Car is stuck in garage - electrical expertise requested

matthew-s · matthew-s's Garage

Alright. Still no power since Saturday's storm.

I have a detached garage, with garage door openers. The only way in and out is via the garage doors. The garage is holding my car hostage.

I have a portable generator. I'd like to provide power to the line going to the garage so I can get the door open.

The problem is the only place I can find to tap into is the light switch in my house that controls power to the garage (yeah, I know, its scary - house is from the 1920's).

This light switch has only two wires on it, white and black. I assume this switch provides continuity across these two wires. My guess is that maybe this switch is in series with the hot (or maybe even neutral?) lead? If so, how do I hook my generator up to this? Is it even possible? I was really hoping to crack it open and find 4 wires in there . . . .

Any help is much appreciated!

Thanks,

Stranded in NJ.

stomachmonkey · 11-01-2011, 07:04 AM

Assume the only way into the garage is the garage door?

No side door or window?

LeeH · 11-01-2011, 07:08 AM

matthew-s · matthew-s's Garage

No side door. Plan "B" is to break one of the window panes. I was hoping to find a non-destructive alternative if possible.

After this, I'm going to run a cord to one of the openers such that I can get to it from the outside . . . .

I'm also frustrated because I bought a opener w/ battery backup for just this eventuality, but that is not working either.

masraum · 11-01-2011, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Assume the only way into the garage is the garage door?

No side door or window?

You propose he drives his car out through a window?

BeyGon · 11-01-2011, 07:10 AM

pull the cord by the power box/light, it unhooks the chain, then pull the door open.

matthew-s · matthew-s's Garage

Ooooh - Lee. Nice one - let me see if I can reach that. I even have a wire-snake too!

vash · vash's Garage

do what the pro thieves do. break a garage door window and use a hook to yank on the pull cord. does the roll up door have windows?

matthew-s · matthew-s's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeyGon

pull the cord by the power box/light, it unhooks the chain, then pull the door open.

Ha, yeah - I'd do that, but there is no way in the garage from the outside. It's a detached garage.

Running outside to see if Lee's youtube suggestion is feasible. BRB.

dad911 · 11-01-2011, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matthew-s

Alright. Still no power since Saturday's storm.

I have a detached garage, with garage door openers. The only way in and out is via the garage doors. The garage is holding my car hostage.

I have a portable generator. I'd like to provide power to the line going to the garage so I can get the door open.

The problem is the only place I can find to tap into is the light switch in my house that controls power to the garage (yeah, I know, its scary - house is from the 1920's).

This light switch has only two wires on it, white and black. I assume this switch provides continuity across these two wires. My guess is that maybe this switch is in series with the hot (or maybe even neutral?) lead? If so, how do I hook my generator up to this? Is it even possible? I was really hoping to crack it open and find 4 wires in there . . . .

Any help is much appreciated!

Thanks,

Stranded in NJ.

Where is the electrical panel? Why can't you pull out the breaker for the garage door openers, and feed the garage circuit from the generator?

Zeke · 11-01-2011, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeyGon

pull the cord by the power box/light, it unhooks the chain, then pull the door open.

It won't be near the power head when the door is closed and not all will work like the one in the video. Mine won't, it's pin that goes straight up.

The switch sounds like a leg. Powering the 2 wires of a leg won't do anything unless you can catch the neutral. Now, if the box has a ground or is grounded, you might get the garage powered up by powering up the power leg of the switch and attaching your neutral to the box or ground.

Install an exterior outlet once this is over to ensure you can power the garage in the future by backfeeding the outlet.

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

If the "shimmy a wire and release the door trick" doesn't work, I suggest you do the following:

1. Throw the main power circuit. You don't want to be doing this and all of a sudden your power comes back on!

2. Take apart the switch in your house that turns power on to your garage. Try to trace the wires and determine which ones are going to your garage.

3. Grab a car battery and connect the white wire to + and the black wire to -.

4. Hit the remote opener. The car battery should have enough power to get the door opened -- at least just enough for you to crawl under the door and pull the manual release.

Of course, if the only car battery you have available is the one that's in your car, that doesn't help a whole lot.

Also - the car battery is less likely to have sufficient power to kill you or do severe damage to your home's electrical system should something go wrong. A gererator, on the other hand, might.

-Z-man.

gtc · gtc's Garage

I'd backfeed through the socket for your clothes dryer. Be sure to disconnect from the grid, as Z-man says above, so you don't kill any linemen working on the power lines nearby. Dunno how big your house and generator are, but it would probably help to flip off any unneccesary breakers while doing this.
This is not the proper way to connect a backup generator, so don't get in the habit of doing this.

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

Forgot about one thing with the battery trick - car batteries are DC, not AC.

So...
Find a fellow with a large SUV that has a DC to AC inverter built into the truck. Plug an extension chord into the AC power outlet in the truck. Now carefully take the wires from the house switch that powers your garage and slice them into the extension chord.

Now, you should have sufficient power to raise the door.

Of course, by now, I'm hoping that you have power back!

-Z-man.

matthew-s · matthew-s's Garage

I'm alive, and have my car. I did it the old fashioned way (I eventually got in through the window).

To follow up, I have thrown our main breaker, and all other breakers, before fiddling with the generator. I am aware it could affect the linesmen and even myself / family.

So far I have heat and internet. I was able to disconnect the 110 supply to my furnace, and splice in an extension cord. So nothing is being back-fed into the house.

I feel better having made some progress. The yard, on the other hand, is a complete mess - but the family is safe and warm, so that is all that matters.

I don't expect power for a few more days.