Garage door opener:battery for when electricity goes out

[samintx]

I had the Overhead door guy out to adjust that big spring atop my garage door. He mentioned Sears sells a battery operated add-on to your motor that opens the door when the eletricity goes out.

Yes, I know it can be done manually, and I have in the past, but the new spring does not allow for the leeway of the old type spring originally on my door. It is hard for me to manually open now. That is why I had him out...I could not open from inside or outside manually so I was stuck in the house when the electricity went out...which it does regularly on my block.

Anyone know or have one of these from SEARS? He said he had only seen them at SEARS and they were rrelatively new.

[JoeH]

Then get him or someone else back out until he gets the spring adjusted right, and don't pay him until he does. The spring is supposed to be adjusted so it counterbalances almost all of the door weight. If it is that hard, then it is also overloading the opener motor. The door should be no harder to open manually than before adding a garage door opener once the emergency release has been pulled.

[Numo]

JoeH wrote:
Then get him or someone else back out until he gets the spring adjusted right, and don't pay him until he does. The spring is supposed to be adjusted so it counterbalances almost all of the door weight. If it is that hard, then it is also overloading the opener motor. The door should be no harder to open manually than before adding a garage door opener once the emergency release has been pulled.

Perhaps, but our garage door it is pretty hard to get going either up or down when the opener is disconnected. Another solution might be to install a door made of lightweight material, such as fiberglass.

[lafinfil]

I agree with Joe - door should work smoothly with the opener arm disconnected.

Call them back and have them find out why it isn't.

[rgG]

If it is a double garage door made out of wood, like ours is, it can still be heavy and relatively hard for one person (an older woman for example) to open, even if it is adjusted correctly.

I have heard of those battery back-up openers, I think they may run off a car or motorcycle battery for the backup power, but I have not seen one in the flesh.

Here is a link:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605...000P?mv=cf&vName=Tools&cName=Garage+Door+Openers+%26+Accessories&sbf=sale

[samintx]

[quote=rgG]
If it is a double garage door made out of wood, like ours is, it can still be heavy and relatively hard for one person (an older woman for example) to open, even if it is adjusted correctly.

Yes, made out of wood and double garage. He adjusted it but it certainly would be handy to have it automatically open...because I have to get a step ladder out to redo the cord that reconnects...no big deal but convenient.

Thanks for URL.

[Harbourmaster]

How about simply hooking it up to a standard UPS...

[AAA]

Instead of those little batteries, I'd like to see a large deep cycle marine battery like those used in some sump pump battery backups.

[AAA]

$120
http://www.aaaremotes.com/on30gadoopba.html

$128
http://www.residential-openers.com/evgadoopbaba.html

I might put these on my to-get list

[lazydays]

I was thinking about the UPS also. Should do the job and it would provide an audible warning when the battery started failing.