Garage Door Opener Wiring Question

[Cougar]

Getting the Mother-in-law's house ready to sell.
Originally didn't have a door opener.
One was installed a few years back.
It is plugged in to a wall outlet via extension cord that runs above the rafters.
I'm guessing this won't pass inspection.
Do I need to put a box on the ceiling close to the opener?

Thanks

 

[reader2580]

A decent home inspector will likely make a note of it. Very few things a home inspector flags are actually required to be fixed in order to sell the house, unless the local municipality has requirements to fix certain things at sale time. The seller can ask to have things fixed, but no requirement to do so. The sell can also walk away if they have an inspection contingency. The tide is turning toward sellers in a lot of markets so it probably makes sense to fix.

 

[Chuckster in NJ]

My suggestion is to let the home inspector do his job and make a list THEN you can decide to do the work or "kick back" some money to the buyer at closing……… Even though extension cords are a violation, I would leave it the way it is for now.
Older homes with GDO's are powered by extension cords fed from light socket adapters or extension cords that are hung across the ceiling like "Mother Hubbards Clothes Line"

BTW! Installing a receptacle near the GDO and not using an extension cord is code compliant.…… Extension cords are bad.

 

[dave*99]

My parents sold their house 10 years ago. The town would not issue a certificate of occupancy due to the GDO extension cord. I had to get a permit and install a receptacle.

 

[mikedodge]

An extension cord is usually safer then if someone decided to add an outlet on their own after watching a YouTube video. Saying that generally, not singling out anyone specifically...

 

[Chuckster in NJ]

My parents sold their house 10 years ago. The town would not issue a certificate of occupancy due to the GDO extension cord. I had to get a permit and install a receptacle.

TRUE! Some of these municipalities have resale and rental inspections that pick up violations that need to be addressed prior to the sale.………. These are "maintenance inspections" and sometimes these inspections come back to haunt the municipality years later. Some towns use the zoning officer to conduct these inspections and they have ZERO experience in building codes.

 

[N_Jay]

My parents sold their house 10 years ago. The town would not issue a certificate of occupancy due to the GDO extension cord. I had to get a permit and install a receptacle.

NJ vs WI

 

[mm08822]

My suggestion is to let the home inspector do his job and make a list THEN you can decide to do the work or "kick back" some money to the buyer at closing……… Even though extension cords are a violation, I would leave it the way it is for now.
Older homes with GDO's are powered by extension cords fed from light socket adapters or extension cords that are hung across the ceiling like "Mother Hubbards Clothes Line"

BTW! Installing a receptacle near the GDO and not using an extension cord is code compliant.…… Extension cords are bad.

Let the list develop from the home inspection. Each point becomes a bargaining chip of what to remediate, comp, disagree with, or refuse. I learned realtors like a list of simple things to give away as a smoke screen to divert attention away from bigger items.

GFCI recepts not present in older homes is almost aways on the list as "give aways" even though it is a grand-fathered non-requirement from previous code cycles.

 

[Chuckster in NJ]

Let the list develop from the home inspection. Each point becomes a bargaining chip of what to remediate, comp, disagree with, or refuse. I learned realtors like a list of simple things to give away as a smoke screen to divert attention away from bigger items.

GFCI recepts not present in older homes is almost aways on the list as "give aways" even though it is a grand-fathered non-requirement from previous code cycles.

Buyers want to reduce their closing costs as much as possible and the home inspectors do the "dirty work"
When I sold my house 30 years ago I told the buyers inspector to hit on anything structural or major violations because he was wasting time writing up BS items like dishwasher or refrigerator gaskets or concrete cracks. He cited cracks (typical checking from shrinking) on a girder in the basement so I grabbed a length of 2x12 then glued and screwed it over the "compromised" area.… Everyone was happy!

 

[mm08822]

Buyers want to reduce their closing costs as much as possible and the home inspectors do the "dirty work"
When I sold my house 30 years ago I told the buyers inspector to hit on anything structural or major violations because he was wasting time writing up BS items like dishwasher or refrigerator gaskets or concrete cracks. He cited cracks (typical checking from shrinking) on a girder in the basement so I grabbed a length of 2x12 then glued and screwed it over the "compromised" area.… Everyone was happy!

