Matt Mckenzie
Member
- Location
- United States
Are you allowed to install 5 or 6 garage door openers on one 20 amp circuit?
Multiple garage door openers
- Thread starter Matt Mckenzie
- Start date
- Status
MattS87
Senior Member
- Location
- Yakima, WA
Since it is a known load on the circuit and not just general purpose I would say a calc would have to be done, which would undoubtedly exceed your circuit rating
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
Unless it's a fire station, I can't imagine them operating simultaneously.
packersparky
Senior Member
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- Inspector
Where receptacles are used, 210.21(B)(2) says no. The table limits the load on a 20 amp branch circuit to 16 amps.
(2) Total Cord-and-Plug-Connected Load. Where connected
to a branch circuit supplying two or more receptacles or
outlets, a receptacle shall not supply a total cord-and-plug connected
load in excess of the maximum specified in Table
210.21(B)(2).
MattS87
Senior Member
- Location
- Yakima, WA
But if nothing is installed to prevent someone from trying to open them at the same time can you use that arguement?
- Location
- Placerville, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Retired PV System Designer
Using remote controls you would not even need enough people to push all the buttons at once.
Many vehicle based remote systems can operate as many as three doors in rapid succession. Or all doors could be programmed to the same code.
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
- Location
- Tennessee NEC:2017
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrician
FionaZuppa
Senior Member
- Location
- AZ
- Occupation
- Part Time Electrician (semi retired, old) - EE retired.
regardless of NEC, it is wise to use 2 ckt's (min) so that if one ckt goes dead one of the other garage doors can still open. since NEC is under NFPA, my example is, well, a fire example. if a fire forces people to exit through a garage (an attached garage example), and considering panic, having power to 1 or more garage doors is a good thing. the example for non attached garage is say someone working in the garage, one ckt goes dead, but fumes or something else requires person(s) to leave asap, having 1 or more garage doors working is a good thing.
surely the emergency garage door release is there, but many folks simply have no idea how they work, and have no idea how heavy a garage door is (may be) even when it has good working springs.
surely the emergency garage door release is there, but many folks simply have no idea how they work, and have no idea how heavy a garage door is (may be) even when it has good working springs.
Frank DuVal
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor, Electrical Engineer
I solved that issue in my detached garage. No electric openers, all are easy to lift by hand! Even the 10 x 10.
If the power is out to the electric garage doors on the house garage, and need a panic exit, just walk out the man door, leave the car.
I can say two powered garage doors can run on a 20 amp circuit fine, as I have run both doors on the house garage at the same time with no issues. You know, even when you just want one door open, you press the wrong one and then open/close the other one right away.
If the power is out to the electric garage doors on the house garage, and need a panic exit, just walk out the man door, leave the car.
I can say two powered garage doors can run on a 20 amp circuit fine, as I have run both doors on the house garage at the same time with no issues. You know, even when you just want one door open, you press the wrong one and then open/close the other one right away.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
This can be taken two ways IMO.
1. Maximum load on any receptacle is limited to the table.
2. Maximum load on the branch circuti is limited to the table.
I think my interpretation is #1, so as long as you don't plug multiple door openers into a single receptacle you still have the limit of the branch circuit rating.
I have had a few installations with 3 doors all on same circuit - never had any problems with them, though the total of all three may possibly exceeded 20 amps. Nature of the load here is as long as the breaker will hold when they all start at same time, they don't run long enough to trip the breaker on overload.
jqdavis
Member
- Location
- sicklerville nj
if you refer to nec 2017 210.11(C)(4) has new requirements compared to 2014 edition. if your amps are exceeding your limit it should not be connected.
Craigv
Senior Member
- Location
- Boyertown, PA, USA
I can't help asking why anyone with a six-car garage needs to be concerned with using an extra circuit for the openers?
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
They can't afford the extra GFCI('s)
- Status