UPS for Garage Doors

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nickrout

219 posts

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#236007 13-May-2018 17:14

I get a few power cuts. Our garage is separate from the house and does not have any means to get in or out other than three remote controlled garage doors. Of course the electric garage doors are useless in a power cut, leaving us a bit stranded.

I thought a UPS system would be good. But I want to see if anyone has done anything similar and has any tips.

My thoughts range from one of those UPSes designed for computer servers, to a car battery or SLA coupled with a charger and inverter (I have both a charger and an inverter already).

Any thoughts or tips fellow geekzoners?

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#2015250 13-May-2018 17:26

My garage door opener has a release and a handle to open it manually, it looks like a hanging rope. You should check if yours has anything similar. What make and model is it?

wellygary

8312 posts

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#2015252 13-May-2018 17:29

Simply pull the red handle that is on track and detach the drive from the door, then pull it up manually,

For the time and effort vs the expected outage periods , its fair simpler just to make sure the manual overide is in order,

andrewNZ

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#2015255 13-May-2018 17:30

Are you saying there is no side door or other access at all?

k1w1k1d

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#2015266 13-May-2018 17:39

Sorry guys, but I'm pretty sure Nick can't get into the garage to pull the override. He is locked out with three electric doors and no power to operate them.

wellygary

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#2015267 13-May-2018 17:42

k1w1k1d:

Sorry guys, but I'm pretty sure Nick can't get into the garage to pull the override. He is locked out with three electric doors and no power to operate them.

There should be (if its been installed by a reputable installer) a key slot on the front of the door ( panel lift) or on the frame (roller door)

turning it pops out a cord/steel wire to pull the manual release mechanism...

wally22

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#2015271 13-May-2018 17:48

Interested in a possible solution as we have gates and garage door using mains power controlled by remotes. During a power cut all security is invalidated to maintain access, i.e. gates and garage door are manually unlocked.

fearandloathing

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#2015276 13-May-2018 17:57

I have a Merlin roller door opener with battery backup attached. Merlin E475M – Battery Backup

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Fred99

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#2015296 13-May-2018 18:26

The battery backups are usually a waste of time in preparing for an emergency. By the time it's needed, the batteries are generally dead because people don't maintain/replace them - and the battery is in the garage you now can't get in to. Yes - you could set them up to cater for this possibility, but it doesn't get around the other issues, the auto opener could crap out. In most cases these days, the opener motors are 12v, but some are 24v.

The key mechanism with wire looped to the release lever on the auto is the way to go. If you've got three doors to the same garage area, you only need one set up with this.

If it's a large sectional door, particularly a heavy and/or high one with cedar cladding etc, the biggest risk of being "locked out" is if it's been set up with only one spring (they used to do this a few years ago to save a few $$$ - very dumb - two or more is better) and a spring breaks, or if a cable snaps etc, the door jams in the tracks, and then you're more or less stuffed.

nickrout

219 posts

Master Geek

#2015779 14-May-2018 14:39

Thanks guys, but as I said in my first post, I can't get in the garage to pull the red thing if all the doors are closed as there is no side door.

There is a key thing to enable one door to opened in an emergency, but they are cedar clad and heavy - I could probably open one from the outside, but I doubt some other family members could do so.

I would really like to implement a UPS or similar setup to just make the whole thing work as normal in a power cut. We are are urban/country bordering on rural and there are more power cuts than in the centre of ChCh. A lot of trees near the lines etc.

So if anyone has any info on that topic, please feel free to post. Interested in the amp hours needed for a battery, likely peak current load when opening a garage door and stuff like that. I could do some testing with an current meter, but if someone has done the research already, I'd love to hear.

xpd

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#2015800 14-May-2018 15:33

I don't think a single garage door would drain a basic UPS, or if it did, the door would be up far enough for you to get in and manually release it.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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robjg63

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#2015806 14-May-2018 15:35

nickrout:

Thanks guys, but as I said in my first post, I can't get in the garage to pull the red thing if all the doors are closed as there is no side door.

There is a key thing to enable one door to opened in an emergency, but they are cedar clad and heavy - I could probably open one from the outside, but I doubt some other family members could do so.

I would really like to implement a UPS or similar setup to just make the whole thing work as normal in a power cut. We are are urban/country bordering on rural and there are more power cuts than in the centre of ChCh. A lot of trees near the lines etc.

So if anyone has any info on that topic, please feel free to post. Interested in the amp hours needed for a battery, likely peak current load when opening a garage door and stuff like that. I could do some testing with an current meter, but if someone has done the research already, I'd love to hear.

I have a cedar door as well - Can get into the garage via the house no problem - But I hear you regarding how heavy they are.

Sure you can disengage the motor - but you would bust yourself trying to lift it!

Pity there wasn't a crank handle on the motor - Doesn't solve your non access to the garage though - Good luck.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

dolsen

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#2015896 14-May-2018 16:04

I would have thought that, if adjusted correctly, the springs should offset the weight of the door meaning that anyone should be able to lift it. This is one the release has been pulled.

Fred99

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#2015942 14-May-2018 17:15

xpd: I don't think a single garage door would drain a basic UPS, or if it did, the door would be up far enough for you to get in and manually release it.

My negative comment about the battery backups sold with the openers is that people buy them, forget about them, then 5 years down the track they get a power cut - and whoops, the battery is 100% dead - not 99% dead.

They are not a good backup option in my opinion if there's no access to the garage and no way of actuating the cable release. You need a key fitted to access the manual release. If stuck without that, then drill a hole in the middle of the top panel, then go fishing with a bit of wire with a hook bent on the end to see if you can grab the manual release rope, then fill the hole you drilled later with a new cable release mechanism. You'll probably need to borrow a drill, stepladder etc - as all your tools will be stuck in the garage.

dolsen: I would have thought that, if adjusted correctly, the springs should offset the weight of the door meaning that anyone should be able to lift it. This is one the release has been pulled.

Yes - but when a spring snaps and there's no other access to the garage and you really need to get in, then you've got a problem - the auto won't lift it, if you can get to the manual release then several people might be able to lift it (but don't drop it - with no springs a sectional door dropping is like a human sized rat trap).

Worse though is if a cable snaps or comes off the drum/spool, one side of the door drops and they'll often bend the tracks and get jammed in closed position. That can be sorted out from inside, but it's not so easy to sort out from outside. The manufactures have warranties, but there'll always be a clause about getting the doors serviced. Apart from a general check over etc, a main part of that is to retension the springs, as they always lose tension over time. If you look at the cable spools when the door is in full open position, the cable should still have a little tension on it - and not be loose enough so the cable could come off the spool. If the cable is loose, then you need to get the springs retensioned - it's not a DIY job. If you've got a sectional door on a garage with no other access - get it serviced regularly but also check it over yourself - for frayed or loose cables etc, missing or bent/broken wheel brackets etc.

andrewNZ

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#2015944 14-May-2018 17:34

Your openers will have rating plates (normally a sticker). It must show rated voltage as well as current draw (amps) and/or power draw (watts).

This will give you a pretty good starting point for working out if a UPS will work.

nickrout

219 posts

Master Geek

#2016041 14-May-2018 20:41

Err are you saying "read the manual" - that's actually quite right!

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