They love to bulk up a report with BS items to give the impression how thorough they are. Read the fine print and they aren't accountable for anything. Each item they find states " Have inspected by a licensed contractor and determine next steps." Then of there is the "**** was in the way, so we couldn't do a proper/full inspection" disclaimer. It's a job almost as good as a weatherman - can't be held to anything.

 

[reader2580]

A lot of buyers will include a clause that repairs such as electrical must be done by a licensed electrician. It would be cheaper to fix it yourself IF you know how.

I sold a twelve year old house in 2014 that I had built new for me. The only things found on inspection were the stove not working, and a drip on the sump pump drain line. The stove was in child lock mode. I fixed the sump pump for about $50 in materials and a few hours of time.

 

[CJ7VFR]

A lot of buyers will include a clause that repairs such as electrical must be done by a licensed electrician. It would be cheaper to fix it yourself IF you know how.

I sold a twelve year old house in 2014 that I had built new for me. The only things found on inspection were the stove not working, and a drip on the sump pump drain line. The stove was in child lock mode. I fixed the sump pump for about $50 in materials and a few hours of time.

When I was selling my first house back in 2010 every potential buyers inspector said the kitchen lights did not work and that it would cost thousands of dollars to fix the faulty wiring that was causing the lights not to work.

I had no idea what they were talking about as all the lights and light switches in the kitchen worked fine.

Then I found out that the real estate agent that was showing my house for me kept turning the dimmer control levers on the light switches all the way down to shut off the lights instead of just flipping the actual switch to turn the lights on and off!

All the potential buyers, all the real estate agents and all the potential buyers inspectors never thought to turn the dimmer control levers back up so the lights would come back on. I thought how the hell could so many people, especially home inspectors, be so clueless?

After I found out what was happening I replaced all the dimmer switches in the house with regular old toggle switches and sure enough no more inspectors saying the house needed to be rewired.

Jim

 

[Cougar]

Thanks for the replies.
Some good information.
Would one of these suffice.
Does it matter if the opener is on a switched outlet?

 

[mikedodge]

When I was selling my first house back in 2010 every potential buyers inspector said the kitchen lights did not work and that it would cost thousands of dollars to fix the faulty wiring that was causing the lights not to work.

I had no idea what they were talking about as all the lights and light switches in the kitchen worked fine.

Then I found out that the real estate agent that was showing my house for me kept turning the dimmer control levers on the light switches all the way down to shut off the lights instead of just flipping the actual switch to turn the lights on and off!

All the potential buyers, all the real estate agents and all the potential buyers inspectors never thought to turn the dimmer control levers back up so the lights would come back on. I thought how the hell could so many people, especially home inspectors, be so clueless?

After I found out what was happening I replaced all the dimmer switches in the house with regular old toggle switches and sure enough no more inspectors saying the house needed to be rewired.

Jim

Talk about stupidity.. the people who don't know how to use a dimmer, not you.

 

[reader2580]

Nobody is going to want a garage door opener on a switched outlet unless the switch is left on all the time.

 

[Cougar]

Nobody is going to want a garage door opener on a switched outlet unless the switch is left on all the time.

I know but that's all that's on the ceiling.
There is one wall outlet, could run a wire from there put up another box.

 

[N_Jay]

Nobody is going to want a garage door opener on a switched outlet unless the switch is left on all the time.

Ours is on a switched outlet (old light connection).
A piece of tape fixed the accidental shut off, and it is nice to have an easy way to "lock" it.

 

[mikedodge]

Thanks for the replies.
Some good information.
Would one of these suffice.
Does it matter if the opener is on a switched outlet?

That looks like it should work.

I know but that's all that's on the ceiling.
There is one wall outlet, could run a wire from there put up another box.

It looks like the outlet on that thing isn't switched. I only did a quick search and couldn't find a straight answer about that but one review complained about it not being switched. I was going to say it would be pretty useless if you had to leave the light on all the time to use the opener.

 

[N_Jay]

Remove light, put in duplex outlet.
Use light on opener

 

[dave*99]

TRUE! Some of these municipalities have resale and rental inspections that pick up violations that need to be addressed prior to the sale.………. These are "maintenance inspections" and sometimes these inspections come back to haunt the municipality years later. Some towns use the zoning officer to conduct these inspections and they have ZERO experience in building codes.

