How are folks automating their garage door?
- Thread starter Timoh
- Start date
paulrichjr
New Member
I am using a PUM01 from X10
I just plug it into the same plug that garage door is plugged into and then take a wire from it and wire it into the same holes as the door buttons by the interior door and set the x10 code. I then have my elk close the door during the daytime if the door has been open for more than 1 1/2 hours or 15 minutes at night...
Works great!!
As far as the stuck outside..that is why I set it for 1 1/2 hour during the day. I also have a wireless keyfob that can raise the garage door and turn on lights outside.... hidden outside...NX-470 is the one I use
http://www.automatedoutlet.com/product.php...at=0&page=1
"Unlock the door for your kids without getting out of your seat
Keep your lawn green and healthy with automatic sprinkler control
Close the garage door without stepping outside
Experience the ultimate in convenience with X10 control of low-voltage devices like sprinkler valves, door strikes, garage door openers, thermostats and more! Depending on your application, this flexible accessory can close a contact momentarily when an ON signal is sent, or indefinitely until an OFF signal is sent. It can even beep when responding to signals, if you choose. Rated for 5A, 24VDC (15A, 120VAC if properly insulated). Responds to ALL OFF command.
Other items that may be controlled include:
Garage door openers, thermostats, electric door strikes, speakers, watering systems, telephones, drapery controls, HVAC dampers, window openers, security devices, electronic ignition fireplaces, signaling devices and more."
I just plug it into the same plug that garage door is plugged into and then take a wire from it and wire it into the same holes as the door buttons by the interior door and set the x10 code. I then have my elk close the door during the daytime if the door has been open for more than 1 1/2 hours or 15 minutes at night...
Works great!!
As far as the stuck outside..that is why I set it for 1 1/2 hour during the day. I also have a wireless keyfob that can raise the garage door and turn on lights outside.... hidden outside...NX-470 is the one I use
http://www.automatedoutlet.com/product.php...at=0&page=1
"Unlock the door for your kids without getting out of your seat
Keep your lawn green and healthy with automatic sprinkler control
Close the garage door without stepping outside
Experience the ultimate in convenience with X10 control of low-voltage devices like sprinkler valves, door strikes, garage door openers, thermostats and more! Depending on your application, this flexible accessory can close a contact momentarily when an ON signal is sent, or indefinitely until an OFF signal is sent. It can even beep when responding to signals, if you choose. Rated for 5A, 24VDC (15A, 120VAC if properly insulated). Responds to ALL OFF command.
Other items that may be controlled include:
Garage door openers, thermostats, electric door strikes, speakers, watering systems, telephones, drapery controls, HVAC dampers, window openers, security devices, electronic ignition fireplaces, signaling devices and more."
BraveSirRobbin
Moderator
You have your garage door open/close functions controlled with a single X-10 command?
paulrichjr
New Member
Actually I do have it controlled by a single x-10 command. First of all no one knows that I do that so I'm not real worried about someone being able to figure it out. Secondly, if they did break into the garage they couldn't get anything since I have nothing in there except junk. Third...I doubt someone would spend 15 minutes trying to figure out what x-10 code I had when the second they tried to go into the house through the garage the alarm would go off... If they desire to break in to my house that bad I guess they would prefer using the window. I do understand that it isn't the most secure system but I think the odds of someone using it to get in are closer to none than they are slim.
Photon
Active Member
"I've been wanting to automate a garage door close for a while now, but can't figure out a "safe" way to do it so I don't lock myself out. "
Concerned about getting locked out of your house? Get a key box similar to what realtors use, but with a combination lock. $30 or so at Home Depot, etc.
Don't want to spend $30? Roll the time machine back 30 years or so. The "smart" thing to do back then was to drive a pair of nails through the garage siding or trim a couple inches apart. Then go inside and run a pair of wires from the pointy ends of the nails to the GDO control button. Short the nails with any key, paper clip, etc if you get locked out. If the nail heads matched the rest of the nails in the siding, it might even be more secure than hiding a key under the door mat.
