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Load-shedding

Gate Motor Battery Replacement

5 min readPublished 22 May 2026

Every gate motor has a 12V backup battery. It's the single most neglected component, and it's what fails first during load-shedding.

How to tell your battery is dying

Your gate works fine on mains but stops during load-shedding. It manages one cycle on backup and then gives up. The controller beeps or shows a battery warning LED.

The lifespan you should expect

Two to three years for a decent-quality 12V 7.2Ah battery in a gate motor. Cheap batteries can fail in under a year, especially with heavy load-shedding cycling.

What capacity to buy

For a standard residential setup, 7.2Ah is the norm. Heavier gates or high-cycle sites justify a 12Ah battery. We stock both.

Why to have it done properly

A battery that's wired incorrectly can damage the charger circuit on your control board — a much more expensive repair than the battery itself. See gate motor repairs.

FAQs

Physically, yes. But the risk of damaging the controller if you cross-polarise is real. A technician swap is quick and inexpensive.

Related services

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Speak to a real technician. Firm quote before any work starts. 12-month workmanship warranty on every repair and installation.