Gate repairin Los Angeles & Beverly Hills.

What usually causes it

• No power at the operator: a tripped breaker, a GFCI outlet, a blown fuse or a failed transformer
• A flat or failing backup battery, often after a power cut
• A remote or keypad that isn't reaching the receiver
• The manual release left engaged, or a safety input holding the gate
• A failed control board or limit switch

What we check

We start at the power supply, the simplest failure to rule out, and work outward: fuses and battery, then everything the control board listens to (remotes, keypad, loops, safety devices), then the board and the motor.

Safe to try first

Check the breaker and any GFCI outlet that feeds the gate, and try the keypad as well as the remote. If you need the car out, switch the power off and use the manual release as the operator's manual describes.

What usually causes it

• Photo eyes blocked, dirty or knocked out of line
• A loop detector sensing a car that isn't there
• An open command held on by a stuck button, keypad or access input
• Auto-close switched off after a power cut or a board reset
• A gate that has started to bind, read by the operator as an obstruction

What we check

Safety devices first: photo eyes, safety edges and loops, each tested on its own. Then the inputs the board is holding, the auto-close and limit settings, and finally the gate itself, moved by hand.

Safe to try first

Wipe both photo-eye lenses, make sure they face each other, and clear anything from the gate's path.

What usually causes it

• The manual release left engaged
• A broken or slipped chain or belt, or a stripped gear rack
• A sheared pin, key or coupling between the motor and the gearbox
• Worn or stripped gears inside the gearbox
• On a swing gate, a failed arm bracket or loose linkage

What we check

This is the drive train, not the motor. We follow the power from the motor shaft to the gate and find where it stops, then replace that part rather than the operator.

Safe to try first

Check whether the release is engaged. Don't keep running it: a motor spinning against a stripped gear heats up quickly.

What usually causes it

• A photo eye seeing an interruption: misalignment, low sun on the receiver, a web across the lens
• A safety edge that is pressed, pinched or damaged
• Obstruction sensing reacting to a gate that has become harder to move
• A loop detector triggering as the gate passes over it
• Worn hinges or wheels making the gate drag

What we check

We test every safety device on its own, then the gate's movement by hand. Force settings are only adjusted once the gate moves freely: turning force up to hide drag defeats the safety system.

Safe to try first

Clean the photo eyes and look along the full path, and the track on a sliding gate, for anything in the way.

What usually causes it

• A weak backup battery: many DC operators slow down before they stop
• Low voltage from long or undersized wiring
• Drag from dry hinges, flat-spotted wheels or debris in the track
• On hydraulic operators, low fluid or a leak
• Limit settings that have drifted

What we check

Battery tested under load, voltage measured at the operator, the gate moved by hand, hydraulic lines inspected.

Safe to try first

Clear leaves and gravel from the track. If it slows more on hot days, mention it: heat is hard on batteries.

What usually causes it

• Worn wheels, bearings or guide rollers
• Dry or worn hinges
• A loose or stretched chain slapping its guides
• Wear inside the gearbox
• Loose hardware or a cracked weld letting parts shift

What we check

We run the gate and move it by hand to isolate the sound, then fix the worn part before it takes the motor or the gearbox with it.

Safe to try first

Note when you hear it: opening, closing, or at the end of travel. It narrows the search.

What usually causes it

• A flat battery in the remote
• A remote that has lost its code or was never coded to this receiver
• A damaged or disconnected receiver or antenna
• Interference, or an older remote on a frequency the receiver no longer uses
• A board that isn't responding at all (then the keypad won't work either)

What we check

Receiver and antenna tested, remotes reprogrammed or replaced, compatibility confirmed for your operator.

Safe to try first

Change the remote battery, try a second remote, and try the keypad. If the keypad works, the operator is fine.

What usually causes it

• A keypad damaged by weather or impact
• Wiring cut or shorted between the keypad and the operator by trenching, planting, water or rodents
• Codes lost after a power cut or a board reset
• A failed power supply for the access control or intercom
• A phone line or network change behind a telephone-entry box

What we check

Wiring traced and tested, power and programming checked, keypads, intercoms and entry systems repaired or replaced.

Safe to try first

Tell us whether remotes still work. It tells us which side of the system to start on.

What usually causes it

• An exit loop detector triggered by something other than a car, or drifting out of tune
• A stuck or shorted button, keypad or access input
• A remote pressed in a pocket, a bag or a car
• Radio interference
• A control board fault

What we check

We watch the board's inputs to see which one fires, then repair that input rather than guessing.

Safe to try first

Note when it happens and check that no remote is being pressed in a car or a drawer.

What usually causes it

• Debris in the track, or a bent section of track
• Worn, seized or flat-spotted wheels
• Guide rollers worn or out of adjustment
• A gate that has been hit or forced
• Track that has settled or cracked with the concrete

What we check

Track, wheels, guide rollers and the gate itself checked for straightness; track sections, wheels and rollers repaired or replaced, then the operator re-set to the gate.

Safe to try first

Switch the operator off and don't force it. Don't lift a heavy gate back onto its track yourself: it can fall.

What usually causes it

• Worn or undersized hinges
• A hinge post leaning or loose in its footing
• A frame racking because a corner weld has cracked
• An operator arm pulling the leaf out of line

What we check

Hinges, posts and frame checked; hinges replaced, posts re-set, frames welded and braced, the operator re-aligned.

Safe to try first

Tell us whether it dropped suddenly (often an impact or a broken hinge) or sagged over months (wear).

What usually causes it

• Bent frames, pickets or slats
• A damaged operator arm, motor mount or housing
• Bent track, broken wheels, hinges or posts
• Damaged photo eyes, loops and wiring

What we check

We make the opening safe, then assess each part. Because we fabricate gates, bent or broken sections can be straightened or rebuilt instead of replacing the whole gate.

Safe to try first

Don't run the gate. Switch off its power, keep people clear and photograph the damage before anything is moved.

What usually causes it

• A tripped breaker or GFCI
• A blown fuse
• A control board damaged by a surge
• A flat backup battery
• Settings lost when the board reset

What we check

Supply, fuses, board and battery, in that order; surge-damaged boards replaced and backup batteries restored.

Safe to try first

Check the breaker and GFCI. To get out meanwhile, switch the power off and use the manual release.