In our township in NJ, we had a housing inspector used for obtaining a CO when a house changed hands or gets a new renter. He did not have the full qualifications of a building, plumbing or electrical inspector. They flag items like replaced water heaters that are missing an inspection sticker etc. They miss a lot, but anything they catch must be addressed.

They checked for smokes, CO detectors, GFCI's and apparently extensions cords on GDO's

Past experience dictates I could have installed a receptacle without a permit and it would not be noticed. Since it was picked up by the housing inspector a permit was required. After the electrical inspection the CO was issued.

 

[luvtheheat]

In my area, the GDO outlet would need to be GFCI.

 

[Cougar]

That looks like it should work.

It looks like the outlet on that thing isn't switched. I only did a quick search and couldn't find a straight answer about that but one review complained about it not being switched. I was going to say it would be pretty useless if you had to leave the light on all the time to use the opener.

The outlet isn't switched but the box is.
Yes, every time you wanted to open the door would have to turn the light on.

 

[Cougar]

That looks like it should work.

It looks like the outlet on that thing isn't switched. I only did a quick search and couldn't find a straight answer about that but one review complained about it not being switched. I was going to say it would be pretty useless if you had to leave the light on all the time to use the opener.

Could do that but want to keep the light.

 

[partsguy5768]

An extension cord is usually safer then if someone decided to add an outlet on their own after watching a YouTube video. Saying that generally, not singling out anyone specifically...

Yep always leave everything to a "pro".... as a business owner with storage facilities, apartments, commercial and so much more... the " pro" have been proven to be o so " professional " in so many cases we do nearly everything and I mean everything ourselves ( we build rentals only for ourselves among other things) at 59 with a 40 year brother partner and 4 grown sons we do nearly everything with all our own large amount of heavy equipment to nearly every hand tool for the finished product. We have enough of the " pros" to last 10 lifetimes.... our personal experience with " pros" to sum it up has been has been less the stellar... maybe your experience is different. Take care

 

[mikedodge]

Yep always leave everything to a "pro".... as a business owner with storage facilities, apartments, commercial and so much more... the " pro" have been proven to be o so " professional " in so many cases we do nearly everything and I mean everything ourselves ( we build rentals only for ourselves among other things) at 59 with a 40 year brother partner and 4 grown sons we do nearly everything with all our own large amount of heavy equipment to nearly every hand tool for the finished product. We have enough of the " pros" to last 10 lifetimes.... our personal experience with " pros" to sum it up has been has been less the stellar... maybe your experience is different. Take care

It sounds like you have enough experience to handle it and not someone who woke up one day and decided to install an outlet on their own for the very first time.

 

[partsguy5768]

It sounds like you have enough experience to handle it and not someone who woke up one day and decided to install an outlet on their own for the very first time.

Yes.. but all of us were young and dumb at one point... only one way to learn.... go to work.. the so called " pro" work is many times **** and less then what someone with a will desire to learn and pride in a job well done will do. I have absolutely no use for " pros" with the amount of **** we/ I have had to fix and correct..

 

[mikedodge]

Yes.. but all of us were young and dumb at one point... only one way to learn.... go to work.. the so called " pro" work is many times **** and less then what someone with a will desire to learn and pride in a job well done will do. I have absolutely no use for " pros" with the amount of **** we/ I have had to fix and correct..

I never said anything about using a pro. Most **** work isn't done by "pro's" either, its usually people who think they know what they're doing and pass themselves off as one.
If someone can figure out how to do it on their own and do a good job that's great. But an extension cord is safer any day then someone who doesn't know what they're doing and has done a half *** job because they didn't know any better.

 

[ehcsrop]

I think the extension cord is marginal but sometimes you will see one stapled. That's adding insult to injury. Nothing wrong with using a KO at the source box and running MC to the overhead to place a box. Since the box should be hot (I have mine switched for added security) you could use a 2nd recep to plug in a pull chain operated 4' light hanging at 8' for additional lighting. Stuff like that helps sell a house.

A very clean and well it garage is always a bonus. I would take the opportunity to do simple things like this because just like planting flowers near the front door, little stuff entices a quicker sale closer to the asking price. I know, I fix up real estate. I've always said I've made million$ for others.

