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.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFAAC Gate Installation in Arlington: What to Know First
FAAC gate installation in Arlington runs between $1,800 and $6,500 for most residential driveway systems, depending on whether it’s a swing, slide, or double gate. We’re an independent FAAC service provider, not a manufacturer-authorized shop, which means we fix what’s broken instead of pushing a full replacement. Turnaround for a standard install is usually two to four days once we’ve measured and ordered your operator. If you’re reading this because a FAAC gate quit working or you bought a new operator and need it put in right, call (817) 241-4067 and we’ll talk through what you’ve got.
This page is for Arlington homeowners with a FAAC operator already on the property, or one sitting in a box in the garage. We’ll cover what goes wrong, what installation actually costs here, and why the brand matters less than the person wiring it.
Key Takeaways
- Independent FAAC service means OEM-quality work without factory-only pricing
- Most FAAC failures we see in Arlington are install-related, not manufacturer defects
- Upfront pricing agreed before any work starts, in writing
- 90-Day Done Right Promise on every FAAC job
How FAAC Products Fail - and How We Fix Them
FAAC builds solid operators. The 770 and 400 series hydraulic swing operators show up all over Arlington, especially on older ornamental iron gates in neighborhoods like Dalworthington Gardens and the older sections of north Arlington. But solid doesn’t mean indestructible. Here’s what we actually find when we open the box.
- FAAC 770 slow-opening or groaning: oil bypassing a worn seal. The 770 is hydraulic, and after ten years of Arlington heat, those seals harden and let fluid slip past. The gate still moves, just slower every month. We can rebuild the cylinder on-site rather than replacing the operator, which saves you about $900 compared to a new unit. Most shops won’t touch a hydraulic rebuild. We do them in your driveway.
- FAAC 400 with intermittent “ghost” openings: a warped gate leaf, not a control board problem. When a heavy ornamental gate sags, it drifts far enough to trip the safety sensor, and the 400 interprets that as an obstruction and reverses. National outfits will sell you a new control board for $400 and leave the sag in place. We square the gate first, then test the board. Nine times out of ten the board was fine.
- FAAC E124 “stuck in learn mode” after a power surge: capacitor and board damage from bad grounding. Arlington gets proper thunderstorms, and E124 boards take hits when the ground wire isn’t bonded to the operator chassis. We see this on DIY installs and builder-grade wiring. The fix is a replacement capacitor, a new surge protector, and a corrected ground. You’ll skip the $600 board replacement if we catch it early.
- FAAC S800H slide operator jumping off the rack: installer used the wrong rack pitch. FAAC specs a specific gear rack for the S800H. Off-brand racks with the wrong module pitch wear the drive gear and pop under load. We’ve replaced three of these in the last year on newer homes near Lake Arlington. The rack and pinion have to match, and we order them as a set, not whatever’s on the shelf.
- FAAC 770 with a dead keypad or remote programming that won’t stick: not a FAAC problem at all. Over half the time we get called for a “bad FAAC board,” the issue is a failing photocell wired into the safety circuit. FAAC’s boards are conservative; any resistance on the safety loop stops the gate. We test the photocells before we ever quote a board. That little habit has saved our customers a lot of money.
On any FAAC job, our rule is simple: find the actual failure, fix that, and don’t replace parts that are still working. Hal has been doing this since 2001, and he’s still convinced most gate problems are install errors, not bad equipment.
Our FAAC Gate Installation Process
Here’s what happens when you call us for FAAC gate installation in Arlington, from first ring to gate closing smooth.
- 1
Call and talk to a person. You get Hal or someone on his crew, 24/7. We’ll ask what FAAC model you have, what it’s doing or not doing, and whether the gate is wood, steel, or ornamental iron. If it’s an emergency and you’re inside the county, we’ll head over.
- 2
Measure, square, and check the posts. Nobody installs an operator on a leaning post and expects it to last. We check hinge posts, the gate’s stance, and whether the existing structure can carry a FAAC operator without twisting.
- 3
Parts decision, told to you straight. If we need boards, arms, or brackets, we tell you OEM versus quality aftermarket, the price difference, and what Hal would put on his own gate. We don’t pad with factory-only parts when a known-good alternative does the job safely.
