Planning For a Gate
Working out your layout and where best your gate is positioned can be a bit tricky or confusing if it’s your first project. In reality, depending on which hinges you choose, following our guidelines for each configuration will remove all the uncertainty. Hinge and gate panels contain pre-drilled fixing holes which need to be allowed for, so your measurement needs to be accurate.
The Importance of Planning
It’s best with most fencing projects to install the gate or gates last - so the alignment of this smallest and adjustable panel is easier. Because of this, measuring and marking out the job before ordering and installing is critical to a perfect looking and functioning barrier. Rather than just measuring each run and approximating where all the panels and gaps will be, marking out the actual ground area will assure no mistakes can occur, even when installing different widths of panels on longer runs.
What Can Go Wrong?
As with the gaps in the rest of the project, if an insufficient gap or one too large is left for the gate, its latching mechanism won’t operated properly and the hinges simply won’t fit. Errors tend to build up when installing a fence – if you start out only 5mm out at the start of a run, more small errors could mean you have a 15mm wider or narrower gap at the end.
Tips
- Incorporating a gate into your pool or balustrade is best discussed with our office before ordering your hardware
- Whilst it’s important to be as accurate as possible during the marking out and installation process, the vital dimension is the one at the hinge
- It’s acceptable to end up with a few millimetres discrepancy at the latch because the gaps of the neighbouring panel/s can be adjusted to accommodate the difference
- If fine adjusting of the regular panels, be sure not to increase a gap to measure MORE than 100mm, the regulated maximum allowable gap
- Don’t forget that the gate has to SWING OUT from the pool area when planning
- The latch panel ALWAYS has a 9mm gap
- Consider walk-ways and furniture placement close to the gate. As the gate swings out, it could encroach on the space.
Planning the Layout of Your Pool Fence Gate
Spring Hinge, Glass-to-Glass:
TOTAL GAP: 24 + 9 = 33mm
Spring Hinge, Round Post:
TOTAL GAP: 24 + 9 = 33mm
Spring Hinge, Wall or Square Post:
TOTAL GAP: 34 + 9 = 43mm
Polaris Hydraulic Hinge:
TOTAL GAP: 5 + 9 = 14mm
Whether your chosen hinges are spring self-closing or hydraulic soft-close, as long as the gate closes by itself from ANY angle and opens OUT from the pool area, your pool inspection will be passed!
See how a factory applied EnduroShield coverage can save you up to 90% of your glass panel cleaning time here.
