I live in a house just over a year old. I put outside holiday decorations up a couple of weeks before Christmas. Everything was well for over a week. Then it got rainy and very humid for a few days. I came home one nite and the first thing I noticed was that the out side lights were off. Then I hit my garage opener but nothing happened. I tried my key pad and nothing there either. Fortunately I had flipped the latch open on the front door before I left the house. A quick check showed that the outside outlet that the lights were plugged into was downstream of the GFCI in my garage. That GFCI also controlled the garage door opener, two lights inside the garage, two outside lights on each side of the garage, and an outside outlet in the rear of the house. I am puzzled as to why the garage opener is wired into the GFCI. I was always led to believe that you did not put most appliances on a GFCI for that very reason. Was it required that way due to code? Its a simple matter to move the 2 opener wires from the load side of the GFCI to the line side. Am I violating code if I do that?
Garage Door opener on GFCI
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excuse my thread jacking, but it is related,, can we meet the garage GFI requirement with a GFI breaker in the main panel that feeds the garage sub panel?
Its not likely that anyone is going to get electrocuted plugging something into the outlet in the ceiling!
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The answer is yes you can but it is I'll advised. GFCI trips and you lose everything fed from the sub.
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True but code calls for it.
Actually, it was a kid electrocuted by a garage door. The wiring to the garage was done poorly and not to code. All the grounds in the garage became energized and the metal garage door was hot. The kid stepped in a puddle and brushed against the door.
There actually was a couple of them. One was the homeowner hired a "Handyman" to wire in a 3-way switch circuit to control the garage lights from the house. They used the Ground wire as the traveler.
The other was a underground electrical line that the insulation had deteriorated and because the ground was soaked from the kids playing in the sprinkler, one of the kids went into the garage and when they touched the garage door/track, they were electrocuted.
There are many more out there from Swimming pools to boat docks.
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Both of those are the result of code violations, mainly an open EGC.
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So please tell me how a GFCI breaks an energized EGC?
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I disagree. I have been in plenty of customer's garages where extension cords were tacked to the ceiling and run down the wall to feed refrigerators, holiday lights, work benches, outdoor power tools, etc.
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This is so NOT true!
If you plug something in does it not have a cord??? What's the difference where the receptacle is?
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Agreed, it's also pretty common to see one of these plugged into that receptacle:
Everyone should, or have a keypad that they can punch in to open the door. There are battery backup units for garage doors, so that if power goes out, you can still operate it.
I ended up getting a lock box to hang on our front door, because my son left his keys in the house and locked himself out. Well worth the cost to have it now.
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That one has nothing to do at all with not having a GFCI circuit providing power to the plug for the door opener. It was caused by the feed to the garage, something completely different.
It is regarding that the OP inquired why they should have a GFCI in the garage for the Garage door, if you took the time why I posted it.
It is just like the argument people make about AFCI's why they are now being used, when you read every Winter, that someone is displaced, because of a faulty space heater or sketchy wiring.
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I agree, but our point being GFCIs will not protect against faulty wiring on the line side.
You are correct though, CMPs do use such statistics to mandate requirements which would not have done anything in the first place let alone be followed by unqualified professionals.
hi,
Back to the original question.
Why not install a second gfci outlet at a convenient location. Power it from a separate new or existing circuit and feed the garage door opener from it. Mark the gfci "feeding" garage door opener only". Then plug the gfci outlet with "child proof" inserts to prevent any easy use of the outlet.
This would free the outside outlets and other garage outlets from the garage door.
Problem solved, I think!!!
Bernie
Back to the original question.
Why not install a second gfci outlet at a convenient location. Power it from a separate new or existing circuit and feed the garage door opener from it. Mark the gfci "feeding" garage door opener only". Then plug the gfci outlet with "child proof" inserts to prevent any easy use of the outlet.
This would free the outside outlets and other garage outlets from the garage door.
Problem solved, I think!!!
Bernie
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