Extention cord

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jxofaltrds

jxofaltrds

Inspector Mike®
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Mike P. Columbus Ohio
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ESI, PI, RBO
This is from an inspection report that I was asked to review yesterday. Any idea what he is talking about?

"The further the service outlet is away from the unit this could affect the overall reaction time the unit will need to retract properly."

There is an extention cord used to supply power to a GDO.
 
jxofaltrds said:
This is from an inspection report that I was asked to review yesterday. Any idea what he is talking about?

"The further the service outlet is away from the unit this could affect the overall reaction time the unit will need to retract properly."

There is an extention cord used to supply power to a GDO.
Click to expand...
Possibly a motor, such as a compressor:confused: Or Garage Door Opener
 
jxofaltrds said:
"The further the service outlet is away from the unit this could affect the overall reaction time the unit will need to retract properly."
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This is a true statement. Another true statement is this: Pour a glass of water into an olympic sized swimming pool, and the water level in the pool will increase. Unless you are talking about an extension cord that is over 100 feet long, the impact of its length on the operation of the GDO will be too small to measure.
 
480sparky said:
Voltage drop?
An increase in time for the OCPD to function?



What's a GDO?
Click to expand...

I am just trying to understand why a 25' (assumed) cord would effect anything on a GDO.

I am going to look at this on Wed. I do not want to go in there with my mind made up but this makes no sense to me.
 
charlie b said:
This is a true statement. Another true statement is this: Pour a glass of water into an olympic sized swimming pool, and the water level in the pool will increase. Unless you are talking about an extension cord that is over 100 feet long, the impact of its length on the operation of the GDO will be too small to measure.
Click to expand...

I agree. Thanxs.
 
jxofaltrds said:
I am just trying to understand why a 25' (assumed) cord would effect anything on a GDO.

I am going to look at this on Wed. I do not want to go in there with my mind made up but this makes no sense to me.
Click to expand...

I could see this as an issue if you had one of the larger openers with a horse or horse and a half motor and a very long cord with small conductors. I have a 100 foot cord with (I think) 18AWG I use for not much more than lights, so I know they are out there.

I am surprised that no one mentioned that it's the length of the extension cord, not the distance from the 'service outlet' that makes the voltage drop, thus slowing the door down, thus making for longer retraction times.
 
K8MHZ said:
I could see this as an issue if you had one of the larger openers with a horse or horse and a half motor and a very long cord with small conductors. I have a 100 foot cord with (I think) 18AWG I use for not much more than lights, so I know they are out there.

I am surprised that no one mentioned that it's the length of the extension cord, not the distance from the 'service outlet' that makes the voltage drop, thus slowing the door down, thus making for longer retraction times.
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Never thought of a 18AWG cord. That is a good point.
 
I bet if you held on to the end of the cord and I turned on the switch, you couldn't let go before the electricity got there. That's how much difference it would make.:roll:
 
K8MHZ said:
I am surprised that no one mentioned that it's the length of the extension cord, not the distance from the 'service outlet' that makes the voltage drop, thus slowing the door down, thus making for longer retraction times.
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This is not true. The voltage drop across an extension cord's length is no different than any other conductor of equal size. The reason why voltage drop is typically more of an issue with extension cords is because they are undersized for their respective length. Also, the majority of the voltage drop can also occur at the slip-fittings of the plug and receptacle. (The cheaper the cord and/or outlet, the higher the voltage drop across the plug.)

The issue of voltage drop as it applies to the actual appliance is overblown in many cases. This is because the service voltage entering a structure can vary so greatly for different parts of the system and throughout the country.

As for the "Reaction Time" of the door opener, my first impression is that the inspector didn't understand what he was saying (and hiding it with technical-sounding gibberish). The door will "React" the same regardless of the over/under voltage condition...specifically for the reason that such conditions will always exist. The door position controller does not use timed-feedback, so the speed of the door (i.e. motor) does not alter positions.

As for the opening/closing speed, because the opener has a significant gear reduction, broad changes in motor speed will translate to proportionally small changes in door speed.
 
Would it be fair to say that with a properly sized cord 10-25' 14AWG that you would not be able to tell any difference from it being plugged in with 3' of the opener?

Wouldn't this be the same as in an extra tall garage where you use a cord to reach the 12' ceiling?
 
The fact is an extension cord is not a compliant means of getting power to the GDO. Older home or not if they added a garage door then they should have wired it properly.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
The fact is an extension cord is not a compliant means of getting power to the GDO. Older home or not if they added a garage door then they should have wired it properly.
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I agree.

I would say the 210.50(C) would require a receptacle to be installed within 6' of the intended location of the GDO.

Also if you use an extension cord for a permanent wiring method between the appliance and the receptacle I would say you have a violation of 400.8(1) and if it is 25' long I will bet it will also violate 400.8(4) as they most likely will have attached the cord to the ceiling.

Chris
 
Dennis Alwon said:
The fact is an extension cord is not a compliant means of getting power to the GDO. Older home or not if they added a garage door then they should have wired it properly.
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Agreed that it is not code compliant and it should have been wired properly. Problem is how do you prove when it was installed?

This is from a Home Inspection report not from a code inspection.

Since a GDO is not required I guess just remove the cord and the problem goes away.

I understand the code references. If you were asked to inspect this how would you explain it to the buyers? Big deal, little deal or no deal at all?

I am trying to look at this from all angles. Code/Common Sense/Practicality
 
jxofaltrds said:
I understand the code references. If you were asked to inspect this how would you explain it to the buyers? Big deal, little deal or no deal at all?
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Because it is a code violation, you can't say "no deal at all". However, because it does not automatically pose a safety concern, it is not a "big deal" either. (Unless you see some reason why it does pose a safety concern.)

Look at it this way; if you cut off the end of the extension cord and hardwired it directly into the door opener, then it is no longer an extension cord--it is just a long appliance cord.

If it was my house, I would probably fix it.....eventually. If I was selling the house, I would tell the buyer, if you don't like it, then fix it when you buy.
 
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