gates are a body corporate matter, and the trustees will want to approve who works on them and how the cost is handled.
What the gate is telling you
Most pedestrian gate complaints fall into a handful of patterns. Match yours below before calling anyone, because it narrows the cause a lot.
| What happens | Usual cause | Lock or gate? |
|---|---|---|
| Gate swings shut but bounces back and doesn't catch | Latch hitting the edge of the keeper; closer set too weak or too fast; gate has dropped on its hinges | Mostly the gate and closer |
| Latch seems to catch, but a push opens the gate | Electric lock not getting power, or a fail-safe lock that has lost power; worn latch tongue; keeper bent outward | Lock or its power supply |
| Intercom or tag clicks, but the gate won't release | Latch is under load because the gate is pressing on it; coil or wiring fault; mechanical part seized | Either; test by pushing the gate closed while someone releases it |
| Key turns, but the bolt doesn't move | Broken link between cylinder and lock body; cylinder loose in the case | Lock |
| Key is stiff or won't go in all the way | Dust and rust in an exposed cylinder; worn key; wrong key | Lock |
| Gate scrapes the paving or needs lifting to lock | Hinges worn, gate post moved, gate frame bent | Gate |
Notice how often the gate is to blame. A latch is a small part trying to catch a heavy steel frame. If the frame drops a few millimetres, the latch rides on the edge of the keeper instead of dropping into it, and the lock gets the blame.
Electric gate locks and power cuts
Many complex gates, and plenty of home gates with intercoms, use an electric lock. The lock is held or released by a small electrical signal, and what it does when that signal disappears is decided by how it's built:
- Fail secure: locked when power is removed. Power is applied to unlock. The gate keeps the street out during a power cut, but residents need the mechanical key override to get through.
- Fail safe: unlocked when power is removed. Power is applied to lock. People can always get out, but the gate is open to anyone until the power returns.
Access-control maker CDVI points out that electric strikes are often fail secure, while electromagnetic locks are generally fail safe as standard. Neither is "wrong"; it's a choice between keeping people safe and keeping property secure, and on a gate that's also an escape route, that choice should be made deliberately.
Some electric gate locks also have a "security" setting that only opens when the electric signal and a push or pull on the gate arrive together. Italian maker Viro describes this mode on its V06-WB gate lock and advises against using it with a door closer. If your gate only opens when you lean on it while someone presses the button, that may be how it's set up rather than a fault, so check before calling it broken.
The same Viro product page notes that the profile cylinder for the manual key isn't supplied with the lock. In practice that means the key override on a complex gate may be a separate, ordinary cylinder that's had years of rain and dust without anyone using it. Try the override key now and then, not only on the night the power goes off.
Checks you can safely do
None of these involve taking anything apart or touching wiring.
- Watch it close. Let the gate swing shut on its own. Does the latch drop cleanly into the keeper, or hit the edge and bounce?
- Look at the keeper. Shiny scrape marks on one side show where the latch is rubbing. A bent or loose keeper plate is common on gates that get slammed.
- Lift the gate gently. If it locks easily when you take some weight off, the hinges or the post are the problem.
- Test with the gate open. On a key-operated lock, turn the key with the gate open. If the bolt moves freely, the lock is fine and the alignment is not.
- Ask a neighbour. At a complex, find out whether other residents' tags or remotes work. If nobody's do, it's the system, not your tag.
- Check for power. Is the intercom screen or keypad lit? Is there a power cut in the area? A dead keypad usually means a supply problem rather than a lock fault.
- Record it. A short phone video of the gate closing and the release being pressed shows a technician more than a description does.
Habits that make it worse
- Tying or propping the gate open. It's tempting when the lock is giving trouble, but it leaves the property open and strains the hinges and closer.
- Taping or wedging the latch so the gate "closes" without locking. Residents assume it's secure when it isn't.
- Slamming harder. Each slam bends the keeper a little further and loosens the lock in the gate frame.
- Spraying whatever is in the garage into the lock. Lubricants and water-displacing sprays don't belong near an electric lock's coil or contacts. Mechanical gate locks also have their own care instructions. Follow the lock maker's guidance, and if you don't know who made it, leave it for the technician.
- Forcing a stiff key. A key snapped in an outdoor gate cylinder adds a broken key extraction to the repair.
- Adjusting the closer or the wiring yourself on a shared gate. On common property, leave that to whoever the trustees appoint.
Complex gates: reporting it and getting it fixed
At a shared gate, work through it in this order:
- Report it to the managing agent, trustees or the estate's security, with your video or photos and when it started.
- Say whether it's stuck locked or stuck open. A gate nobody can get through is urgent for residents and visitors. A gate that won't lock is urgent for security. Both need to be dealt with promptly.
- Separate the electrics from the lock. If the intercom, keypad or power supply is dead, the access-control or gate-automation installer is the right first call. If the power is fine and the lock itself won't catch, release or turn, a locksmith can deal with the lock, keeper and cylinder.
- Get the go-ahead in writing if you're the one arranging the work on the scheme's behalf, so there's no argument later about who authorised it.
If you're locked out of the complex rather than dealing with a faulty gate, our guide to being locked out of a flat or complex unit covers the steps.
When to call a locksmith, and what to send
Call when the lock itself is the problem: the key won't turn with the gate open, the bolt doesn't respond to the key, the latch tongue is worn or broken, the keeper is damaged, or the override cylinder is seized. Our lock repair service covers repairing these, and if the lock is beyond repair we'll quote for a replacement gate lock. If you're also thinking about chains and padlocks for a second gate, see choosing padlocks for gates and burglar bars.
Helpful things to send on WhatsApp:
- a photo of the whole gate, closed, showing the hinges and the gap at the lock side
- a close-up of the lock and the keeper on the post
- whether the gate has an electric lock, intercom or closer
- for a complex: who is authorising the work, and how the technician gets in
We're a fully mobile locksmith in Johannesburg, open 24/7. There's an R250 call-out, the technician quotes on site before any work starts, and nothing is done until you agree. You can pay by EFT, cash or card.
Questions
The gate opens if I just push it. Is the lock broken?
Not necessarily. Check whether it has an electric lock and whether there's power. A fail-safe electric lock releases when power is lost, so a push opens it. If the power is on and a push still opens it, the latch may be worn or the keeper bent, which needs a repair.
Who pays to fix the pedestrian gate at my complex?
That's for the body corporate to decide under its own rules, so ask the managing agent or trustees. A shared gate is not normally one owner's responsibility, and arranging work on it without their approval can cause disputes.
Can I lubricate my gate lock myself?
Only with the product the lock maker recommends, and never into an electric lock. If you don't know who made the lock, leave it alone and ask the technician to look at it.
Need a locksmith to look at it?
If this hasn't solved the problem, our lock repairs service covers it. We're a mobile locksmith in Johannesburg, so we come to your door.
Sources and further reading
- CDVI: Fail safe or fail secure? — definitions of fail-safe and fail-secure locks and their behaviour when power is removed
- Viro: V06-WB electric lock for gates without rebate — example electric gate lock: security mode, door-closer advice, cylinder not supplied
- Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act 8 of 2011, section 13: Duties of owners (Acts Online) — owner's duty to repair and maintain their own section