Garage Door Opener Electric Outlet



Question:
I have a question concerning installation of a garage door opener. I have a garage with a vaulted ceiling where the outlet for the garage door opener is at the peak of this ceiling (directly above the opener). The old opener (which I'm replacing) has a long enough cord to reach the outlet which is maybe 6 ft or so above the opener. All of the openers nowadays seem to only have 3 ft cords. So I purchased an extension cord to plug into. Now I read this is a bad idea in terms of safety. What is the solution? The garage is finished (no low beams or anything).

Answer:
There is probably no "legal" answer. If you change the line cord on the opener you have technically lost the U/L listing and if you use an extension cord it is "using as permanent wiring". I suppose you could mount a "pendant" corded receptacle but I don't see that as being any safer than a good 14 ga, 3 wire extension cord. Personally I would just use a good heavy duty extension cord and get on with my life. Strain relieve the connection at the receptacle by attaching the cord to the ceiling and loop it with a tywrap where the opener plugs into the extension cord. If you are comfortable opening up your new opener and replacing the cord that would be a more elegant solution but could come with it's own dangers if not done to the manufacturer's standards. I don't really see a danger in either case assuming the cord is rated to safely carry the load.





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