 

[partsguy5768]

I never said anything about using a pro. Most **** work isn't done by "pro's" either, its usually people who think they know what they're doing and pass themselves off as one.
If someone can figure out how to do it on their own and do a good job that's great. But an extension cord is safer any day then someone who doesn't know what they're doing and has done a half *** job because they didn't know any better.

Very true.. unfortunately most "pros" are exactly what you say and unfortunately they do know better and are hired because they are supposed to do good work... most don't and I could give countless examples of..

 

[toolmiser]

Ours is on a switched outlet (old light connection).
A piece of tape fixed the accidental shut off, and it is nice to have an easy way to "lock" it.

I intentionally put ours on a switched outlet. That way if I only want it partially opened I can shut it off. That will not work on newer openers with "battery backup".

 

[dave*99]

I intentionally put ours on a switched outlet. That way if I only want it partially opened I can shut it off. That will not work on newer openers with "battery backup".

Huh? I have battery backup. I stop the door by pressing the button while the door is going up. It stops. No need for an extra switch.

 

[logical]

Huh? I have battery backup. I stop the door by pressing the button while the door is going up. It stops. No need for an extra switch.

I suspect he's doing that to avoid someone else closing it...although my 20 year old OHD openers have a lockout on the wall switch that accomplishes that.

 

[dave*99]

I suspect he's doing that to avoid someone else closing it...although my 20 year old OHD openers have a lockout on the wall switch that accomplishes that.

My old and new openers have the same lockout switches too. Several GJ members stated they have an AC wall switch to kill the opener for security concerns. I'm old enough to remember when openers used a 27 MHz channel and a CB radio would cause them to open. But the lockout switch should prevent that. And we are way beyond 27 MHz with rolling codes and 432 and 900 MHz radio bands.

But he specifically said:

That way if I only want it partially opened I can shut it off. That will not work on newer openers with "battery backup".

And all my openers stop on the way up if you hit the button a second time. If the door is on the way down, they reverse on a second button press. My openers built in the 90's behaved this way. Currently, I have 4 Liftmasters with built in battery backup. Two are jackshaft openers and two have center rails. They were manufactured in 2020. The same stop function is there too.

 

[logical]

My old and new openers have the same lockout switches too. Several GJ members stated they have an AC wall switch to kill the opener for security concerns. I'm old enough to remember when openers used a 27 MHz channel and a CB radio would cause them to open. But the lockout switch should prevent that. And we are way beyond 27 MHz with rolling codes and 432 and 900 MHz radio bands.

But he specifically said:

And all my openers stop on the way up if you hit the button a second time. If the door is on the way down, they reverse on a second button press. My openers built in the 90's behaved this way. Currently, I have 4 Liftmasters with built in battery backup. Two are jackshaft openers and two have center rails. They were manufactured in 2020. The same stop function is there too.

Well yes, but I still think either interpretation is reasonable...maybe he will solve the mystery.

 

[Bert_]

Well yes, but I still think either interpretation is reasonable...maybe he will solve the mystery.

I have a Craftsman opener, probably 40 years old, that will not stop mid-travel. If I press the wall button during travel it will reverse direction.

I put a new seal on the bottom of the door the other day. To stop the door mid travel I had to unplug it. It's not a regular occurrence that I would want a switch for.

Once you restore power the door will instantly start moving in the direction it was going before power was removed.

 

[dave*99]

I have a Craftsman opener, probably 40 years old, that will not stop mid-travel. If I press the wall button during travel it will reverse direction.

I put a new seal on the bottom of the door the other day. To stop the door mid travel I had to unplug it. It's not a regular occurrence that I would want a switch for.

Once you restore power the door will instantly start moving in the direction it was going before power was removed.

Long ago I probably had one of those too. But I got triggered by the statement that battery backed units are unstoppable mid travel.

 

[N_Jay]

Pushing the button going down should reverse,
Pushing the button going up should stop.

 

[mikedodge]

Our 80s Stanley if you press the button while it's going up or down it stops and pressing it again starts it moving in the opposite direction.

 

[logical]

Long ago I probably had one of those too. But I got triggered by the statement that battery backed units are unstoppable mid travel.

Well, there again I read it as a concern that a battery backed up unit could still be operated by someone even with power switched off. We may never know.

 

[Norcal]

In my area, the GDO outlet would need to be GFCI.

Pretty much everywhere requires it unless on a way older NEC edition.