Diagnosis First. Always.
Most gate problems have more than one possible cause. A gate that stalls halfway could be a failing motor, a bent track, a dying battery, or a photo eye knocked out of alignment by a landscaper. So we test before we replace. Your technician walks the whole system (operator, wiring, hardware, safety devices) and shows you what failed, what's wearing, and what can wait.
- Operator and control board testing, including limit switches and travel settings
- Voltage and continuity checks on wiring runs, loops, and low-voltage accessories
- Hinge, roller, track, and chain inspection for wear and binding
- Photo eye and safety edge alignment and function tests
- A straight answer: repair it, adjust it, or replace it, with reasons
We Fix Every Brand, Not Just the Ones We Sell
You don't need the company that installed your gate. We service LiftMaster, DoorKing, Nice/Apollo, FAAC, Viking, Linear, Chamberlain/Elite, Mighty Mule, and HySecurity operators, plus EMX accessories and DoorBird and ButterflyMX entry systems. If the operator is obsolete and parts are gone, we tell you that up front and price a swap that reuses your existing gate and wiring where it makes sense.
- Motors, gearboxes, and control boards
- Hinges, wheels, tracks, and chains, including re-welds on cracked frames
- Wiring faults, vehicle loops, keypads, and intercoms
- Storm damage: wind-bent panels, water-damaged boards, downed-limb impacts
Tune-Ups That Prevent the 6 AM Breakdown
Northwest weather is hard on gates. Nine months of rain corrodes contacts, swells wood, and washes grit into rollers and gearboxes. A yearly tune-up (lubrication, hardware tightening, limit and force adjustment, safety-device testing) catches most failures while they're still cheap. Property and facility managers can put every gate on a maintenance plan with scheduled visits and documented safety checks.
Two Hubs, One Number
Portland-side calls run out of our Tualatin HQ at 8215 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Road. Vancouver and Clark County calls run out of our Vancouver WA hub. Either way you call (971) 871-7861, and either way you get a technician who carries common parts on the truck; many repairs finish in one visit. Gate stuck open or blocking your driveway? Ask for emergency service when you call.
Frequently asked questions
Can you repair my gate if another company installed it?
Yes. We work on all major brands (LiftMaster, DoorKing, Nice/Apollo, FAAC, Viking, Linear, Chamberlain/Elite, Mighty Mule, HySecurity) and on custom-fabricated gates with no brand at all. Parts availability is the only real limit, and we'll tell you before any work starts if your operator is discontinued and what that means for the repair.
How do you decide between repairing an operator and replacing it?
Three things: parts availability, the cost of the repair against the cost of a new operator, and whether the unit meets current UL 325 safety requirements. If a control board swap gets an otherwise healthy operator running for a fraction of replacement cost, we repair it. If the operator is undersized for your gate, out of parts, or lacks required entrapment protection, replacement is usually the honest answer, and we'll show you why on site.
What safety devices does an automatic gate legally need?
The UL 325 standard requires automated gates to have entrapment protection. In practice that means devices like photo eyes and contact edge sensors that stop or reverse the gate when something is in its path, with protection covering both the open and close directions. Many older gates in the Portland and Vancouver area predate the current standard. During any repair we check your safety devices and flag gaps, because a gate that closes on a car or a child is a far bigger problem than a bad motor.
What affects the cost of a gate repair?
Mostly the part that failed and how hard it is to reach. A photo eye realignment or hinge adjustment is quick. A control board, motor, or gearbox costs more, and buried wiring faults can require trenching to trace. Gate size matters too. A heavy bi-parting steel gate takes more labor than a single swing gate. We diagnose first and quote before work begins, so there's no surprise at the end.
How is a gate operator sized, and does it matter for repairs?
Operators are rated by gate weight, gate length, and duty cycle, meaning how many open-close cycles they can handle per hour. An undersized operator runs hot, strips gears, and burns out early, which is why some gates go through motors every couple of years. If we see that pattern, we'll recommend correcting the sizing rather than selling you the same failure again.
My gate died after a storm or power outage. What should I do?
First, use the manual release. Every operator has one, and we can walk you through yours over the phone so you're not stuck. Power surges commonly damage control boards, and wind can rack a gate out of alignment even when the operator survives. We repair storm damage on all brands, and for gates that must work through outages we can add battery backup and surge protection during the same visit.
Why won't my automatic gate open?
Run four checks before you call. Power: confirm the breaker and any GFCI outlet feeding the operator are on. After a storm or outage, start there. Remotes: if the keypad works but the remote doesn't, you need a remote battery or reprogramming, not a gate repair. Photo eyes: leaves, spider webs, or a bumped bracket will stop a gate from moving, so wipe the lenses and check that the two eyes still face each other. Still stuck? Use the manual release to open the gate by hand so you're not trapped, then stop there. A gate that hums without moving, trips the breaker, or drags heavily by hand has a mechanical or electrical fault, and forcing it turns a small repair into a large one. Call (971) 871-7861 and tell us what you found; it usually tells us exactly what to put on the truck.
Where we do this work
Across the Portland metro from our Tualatin HQ and across Clark County from our Vancouver hub. See every city we serve, or jump straight to Portland, Beaverton, Tigard, Vancouver, or Camas.