Free on-site gate assessment - hinges, posts, and your LiftMaster or Nice gate operator checked before anything is quoted
The assessment is free and the quote is the invoice.
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Before
AfterTrusted Gate Motor & Opener for Van Nuys Homeowners
When a gate motor fails in Van Nuys, the problem usually shows up first as a groan, a half-open gate, or that sinking click when you press the remote and nothing moves. We fix that. Gatewood Fence & Gate has been repairing and installing gate motors and openers across the San Fernando Valley since 2001, with Hal Gatewood still answering the phone and still showing up to look at the job himself. We answer live around the clock, because a gate stuck open at 2 a.m. is a security problem, not a scheduling problem. Call (951) 749-5734 and you’ll get a person, not a recording.
Most gate motor trouble in Van Nuys comes down to a handful of things: worn capacitors, dead batteries, stripped gears, or limit switches that drifted out of adjustment. We carry parts for Linear, Viking, DoorKing, and Ghost Controls units on the truck, and if the problem needs welding, we do that on site, in your driveway, without hauling your gate back to a shop. Every repair carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not right, we come back. That’s the whole promise.
Key Takeaways:
- Live person answers 24/7, including weekends and holidays
- Most gate motor repairs in Van Nuys are completed the same day
- On-site welding means your gate stays in your driveway
- Free second opinion on any written estimate from another company
- 90-Day Done Right Promise on every job, in writing
What Our Gate Motor & Opener Service Includes
Motor Installation
A new motor is only as good as the pad it sits on, the arm geometry, and the power feeding it. When we install a gate motor in Sherman Oaks or Van Nuys, we start by checking the gate itself: does it swing or slide freely, are the hinges sound, is the post still true? A sagging gate burns out a new motor in months, and we’d rather tell you that before we bolt anything down. Hal’s crew sets the motor, mounts the arm or chain, wires the control board, programs the travel limits, and walks you through every remote and keypad before we leave.
Motor Repair
We repair motors other companies want to replace. That’s not a slogan; it’s how we’ve run things since 2001. If your opener hums but won’t move, trips the breaker, or only works when you stand six inches away with the remote, we’ll open it up and find the actual fault. We keep a truck stocked with capacitors, control boards, gear sets, and limit switches for the common brands, so in a lot of cases we can fix it the same day. If a board is fried and not worth saving, we’ll show you the burned spot and tell you straight what a replacement costs before we touch anything.
Linear Motor
Linear openers are common on Van Nuys sliding gates, and they have a personality: the limit cams drift, the chain stretches, and the gear box eventually gives out. We’ve repaired and installed enough Linear units to know which parts fail first and which ones just need adjustment. We stock OEM Linear parts on the truck, and we can usually have a sluggish or noisy Linear motor running smooth the same afternoon.
Slide Motor
Slide gates are harder on motors than swing gates because the motor works against the full weight and inertia of the gate every time it moves. In Panorama City and Van Nuys, we see slide motors fail because the wheels wore flat, the track filled with debris, or the chain jumped a sprocket. We fix the motor and the mechanical issues that caused it to fail in the first place, because fixing the motor without fixing the track just means you’ll call us again in six months. That’s also why we check the guide rollers, the stop blocks, and the chain tension on every slide motor call.
Intercom Integration
Lots of Van Nuys properties have a gate intercom or keypad tied to the opener, and when one side of that system fails, the whole thing acts dead. We troubleshoot both sides: the motor’s control board and the intercom, keypad, or phone-line unit wired to it. If the problem is the control board’s relay output or a bad connection at the terminal strip, we can often fix it without replacing the intercom. If the intercom itself needs replacing, we’ll wire the new one to your existing motor and test it end to end.