Me, I went with the key box. Besides being secure, it has the advantage of working during a power outage, unlike almost any scheme to activate the GDO, unless you have a GDO with battery backup.
Concerned about getting locked out of your house? Get a key box similar to what realtors use, but with a combination lock. $30 or so at Home Depot, etc.
Don't want to spend $30? Roll the time machine back 30 years or so. The "smart" thing to do back then was to drive a pair of nails through the garage siding or trim a couple inches apart. Then go inside and run a pair of wires from the pointy ends of the nails to the GDO control button. Short the nails with any key, paper clip, etc if you get locked out. If the nail heads matched the rest of the nails in the siding, it might even be more secure than hiding a key under the door mat.
Me, I went with the key box. Besides being secure, it has the advantage of working during a power outage, unlike almost any scheme to activate the GDO, unless you have a GDO with battery backup.
Here is what I did. You need a wireless(or wired) switch to indicate the door is open and when the door is
closed. You can also detect if the door is stuck using these two switches.
I have a ELK M1G. I programed the system to check to see if the door is closed
and the alarm(away) is set. If the door is open 15 minutes after the alarm(away) is set then I close the
door. If the door is not closed or not open I send a message to my cellphone that the door
is not closed and stuck. I also flash a light on the keypad to indicate the garage door is open,
this way I know if the garage door is open.
I still use the regular remote garage door opener to open and close the door. I have
added a remote opener on the side of the garage in case I want to enter the garage
when the door is closed. The system will know when I have opened the door and I have a
certain amount of time to unset the alarm if the alarm is set.
Cliff s
closed. You can also detect if the door is stuck using these two switches.
I have a ELK M1G. I programed the system to check to see if the door is closed
and the alarm(away) is set. If the door is open 15 minutes after the alarm(away) is set then I close the
door. If the door is not closed or not open I send a message to my cellphone that the door
is not closed and stuck. I also flash a light on the keypad to indicate the garage door is open,
this way I know if the garage door is open.
I still use the regular remote garage door opener to open and close the door. I have
added a remote opener on the side of the garage in case I want to enter the garage
when the door is closed. The system will know when I have opened the door and I have a
certain amount of time to unset the alarm if the alarm is set.
Cliff s
Steve
Senior Member
I guess you've never armed the system, closed the door and drove away only to get a few blocks and realized you forgot something and come back and open the door. If you have, that rule would drive you nuts, or perhaps even be unsafe.
This is a hot topic when it turns in to something about safety. I can't tell you the number of times I have pushed the button on my garage without looking and walked in the house. I don't think its much different. Keep in mind that when I installed a relay to close the contacts on my garage door opener I didn't defeat any of the native security features. Those are the optical sensor that checks for something in the way and the auto reverse if a certain object is hit by the door coming down. I can't understand why people are SO concerned with the hazards of automating their door as long as those safeties are in place...
Neil
Neil
Photon
Active Member
Neil said, "I can't understand why people are SO concerned with the hazards of automating their door as long as those safeties are in place..."
The "native" safety features of the GDO might prevent injury, but not property damage. I installed the LED transmitter/receiver near the floor per the GDO instruction manual. A couple weeks ago my spouse didn't pull her car quite far enough into the garage. When she hit the button by the door, the door came down and the hinge hardware put a nice gash into the rear bumper cover before there was enough pressure on the GDO to cause an auto-reverse. I can also imagine parking the car half way into the garage and having the door close onto the roof or hood. I'm sure it would scratch the paint, crease some sheet metal, or break the sunroof before it reversed.
I'm going to raise the LED transmitter and receivers higher off the floor so any part of any of my vehicles is detected. We are between pets, and there are no children around, so I'm not too worried about objects lower than that.
As much as I would like to have the system close the door when I forget, I have this image of the other guys lawyer addressing me in court, "So Mr Photon, you decided to ignore resonable and customary safety procedures and kluged your toy computer to close the heavy garage door by itself, crushing my client's child's neck as she ran inside to recover her ball." Would this happen? Probably not. Could this happen? Of course it could. I needed to see the garage door crashing down just one time after a torsion spring broke to understand how dangerous it can be. My doors have broken springs three times. When it happens while opening, it is mostly inconvenient. When it happens while closing it is scarry!
