Who is the manufacturer, and which documents will I get?
Who issues the declaration of conformity and affixes the CE marking if gate and drive are assembled on site? A good answer also names the Estonian instructions and maintenance guidance.
Guide · automatic gatesAutomatic gate safety
Automatic gate safety
from installation to servicing
An automatic gate is convenient, but it is a heavy moving machine that must stop for anything in its way. We explain what the law requires, what to check at handover and how to keep the gate safe in winter and for years to come.
Short answer
A powered gate is legally a machine: the manufacturer, often the installer, answers for its safety, and the owner must keep it maintained.
At handover you should receive the EC declaration of conformity and instructions in Estonian, and see the gate stop for an obstacle and open by hand. The mains connection is a job for a competent electrician, and if you are planning automatic gates, have these points written into the quote.
The law
Why a powered gate is a machine, and who is responsible
A gate with a drive is a machine
Under the Equipment Safety Act, a machine is an assembly with at least one moving part and a drive powered by something other than human or animal effort, so a powered gate is a machine. The European Commission's Machinery Directive guide names powered gates as machinery also subject to the Construction Products Regulation.
The manufacturer is often the installer
Under the Machinery Directive, before a machine is put into service the manufacturer must ensure it meets the essential safety requirements, compile a technical file, carry out a conformity assessment, issue an EC declaration of conformity and affix the CE marking. Where there is no manufacturer, whoever places the machine on the market or puts it into service is treated as one.
The Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) explains for overhead doors that whoever adds a drive and controls to a manual door becomes the manufacturer of the automated door. Gates follow the same logic: when gate and drive are assembled on site, the installer generally takes on the manufacturer's role.
What the owner must do
The Equipment Safety Act requires users to meet the use and maintenance requirements, make the necessary information known to everyone who comes into contact with the equipment and stop using it in case of immediate danger. In practice, everyone at home should know how to open the gate by hand, and a gate that does not stop for an obstacle stays out of use until repaired.
What changes on 20 January 2027
From that date the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 applies and the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC is repealed; the original Official Journal text said 14 January, but a corrigendum moved it to 20 January. Instructions may then be digital, but if you ask when buying, the manufacturer must provide a free paper copy within a month. Anyone making a substantial, safety-relevant change to a machine is treated as its manufacturer, except a non-professional user changing their own machine.
Sources: Equipment Safety Act, Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, European Commission guide to the Machinery Directive, TTJA, overhead doors, Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, Machinery Regulation corrigendum (date 20.01.2027), TTJA, machinery.
Safety devices
How the gate protects people and cars
Safety works in layers, because no single device covers every situation.
Force limitation
The drive senses resistance, for example through the motor load, and stops or reverses if the gate runs into something, but only after contact. The force is set for the gate's weight and travel and must be rechecked after every repair or replacement of rollers or the drive.
Photocells
A pair of photocells sends an invisible beam across the opening; if it is broken while the gate closes, the gate stops or reopens. A photocell only sees at beam height, so it may miss a small child or animal below it, or a thin bicycle frame.
Safety edge
A safety edge is a rubber strip on the closing edge that senses pressure and stops or reverses the gate at once. It reduces the risk of crushing where the gate closes against a post or the other leaf, and we recommend one especially with children around or automatic closing.
Danger points
On a sliding gate, watch the closing edge at the post, the gap beside the post or fence, and the rollers and rack. On a swing gate, watch the hinge side, where fingers get caught, and the point where the leaves meet. Good installation keeps gaps small or covers moving parts.
Standards and the law
Safety in use is covered by the harmonised standard EN 12453:2017+A1:2021, the product by EN 13241:2003+A2:2016, and installation and use by EN 12635:2002+A1:2008. Under the Equipment Safety Act, a measure a standard recommends is presumed to be good engineering practice, and equipment may only be put into service with the necessary protective devices working.
Sources: List of harmonised standards, Equipment Safety Act.
Handover
Handover checklist
Check everything while the installer is still there, and allow half an hour.
1. EC declaration of conformity
It names the manufacturer and the requirements the gate meets. The drive maker's document covers only the drive; for a gate assembled on site, the declaration for the whole gate comes from its manufacturer, generally the installer.
2. Instructions in Estonian
They must be in the official language of the country where the machine is put into service, and under the Machinery Directive they describe the user's adjustment and maintenance tasks, preventive maintenance and what to do after a breakdown or blockage.
3. Marking
The machine, usually the gate or its drive, must carry legible and indelible marking with the manufacturer's name and address, the designation, the CE marking, the series or type, any serial number and the year of construction.
4. Try it on the spot
Have the installer show you the manual release and how to lock it again. While the gate closes, break the photocell beam with an object, never your body, and check that it stops or reopens. Ask how the force was checked and whether the result is recorded.
5. A written summary
Ask for a written note of the safety devices fitted, the number of remotes, the service interval and who services the gate. TTJA notes for overhead doors that the installer must hand over the user and maintenance instructions and the declaration of conformity.
Sources: Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, TTJA, overhead doors.
Electrical work
Wiring and cables
Who may connect the drive
A layperson may only do the simple electrical tasks listed in the regulation, such as replacing fuses and bulbs or switching circuit breakers. Connecting a 230-volt gate drive is not on that list, so it must be done by a competent electrician.