- 4
Install and wire to code. Mounting, limit-setting, safety-edge install where needed, and proper grounding. Arlington soil gets dry and hard in summer; we set posts and pads to hold in clay, not Colorado riverbed. This is where the little details keep FAAC operators alive for another decade.
- 5
Test the safety circuit and load-test the gate. We run it through normal cycles, check the entrapment detection, and watch it under load. If it doesn’t close smooth and stop exactly where it should, it’s not done.
- 6
Walk the property with you. We show you what we did, what to listen for, and what your remote buttons do. Then we hand you the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing, with Hal’s name on it.
What FAAC Gate Installation Costs in Arlington
Here’s what FAAC work realistically costs in Arlington right now. These are the numbers we quote, agreed before any work starts, so there’s no surprise at the door.
- FAAC swing operator install (770 or 400 series) on an existing gate: $1,800 to $3,400, including mounting, wiring, safety edges, and programming
- FAAC slide operator (S800H) with rack and pinion on an existing gate: $2,800 to $5,200, depending on gate weight and power run distance
- New gate build plus FAAC operator, single swing: $4,500 to $7,800
- Double gate with dual FAAC operators: $6,000 to $12,000, depending on ironwork and driveway width
What moves the price: gate weight, whether the ground needs concrete pads poured, how far the power run is, and whether you want photocells and a keypad. We quote it all up front, and the price doesn’t change unless you add scope. Give us a call at (817) 241-4067 for a free, written estimate.
Why Arlington Homeowners Call Gatewood Fence & Gate for FAAC Work
We’re not a national outfit and we don’t act like one. The name on the shop is Hal Gatewood’s, and he’s been at it since 2001, welding gates on-site all over Arlington from Pantego to the neighborhoods around River Legacy Park. When a FAAC job leaves our hands, it carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise, which means if it’s not right, one call brings us back. No argument, no fine print.
Every job is done by someone who actually knows FAAC operators, not a rotating third-party crew. And we service the rest of the gate brands you might have on the property too: LiftMaster, Mighty Mule, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, and several more. That matters when you’ve got a FAAC on the driveway and an older Mighty Mule on the back gate. You make one call, and you’re done. And you’re not haggling: $40 off any repair over $200, no trip charge inside the county, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. Just give me a call - I’ll pick up.
FAQs
We’re an independent FAAC service provider, so we don’t perform manufacturer warranty work. But we install to factory spec and use OEM or quality aftermarket parts that won’t void your existing warranty if you have one. If you’re outside warranty, which most Arlington FAACs are after a few years, we’ll tell you which parts are worth paying extra for and which aren’t.
Call (817) 241-4067 and we’ll let you know if your issue is under warranty before we touch anything.
Yes, and we do it regularly. The catch is about 30% of online orders arrive with missing brackets, the wrong arm, or no safety edges for the gate they’re going on. We’ll inventory what you’ve got before we start and tell you what’s missing. If it’s unworkable, we’ll say so and show you a better option at a fair price. No lecture, just math.
For a simple operator swap on an existing gate, we can usually schedule within two to four days. A full new gate with concrete pads takes a week or two, depending on weather and materials. Emergencies get same-day attention when you’re inside the county and a gate is stuck open or locked shut.
Repair wins most of the time. FAAC hydraulic operators like the 770 will run for twenty years if they’re rebuilt before they seize. Replacement makes sense when the board, motor, and cylinder have all failed at once, or the gate itself is beyond welding. Our rule at Gatewood Fence & Gate is to give you the repair number and the replace number and let you decide, with our honest recommendation either way.
Yes. Every FAAC gate installation we do includes the low-voltage run, the safety edge or photocell wiring, proper grounding, and entrapment protection that meets current safety standards. We don’t leave you with an operator that works but isn’t safe. If the run is long or underground work is needed, we’ll quote that separately and you’ll know before we dig.
If your FAAC gate is acting up or you’ve got a new operator waiting to be installed, give us a call at (817) 241-4067. We’ll get you a free estimate, answer straight, and show up when we say we will.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner, Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Arlington and nearby areas.