I imagine I will have my Elk-to-be phone me if it decides the door should be closed. At a minimum, I think I want to be able to check a video camera to ensure the door is clear before I command the door to close from afar.
The "native" safety features of the GDO might prevent injury, but not property damage. I installed the LED transmitter/receiver near the floor per the GDO instruction manual. A couple weeks ago my spouse didn't pull her car quite far enough into the garage. When she hit the button by the door, the door came down and the hinge hardware put a nice gash into the rear bumper cover before there was enough pressure on the GDO to cause an auto-reverse. I can also imagine parking the car half way into the garage and having the door close onto the roof or hood. I'm sure it would scratch the paint, crease some sheet metal, or break the sunroof before it reversed.
I'm going to raise the LED transmitter and receivers higher off the floor so any part of any of my vehicles is detected. We are between pets, and there are no children around, so I'm not too worried about objects lower than that.
As much as I would like to have the system close the door when I forget, I have this image of the other guys lawyer addressing me in court, "So Mr Photon, you decided to ignore resonable and customary safety procedures and kluged your toy computer to close the heavy garage door by itself, crushing my client's child's neck as she ran inside to recover her ball." Would this happen? Probably not. Could this happen? Of course it could. I needed to see the garage door crashing down just one time after a torsion spring broke to understand how dangerous it can be. My doors have broken springs three times. When it happens while opening, it is mostly inconvenient. When it happens while closing it is scarry!
I imagine I will have my Elk-to-be phone me if it decides the door should be closed. At a minimum, I think I want to be able to check a video camera to ensure the door is clear before I command the door to close from afar.
In addition to the built-in door security features, I mounted a blue strobe light to the bottom of the garage door opener controlled by an Insteon ApplianceLink. I also have a motion detector in the garage. As part of HomeSeer automatically closing the garage door, a 60 second sequence is initiated where the strobe flashes. If motion is detected during this time, the sequence is canceled. Since I only automatically close the garage door after dark when it's been open for a while, I also announce the start of the sequence and status over the whole house audio.
BraveSirRobbin
Moderator
You don't have "dual" springs on your door? I thought that was the reason of the dual springs, to prevent something like this from happening (door crashing down)? Am I wrong in this assumption?
Two springs are calibrated to counterbalance the door with a slight bias to close. When one of the springs breaks, the door gets REALLY heavy, especially a double.
I have never had one come crashing down, as the GDO has always held the broken ones up if they broke and would lower the broken door. The GDO would not open the door with the broken spring.
Brian
Photon
Active Member
The time I had the door come thundering down was on a really heavy, double wide, solid wood door. Still had the original GDO the previous owner installed. Since both the GDO and door were damaged and at least 10 yers old, I replaced both. I recall that GDO had a clutch that couldn't hold the weight with just a single spring to counterbalance the door.
I bought a foam core steel door which was much lighter. A few years later a single spring broke while opening, and it fell only a few inches; the GDO held it from falling. I had both springs replaced with "industrial grade" springs, and then it took about five years before one of those broke. We moved out a couple years later with no further problems.
The overhead doors in our new abode are again light foam core steel doors. We've been there just about 15 months, so no broken springs yet.
I bought a foam core steel door which was much lighter. A few years later a single spring broke while opening, and it fell only a few inches; the GDO held it from falling. I had both springs replaced with "industrial grade" springs, and then it took about five years before one of those broke. We moved out a couple years later with no further problems.
The overhead doors in our new abode are again light foam core steel doors. We've been there just about 15 months, so no broken springs yet.
LightenUP
Active Member
UPB has a very easy way to do this with little investment. The I/O modual can be a part of a metal mass driveway sensor or it can be used in conjunction with a contact mechanism or even telphone interface. If I were you I would check into this. Also you might want to be sure to think of safety issues of a car not being in all the way or children leaving toys around. Make sure the laser is correct in these cases I guess that would stop it from damaging or hurting someone.
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