The competence of the person responsible for electrical work must be certified, and a business doing electrical work commercially must file a notice in the Register of Economic Activities (MTR). Ask the installer who will do the wiring.
Cables in a duct
We recommend running power and control cables underground in a protective duct, with spare room for photocells, a warning light and a future intercom. A cable in a duct is easy to replace and less likely to be cut when someone digs. If the fence is still being built, lay the duct before the posts are concreted, as our article on fence-building mistakes explains.
Sources: Requirements for electrical work, Competence requirements, Equipment Safety Act.
Servicing
How servicing works, and winter
How often
The manufacturer sets the interval in the instructions. TTJA's example for overhead doors is every 3–6 months or every 1,000–5,000 operating cycles; it stresses that servicing is mandatory and suggests a service contract so it is not forgotten. A family gate opens a few times a day, a housing association or business gate dozens of times, so the busier the gate, the sooner it is due.
What servicing covers
Servicing covers the carriages, rollers or hinges, the gap between rack and drive, fixings, limit switches, the force setting, photocells, safety edges and the manual release, with a written record of what was checked and replaced. A sliding gate that runs stiffly, sags or knocks usually has a mechanical cause; see our sliding gate repair page.
Winter
Snow and ice cover photocells and build up in front of swing leaves or along a sliding gate's path, and ice can make the gate stop halfway as if there were an obstacle. Clear the snow and clean the photocells rather than turning up the force.
Keep the release key indoors and check before the frosts that the release lock has not frozen. If the gate will not close in winter, see our guide to gate faults. We compare how sliding and swing gates cope with snow in a separate article.
Sources: Equipment Safety Act, TTJA, overhead doors.
Schedule
Who does what, and when
| Who | What to do | |
|---|---|---|
| Every month | Owner | Photocell test with an object, clearing the gate's path, listening for new noises |
| Before winter | Technician or owner | Cleaning the photocells, checking the manual release and the force setting |
| At least once a year | Technician | Servicing to the manufacturer's instructions and a written summary |
| After an impact, repair or parts replacement | Installer or technician | Checking alignment, the force setting and every safety device |
| If the gate does not stop for an obstacle | Owner | Stopping automatic use and calling a technician |
This is the rhythm we recommend. If the manufacturer's instructions call for more frequent servicing, follow the instructions.
Questions
What to ask an installer before you sign
Which safety devices are included?
Photocells, a safety edge, a warning light, how many of each and how the force is checked. In our price guide, an automated sliding gate includes the frame, foundation, drive and standard safety devices.
Who does the electrical work?
Ask whether a competent electrician connects the drive and whether the company has filed its notice of economic activity.
Who services it, and how often?
Ask for the interval and whether the company services gates itself. More questions are in our guide on how to choose a fence contractor.
Our advice
What we recommend
Fix the gate before automating it
A stiff or sagging gate overloads the drive and makes obstacles harder to detect. Have it aligned and worn parts replaced before adding automation.
A safety edge if there are children
Photocells only protect the line of their beam. With children around or automatic closing, fit a safety edge to the closing edge.
Auto-close only with confidence
Automatic closing is convenient, but then the safety devices must be in perfect order. If children play near the gate, consider closing by remote only.
Remotes are not toys
Keep remotes out of children's reach and agree at home that the gate only moves when the opening is clear and in view.
Common problems
What often goes wrong
Covered photocells
Snow, ice, dirt or an overgrown shrub covers a photocell and the gate will not close.
Force set too high
The force is turned up in winter or after a repair to get the gate moving, so the drive detects obstacles too late.
Nobody knows the manual release
During a power cut the car is stuck inside or outside because nobody can find the release key.
Casual modifications
Someone replaced the drive or a leaf without rechecking the safety devices or updating the documents, and the gate became dangerous.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Yes. A powered gate is a machine, and the manufacturer affixes the CE marking after the conformity assessment; for a gate assembled on site, that is generally the installer. Ask for the EC declaration of conformity at handover.
The EC declaration of conformity and instructions in Estonian that also describe the maintenance the user should carry out. The machine must be marked with the manufacturer's name and address, the CE marking and the year of construction. LuxAed hands all of this over with the gate, together with a list of the safety devices fitted and the service interval.
Not unless you are a competent electrician. Connecting a 230-volt drive is not on the list of electrical work a layperson may do.
At the interval in the manufacturer's instructions, which may be set by time or by operating cycles. The Equipment Safety Act requires the use and maintenance requirements to be met. We recommend a service at least once a year and a check before winter.
Yes, if the gate is structurally sound and the installer adds the necessary safety devices and takes on the manufacturer's obligations. The frame, hinges or carriages, posts and base must be assessed first, because a motor does not make a weak gate safe. In our price guide, automation for a suitable existing gate costs €500–1,250.
From 20 January 2027, machinery falls under the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230, which replaces the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. Instructions may then be supplied digitally, but if you ask at the time of purchase the manufacturer must provide a free paper copy.
Checked on 27 September 2026. This guide is not legal advice: check the current requirements before work starts.
We install automation safely
At the site visit we assess the gate, base and power supply and suggest a drive with safety devices.