How Security Gates Are Measured and Fitted

Updated September 2026 by Penuel Dlamini, Operations & Logistics / Installation Supervisor.

A Robo Door product is measured on a free site visit, made to the smallest of three measurements, and fitted square, plumb and aligned by Robo Door's installers or, supply-only, by you. The Terms and Conditions name the fitting faults that void a warranty: dragging the gate, mortar on the coating, unsealed hollow sections, no earthing on motorised gates.

What is measured, opening by opening

Opening	Measured	Also checked
Patio slider (trellis door)	Clear width and height at three points; stacking space; threshold level	Floor line for the bottom track, drainage, switches and plugs on the stacking side, which side the door parks
Front, kitchen and side doors (hinged burglar door)	Clear opening; reveal depth; swing arc	Direction of swing, steps and passages in the arc, existing door furniture
Windows (fixture bars, welded bars, Robo Clear)	Frame or reveal dimensions; frame material	Opening mechanism, whether the window is an escape route, interior or exterior fixing position
Driveway (sliding or swing gate)	Opening width; side run; ground levels across the opening and inside the arc	Power point, cabling route, where cars stop, pedestrian access, wind exposure of the face
Boundary (fencing)	Run length; levels and steps; corners	Ground conditions for footings, gate positions, estate rules on height

Every opening also gets a corrosion zone (inland, a coastal suburb, or within 500 metres of the sea) and an exposure (sheltered, semi-exposed or fully exposed). Those two ratings set the finish and the paint and rust warranties, and they are written on the quotation.

Why the smallest measurement wins

Openings are rarely square. A trellis door made to the widest point binds at the narrowest; a fixture bar made to the widest point does not sit in the frame. Robo Door measures width and height at three points each and makes the product to the smallest, with the fixing detail absorbing the difference. For supply-only orders you do the same, and the quoting team checks the sheet before manufacture.

How each product is fitted

Trellis doors. The top and bottom tracks are fixed straight, level and parallel; a track out of line by a few millimetres makes the door drag for its whole life. The door is hung, the stacking checked, the locking points aligned and the lock tested from both sides.

Hinged burglar doors and swing gates. The frame is fixed plumb to the reveal or the posts, the hinges aligned so the leaf swings freely without dropping, and the lock keeper set so the bolt throws cleanly. On garden gates, the posts and footings carry the leaf and are sized to it.

Burglar bars. Fixture bars are fixed to the window frame with the supplied fixings, square to the frame and clear of the opening mechanism. Welded pattern bars are fixed to the reveal. Robo Clear polycarbonate bars are spaced about 100 mm apart, centre to centre, and fixed with one-way screws or rivets through a 5 mm hole in the frame and a 6 mm hole in the bar, finished with caps and washers.

Sliding driveway gates. The track is set in a level foundation across the opening, the rear and closing posts are fixed, the leaf is hung on its rollers and the motor, rack, battery backup, manual release and safety devices are installed, earthed and tested through full cycles.

Swing driveway gates. Hinge posts are set in footings sized to the leaf weight, the leaves are hung and adjusted, and one operator per leaf is fitted, earthed and tested.

The installation faults the warranty excludes

Our terms list improper installation as a warranty exclusion and name what it means: dragging the gate across the ground, no earthing on motorised gates, unsealed hollow sections that fill with water and rust from the inside, and concrete or mortar left on the gate. Each one is a coating or corrosion failure waiting to happen, and each one is avoidable on the day. When Robo Door installs, that responsibility is Robo Door's. When you install, it is yours, and the same list is the checklist.

What to check at handover

The product opens, closes and locks freely from both sides
Trellis doors stack fully and the tracks are clear
Hinged leaves do not drop or bind through the swing
Fixture bars are tight, square and clear of the window mechanism
Driveway gate motors run full cycles, stop on an obstruction, and the manual release works with the power off
No mortar, concrete or drilling swarf on the coating; no chips from installation
Keys, remotes and the maintenance routine handed over

Report any visible defect within three calendar days. That window is in the Terms and Conditions, and it is the moment a fitting fault is easiest to put right.

After the fitting

The maintenance routine starts on day one: wash coated surfaces with mild soapy water twice a year, lubricate rollers, hinges and tracks every six months, touch up chips within 30 days and inspect hinge welds on galvanised products yearly. A dated photograph at handover and after each wash is the whole record a warranty claim asks for.

Supply-only fitting

Everything above applies when you fit the product yourself, with the fixing instructions supplied. Robo Clear is the easiest product to fit, fixture bars next, trellis doors need care with the tracks, and automated driveway gates, fencing and heavy doors belong with a contractor. Our installation or supply-only guide sets out the trade-offs, including the Break-In Repair Guarantee on Deluxe products, which requires fitting by Robo Door or an authorised installer.

Next step

Book the site visit and have every opening you want secured cleared of furniture and curtains; in Gauteng we usually come within two working days. Request a free quote, WhatsApp +27 82 888 1919 or call 082 888 1919.