Battery Backup
When the power goes out in Van Nuys, a gate without battery backup becomes a very heavy, very stuck door. We install and service battery backup systems that keep your gate operating during outages, which matters for anyone who has ever been late to work because the power blinked overnight. We test the battery under load, check the charging circuit, and replace aging batteries before they swell or corrode the tray. If your system already has a backup that stopped holding a charge, we’ll check whether the battery is the problem or the charger is.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Brands We Service for Gate Motor & Opener
We work on DoorKing units constantly in Van Nuys. DoorKing has been around since the 1940s and a lot of older apartment buildings and commercial lots in the valley still run their original control boards. We stock DoorKing boards, remotes, photo eyes, and loop detectors, and we know the older revisions well enough to tell you whether a board can be repaired or needs to be replaced. Hal has been inside hundreds of DoorKing cabinets and there isn’t much in there that surprises him anymore.
We also service Linear and Viking motors regularly. Linear’s slide-gate operators are all over residential driveways in Van Nuys, and their limit-switch design is a known trouble spot that we know how to adjust and rebuild. Viking units are more often found on commercial gates, and they’re built heavy, which means repairs are usually mechanical: gearbox oil, chain tension, sprocket wear. We also work on Ghost Controls systems, which are popular on DIY-installed gates, and we see a lot of those with wiring that was never quite right. Whether you have one of those brands or something else entirely, call us at (951) 749-5734 and we’ll tell you honestly what you’re dealing with.
Signs You Need Gate Motor & Opener Right Now
- Your gate moves slower than it used to. A slowing motor usually means the capacitor is failing or the motor is struggling against a mechanical problem. If you let it go, the next step is usually a motor that won’t move at all.
- The gate opens partway and reverses. This is often a failing photo eye or a limit switch that’s drifted. The motor’s brain thinks there’s an obstruction and reverses to be safe. It’s a nuisance now, but it can overheat the motor and burn out the board if you keep overriding it with the manual release.
- You hear a humming noise but nothing moves. That’s the classic sign of a dead capacitor or a stripped gear. The motor is trying, but the power isn’t getting where it needs to go. Running it that way for weeks can cook the windings, and that turns a cheap fix into a full motor replacement.
- The gate only responds when you’re within a few feet. The receiver board is probably weak, or the antenna on the control box is damaged. In Van Nuys, we also see this when a new solar panel array or a neighbor’s car alarm floods the 315 MHz band, but that’s less common than a straightforward receiver issue.
- Your battery backup doesn’t hold a charge. If your gate dies every time the power blinks, the battery is toast or the charger board gave up. A battery that’s swelling is a genuine hazard and should be disconnected by someone who knows what they’re doing.
Our Gate Motor & Opener Process - Step by Step
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You call and talk to a person. Hal or someone from his crew answers. You describe what the gate is doing, and we’ll ask a few questions to figure out whether this is a quick fix or a bigger job. If it sounds urgent, we’ll work you in the same day when we can.
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We show up and do a full diagnostic. We don’t just replace the obvious part. We check the motor, the control board, the power supply, the photo eyes, and the mechanical condition of the gate itself. The gate and the motor fail together more often than people think, and if we only fix the motor, you’ll be calling us again.
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You get a written quote before any work starts. The price we quote is the price you pay. We don’t add trip charges inside the county, and we don’t surprise you with fees at the end. If you already have a written estimate from another company, bring it out and we’ll give you a free second opinion.
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We do the work in your driveway. We weld on site, swap parts from our truck stock, and test everything before we call it done. For most motor repairs, we’re in and out the same day. For full installations, we schedule the time and tell you exactly what to expect.
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You get the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If something isn’t right within 90 days, you call, we come back, and we make it right. No forms, no runaround. That’s been the rule since 2001.
How Much Does Gate Motor & Opener Cost in Van Nuys?
A typical gate motor repair in Van Nuys runs between $180 and $400 depending on what failed. A capacitor replacement is usually on the low end. A new control board for a DoorKing or Viking unit can push $400 or more with the part included. A full motor replacement, installed, generally lands between $800 and $2,400 depending on the brand, the type of gate (slide versus swing), and whether we need to re-pour the pad or rework the arm. Battery backup unit adds roughly $300 to $700 with installation.
