Mortgages in brick pillars for gates: how to choose and install?

The gates in any private (and not only) house should be reliably protected from intrusion. They also have to be beautiful in appearance. But both of these requirements cannot be met if the supports deviate from the ideal vertical, and this largely depends on the presence and correct installation of mortgages.

Brick fences can look very pretty. But a smooth, outwardly graceful pillar is bad in that nothing can be attached to it, and therefore installation of the gate directly into the brick massif is impossible. They simply will not hold out and will fall. That is why mortgages are provided in the brick pillars, so that with their help it was possible to install the gate.

There are many varieties of such elements. But each of them solves a strictly defined problem. It is necessary to immediately take into account what material it is planned to build the sections of the fence itself from. If solid brickwork is used for it, then the embedded elements are designed only to connect the sections with the pillars.

In this case, the load on the structure is relatively small, therefore, even loops twisted from a wire with a diameter of 0.8 cm will be able to complete the task. They are laid every 3 rows (in the fourth masonry lines). This is done from the side of the post where the brick sections are to be attached. This solution has proven itself many times over in a variety of conditions. But it is unacceptable if the sections of the fence are made of shaped metal, timber and other materials.

In these cases, the mortgages must withstand the increased load, because the pillars will no longer take it upon themselves. Therefore, you have to use steel plates. These structures are welded at a certain height (depending on the project), but collapsible joints can also be used. The brick will have to be sawn in a certain place in order for the mortgage to go there.

Later, logs are attached to the mortgages by welding. And these logs just allow you to mount various structural elements of the fence. But even when the mortgages and lags are made, the sections should not be fixed immediately. It is necessary to wait for the pillars to gain a certain strength and only then proceed with the final assembly. Usually you have to wait 18-25 days.

When installing sliding gates, there is no point in looking for drawings of embedded elements, they simply do not exist. Geometry and dimensions are chosen arbitrarily, because there is only one task to be solved: creating a base for installing rollers and a drive mechanism. Usually mortgages are made from channels numbered 10-20. There is a clear rule here: the heaviness of the gate increases - larger rolled metal is required.

Consider that a place for the engine should be provided behind this line in the yard. In order not to be mistaken, it is worth making the mortgage element equal in length to the "counterweight" of the gate.

Sometimes it can be less, but a maximum of 20 cm. If you plan to later install a drive with an electric motor, the site for its installation to the mortgage is welded in an arbitrarily chosen place. But some builders do it differently. At the time of construction of the gate, they do not prepare any basis for the motor. Only then, when its installation is performed, a steel plate is welded to the top of the mortgage, extending slightly to the side.

The approach to such mortgages is somewhat different than to the elements holding sliding gates. There is no need to insert the rods inside the brick pillars. It is required to put them directly next to the supports, driving them into the ground. When this work is completed, the channel is welded.

Since wickets are much lighter than conventional gates, mortgages should also not be too massive. But at the same time, it is recommended to bury the supports in the soil, then they will be more reliable.

For large gates with high posts, it is not enough to install vertical channels near both halves. At the bottom, they are fastened with a third channel, the length of which should coincide with the distance from the posts to the wicket.

You can often find statements that it is possible to weld mortgages to steel strips protruding from the posts. But in reality, these miniature ledges will not be able to hold even a small gate. In the case of swing gates, metal mortgages ranging in size from 5 to 7 cm are welded to the central posts of the pillars. This is quite enough for automatic structures, if they do not turn out to be too heavy.

Additional recommendations for selection and installation:

• For heavy swing gates, I-beams or rails can be welded between the posts. It will be safer if you do this with braces, and on the other hand, weld additional beams.
• In the absence of experience, it is better not to try to hide the mortgages, and then bring them out, it is extremely difficult.
• It is more correct to hammer (screw in) a metal product through a hole prepared with a special tool.
• The holes in the brick are made at an angle of 45 degrees (deviation is permissible, but small, otherwise the brick will crack).

How to make mortgages with your own hands, see the video below.