New Garage Doors for Your New EV

Once you make the decision to go electric, you’ll need to prepare your garage for an electric vehicle (EV), but with so many factors to consider, you could be looking at a long and confusing process. The thought of switching from gas to electric makes many people nervous because they have visions of tangled cables everywhere and all sorts of technical challenges popping up. Here are simple things you can do to make your garage doors in Visalia EV-friendly.

Make Sure Your Garage Doors in Visalia are Insulated

If you’re planning to install an EV charging station in your garage, you’ll need to make sure that the space is properly insulated. While most garages are already insulated, if yours isn’t, it’s easy to add a layer of foam board and weather stripping around the edges of the door. Insulating your garage doors in Visalia will help keep your power bill low while ensuring that your EV doesn’t overheat while plugged in. A well-insulated door will also help keep the noise down, which is a plus if you live in an apartment building or condo complex.

Do You Have Enough Space to Charge?

If you’re thinking about getting an electric car, you may be wondering if your garage is big enough to accommodate it. The first thing to understand is that the space needed for charging depends on the type of charger you’ll be using. Level 2 chargers require 240 volts of power, which means they require significantly more space than Level 1 chargers (120 volts). In fact, using a level 1 charger requires only enough space for the car itself — meaning that if there are no other vehicles in your garage, charging will not take up any extra space at all.

Evaluate Your Electrical System

The other step is to evaluate your electrical system. If you’re converting from gas to electric and keeping the same garage, you’ll need to determine whether your current wiring can support an electric vehicle. If it can’t, then you’ll need to upgrade it with a new 240-volt circuit breaker panel. It’s also important to make sure that there are no leaks in the system, as this could cause problems later down the road.

Safely Install Wiring and Outlets

If you’re planning to install a charging station at home, you’ll need to be prepared for a few additional electrical changes.

The first step is to have your wiring checked by an electrician. An electrician will also help you determine if you need additional circuits or outlets installed in your garage so that the wiring can be safely connected to your home’s electrical system.

In addition, you’ll also need to have the wiring installed correctly so that it can safely carry enough power from your home’s main electrical panel down to the new outlets and charging stations. This includes using proper fuses and circuit breakers.

Buy a Garage Door Opener That’s EV-Friendly

If you have a garage door opener, consider getting a model that’s compatible with electric vehicles. This way, when your new car is parked inside, it won’t interfere with the operation of the door opener. You can buy garage door openers that come with their own remotes or keypads. When using these, make sure they aren’t too close to where your car will be parked — otherwise, they might get in the way of each other or cause problems with the operation of either device.

Install a Switchable Outlet

When conducting garage door installation for your new EV, you will need switchable outlets. A switchable outlet allows you to turn on and off power to an outlet without having to unplug anything. This feature is especially useful for EV chargers because it allows you to turn off the power when you don’t need it. For example, if you only want to charge your EV overnight while you sleep, then you can leave your cord plugged into the switchable outlet and turn off the power before bedtime so that any energy used during that time isn’t charged to your home electrical bill.

Lubricate the Garage Door

To reduce friction between the moving parts of your garage door opener, use silicone spray on all moving parts of the system, including pulleys and cables leading into and out of the opener housing unit. This will help ensure smooth operation when opening and closing your garage doors in Visalia while also reducing noise from squeaking hinges or springs that could interfere with charging zone readings from your car’s charging system.

Add a Protective Strip to Your Garage Door

A protective strip is a safety feature that helps prevent damage to your garage door when it closes. This device prevents the garage door from striking objects in its path and prevents children and pets from getting caught between the door and the floor. The protective strip is a narrow strip of steel or aluminum that runs along the bottom edge of your garage door. When you pull up on the door handle, this protective strip lifts off the ground and allows you to open garage doors in Visalia without damaging anything on the other side.

Know Your Clearance

If you have an electric vehicle (EV), you must consider adding more clearance and space to your garage. An EV has a battery pack that is far bigger than that of an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle, so it needs more room for installation. You may also need to move some things around, such as hanging tools and other items on the walls.

You should know your clearance requirements before installing an EV system in your garage or driveway. This way, you can plan out how much space you need so that everything fits nicely without causing problems when driving or working on the vehicle.

Check Your Door’s Springs

If your door doesn’t close properly or sticks when trying to open it, it could mean that there are problems with the springs that support the weight of the door, and you will need to search online for garage door repair near me. Broken springs can cause damage to more than just your garage door opener — it could also damage your car.

An improperly functioning garage door can cause problems with the temperature inside the garage. A garage door that doesn’t close properly will allow heat to escape out of the garage and into the house. This can lead to problems with humidity levels in the house and mold growth, hence the need for new garage doors.

In the end, it’s up to you to evaluate how much work goes into preparing your garage for an EV conversion and how much is worth your while. Every situation is unique, and you might wind up paying a small fortune in the end. Alternatively, you could do very little and still get the car you want. It all depends on you and your goals. Whatever you decide to do, have an expert who can do the work for you for better results.