FAAC Welding & Fabrication Nationwide

FAAC Welding & Fabrication: The Berkeley Owner’s Guide

FAAC gate welding and fabrication repair in Berkeley typically runs $340-$780 for most residential jobs, with same-day service when the failure involves a broken arm bracket, cracked operator mount, or sagging gate frame that prevents the motor from cycling. We stock common FAAC-compatible brackets, hinge assemblies, and mounting plates on our Berkeley trucks, and we fabricate custom steel solutions on-site when the OEM part is discontinued or the gate frame has shifted beyond what a bolt-on replacement can fix. Most owners discover the problem when their FAAC 415, 402, or S418 operator starts clicking or throwing overload faults while the gate barely moves, or when they notice fresh rust weeping from a cracked weld at the hinge side after a wet Berkeley winter.

Call (510) 879-5471

Which FAAC Models This Applies To

We regularly fabricate and weld for FAAC swing-gate operators in the 400 series, the 391 hydraulic line, and the S418 residential electromechanical units common in Berkeley’s Elmwood and Claremont neighborhoods. The 415 and 402 models use a specific cast-aluminum arm bracket that cracks at the pinch bolt when gates settle on older hillside foundations. The 391 and its big brother, the 422, rely on a welded steel clevis that takes the full hydraulic thrust; when that weld fails, the arm separates and the gate free-swings.

To identify your exact part, check the silver FAAC data plate on the motor housing for the model number and manufacturing date code. Arm brackets vary by shaft diameter, 16 mm versus 20 mm, and the wrong bracket will bolt on but wallow out in six months. For discontinued cast brackets, we machine a steel replacement and weld it to spec rather than hunt for NOS inventory that may never surface. Aftermarket equivalents exist for common wear items like hinge pins and roller brackets, but for load-bearing welds we prefer to fabricate from A36 steel or 6061-T6 aluminum depending on the original design, because the Chinese aftermarket castings we have tested show porous grain structure under magnification.

Signs Your FAAC Welding & Fabrication Is Failing

• The operator runs but the gate drags or stalls. This usually means the arm bracket has cracked at the weld or the mounting plate has pulled away from the post. The motor’s torque limiter protects itself, so you hear the hum without motion. We check bracket deflection with a dial indicator; anything over 3 mm at rest means the weld is compromised.
• Fresh rust streaks below a joint that looked fine last season. Berkeley’s marine layer keeps steel damp for weeks, and capillary action draws moisture into hairline cracks. By the time you see orange staining, the crack has propagated through 60 percent of the cross-section. We grind back to sound metal, verify with dye penetrant, and reweld.
• The gate has dropped and now scrapes the driveway. Hinge pins elongate their bores in soft steel jamb plates, especially on heavy redwood or wrought-iron gates in the Berkeley Hills. We bore and bush the hole, or fabricate a new plate with thicker wall stock, rather than shim and hope.
• Intermittent operation that clears up if you push the gate by hand. This points to a loose clevis pin or a cracked weld in the operator linkage. The FAAC control board reads the imbalance as an obstruction and reverses. We photograph the linkage geometry before disassembly so we can restore the original swing arc exactly.
• A loud clank when the gate starts or stops. The shock absorber bracket or end-stop weld has failed. On older 391 installations, the steel stop tab fatigues at the fillet weld. We replace with gusseted plate and run a bead on both sides, not just the factory single-sided weld.

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Replacement Cost & What’s Included

The range depends on material thickness, access, and whether the gate needs to be dropped to make the repair. Every job starts with a written price before we strike an arc, under Haven Standard Clause 1. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers all welding and fabrication work; if a crack reopens or a bracket shifts, we return and make it right at no charge. Under Clause 4, you receive a photographed record of the weld prep, the completed joint, and the reinstalled gate position before we leave.

DIY or Call Us?

A homeowner can safely inspect for rust streaks, loose bolts, and obvious cracks with a flashlight. Check the FAAC operator’s manual for the torque spec on the arm pinch bolt; if it keeps loosening, the bracket bore is wallowed and needs more than threadlocker.

Do not attempt to weld a loaded gate hinge or operator bracket yourself. The spring tension on a swing gate and the hydraulic pressure on a 391 system create stored energy that can release without warning. Cutting or grinding a stressed weld can throw steel. We drop the gate, block it, and bleed pressure before any hot work. For electrical connections near the weld zone, we disconnect and tag the FAAC control board to protect the logic from stray current.

If you’re unsure what failed, call (510) 879-5471. We offer free second opinions on any written estimate from another company, and we document what we find so you can decide with the facts in front of you.

FAQs