It's important to use good hardware like what is on this gate.
Over my 25 year career installing all types of fencing, I have learned one fact. The fence is the last step on a project. This is often the place where folks try to save the most money and I don’t blame them, but is it really saving money if the gate stops working 3 months after it has been installed? The obvious answer is no, but I realize that does not necessarily convince you to spend an extra $50.00 for the good hardware. So, how do I convince you?
Your gate is the part of the fence you will interact with the most, sometimes on a daily basis. It is also the part of the fence that will be most affected by weather, abuse ( how many times do you tell the kids to stop slamming the car door ) and ground movement. Because of these factors, it is the biggest reason a customer calls the fencing contractor back to the job. Contractors do not like call backs because they cost money (that’s why disreputable companies won’t do call backs).
If your backyard fence is just marking the property lines than a gate that works well and as designed may not be important. However, more often than not the fence is serving a purpose such as pet containment, child protection or pool security. It is obvious that any one of these three carry extreme consequences that we shudder to even think about. My wife’s cousin a few years ago had a black lab that escaped her home made pen. Now this dog did not bite anybody or get into anyones trash, in fact the dog is more likely to lick you to death than cause any mischief. Either way a neighbor called animal control. To make a long story short, they were fined for the dog being loose because they could not produce the papers on the spot proving the dog had it’s shots, even though the shots were all up to date. This all could have been avoided at much less expense with a properly built gate and safety gate hardware. Another situation involving child protection involves a child daycare center. In a momentary lapse of supervision, a child was able to get out the back door of the facility and out a gate that was not secured properly. This resulted in a call to the authorities, the parents and much bad press. Even worse is a child was in danger, all over a door and a gate that was not properly secured. BTW – the child was found a few minutes later be a passing motorist, do you feel the shudder? Last but certainly not least is the pool gate.
Pool gates get their own paragraph because this is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. It pains my heart to have to recite the death statistics of young children that drown so I won’t do it here. For that information check out the Consumer Product Safety Commission (this link downloads a PDF file) website or SafeKids.org . A proper fence with a self-closing and self-latching gate should be a priority for pool owners. Not only is it the law, it is just the right thing to do.
