Hey folks! I'm wondering about the best way to power my garage door opener in my external garage. Would using a solar panel and a battery bank, like the $400 Jackery combo, be a practical solution? Or should I opt for the more expensive route of getting electricity run from my house for about $600?
3 Answers
I’ve got two solar panels on my garage that power my opener, which uses up about 500 watt-hours daily. Usually, it's fine, but if I get a stretch of cloudy days in winter, it can struggle to keep up.
Installing solar can work for garage door openers, but check out details first. It’s been done successfully before, but ensure your opener matches the specs in those examples. Also, keep in mind that if your garage gets too cold, it might not perform as well; for instance, Lifepo4 batteries only charge above freezing unless you have a special model with a heater.
Running electrical line from your house has a lot of benefits. For starters, your garage door will work even in the coldest winter. Plus, if you install a larger cable now, you could set yourself up for future needs like an EV charger.
Yeah, if it's not too far, it might actually be cheaper to run the power directly.