How To Keep Pests Out Of Your Gate Control Box

When you’re doing a residential gate installation, one thing that many people don’t think about is that the whole system is going to be living outside, not inside your climate-controlled, sealed home.  That leaves the system vulnerable to bugs and other pests that can get inside the controls and mess with the electronics.  It seems silly, but something like a single ant walking across the control board of your multicode remote can damage it for good.  Here’s how to avoid that situation.

Home remedies for pests

Ants are a real problem, because they leave scent trails that attract other ants.  A good home remedy is to mix some dish soap and rubbing alcohol with a generous amount of water, put the concoction in a spray bottle, and find the sensitive areas of your system and lightly spray them.  You may have noticed a control box when you had someone program your intercom.  Go back to that box, open it up, and give it a good spray.  This will destroy any scent trail that ants have left, and the alcohol will also dry out the area, which is great because lots of pests, like frogs, prefer a damp environment.

Routine checkups prevent pests colonies

It’s also good to get ahead of the game.  You should be doing regular spot checks on your system, giving it maintenance service.  This is a good time to check for pests.  Check corners, nooks and crannies, and areas low to the ground.  Your gate opener is full of wires that some pests like to chew on – be sure to check it out.  It’s good to have 24/7 emergency service if you do find a big problem.  There’s nothing worse than having to deal with a bunch of bugs in the middle of the night.