What affects the price: the brand of motor you have, whether the gate is mechanical sound or contributing to the motor’s early death, and whether we need to fabricate brackets or do on-site welding. What shouldn’t affect the price: how nice your house looks, whether you seem like you’d pay more, or anything a slick salesperson invents on the spot. We quote a number and we stand by it.
You don’t need to wait for a breakdown to find out what a repair or replacement will cost. Call (951) 749-5734, describe what’s happening, and we’ll give you an honest range over the phone. If you have a written estimate from another company, we’ll give you a free second opinion and a real comparison. And remember: $40 off any repair over $200, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. The price is agreed before we turn a wrench.
Gate Motor & Opener Near Van Nuys - Our Service Area
We serve Van Nuys and the surrounding valley communities every day: Sherman Oaks, Tarzana, Encino, North Hollywood, Reseda, Northridge, Granada Hills, and San Fernando. Response time for most motor repairs is same day or next morning, depending on how the schedule looks when you call. We also run service to Gate Motor & Opener in Los Angeles and Gate Motor & Opener in Santa Monica for customers west of the 405, though valley calls get the fastest turnaround. If you’re in Van Nuys, you’re in our home territory, and you’ll usually see a truck within a day of calling.
You can also read about our broader repair work on the home page, or check the main Gate Motor & Opener in Van Nuys service hub for additional details.
Serving Van Nuys, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Van Nuys area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked Questions - Gate Motor & Opener in Van Nuys
A gate motor is the electric unit that swings or slides your gate open and closed when you press a remote, type a code, or trip a sensor. It includes the motor itself, a control board, limit switches that tell the gate where to stop, and a receiver that talks to your remotes. In Van Nuys, most residential gates use either a swing-arm operator or a slide-gate motor on a chain drive.
Most repairs run an hour to three hours once we’re on site. If we have the part on the truck, and we usually do for Linear, DoorKing, Viking, and Ghost Controls, we can diagnose and fix it in one visit. Full motor replacements or new installations are scheduled ahead and can take a half day or longer depending on the concrete pad and wiring.
Installed, expect $800 to $2,400 for most residential slide or swing motors, depending on brand, gate length, and whether any welding or concrete work is needed. That price includes the motor, mounting hardware, programming, and testing. We quote the full price before any work starts, and we don’t add charges at the end.
Yes. We work on DoorKing, Viking, Linear, and Ghost Controls regularly, and we stock common parts for all four in the truck. DoorKing boards and Viking gearboxes are the two things we repair most often in Van Nuys, so those units don’t surprise us.
If your gate is stuck open or blocking your car, call (951) 749-5734 and tell us right away. We keep emergency slots in the schedule and we’ll tell you honestly whether we can get there today. A live person answers around the clock, so you’ll know within a few minutes where you stand.
Every job carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If anything we repaired or installed isn’t right within 90 days, you call, we come back, and we fix it at no charge. That’s been the policy since 2001 and it isn’t going anywhere.
Clear a path to the motor and the control box, and if you have the manual or know the brand and model, have that handy. If the gate is stuck closed and you need us to work on it, leave it closed and we’ll release it manually. You don’t need to unplug anything or mess with the wiring; we’d rather you didn’t, for your own safety. Gate motors run on 120 or 240 volts and they’ll bite if you don’t know what you’re reaching into.
Schedule Your Gate Motor & Opener Service in Van Nuys Today
Your gate motor doesn’t fix itself, and a gate stuck open isn’t doing its job. Call (951) 749-5734 now and talk to Hal or one of his crew. We’ll give you a straight answer over the phone, a free estimate, and a real person who shows up when we say we will. Locally owned since 2001, named on every invoice, and reachable 24 hours a day.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Van Nuys since 2001.