Central Arkansas loses power. Ice storms, summer thunderstorms, and the occasional grid hiccup knock out electricity across Conway, Little Rock, and the surrounding area every year. For most buildings, that just means resetting some clocks. For buildings with automatic entrance doors, it raises a real question: when the lights go out, does the front door still work?
Not every entrance needs an answer of "yes." But some do, and knowing which category your building falls into is the first step before you call anyone about wiring a door into standby power.
Which Buildings Put Entrances on Standby Power
The buildings that typically put automatic entrances on a generator circuit share one thing in common: people need to get in or out even when the power is down.
- Hospitals, urgent care clinics, and medical offices, where patients and staff can't be left waiting outside a door that won't open.
- Pharmacies and grocery stores that serve as community resources during an outage and plan to stay open.
- Hotels, where guests continue to come and go around the clock regardless of weather or grid conditions.
- Multi-tenant office buildings and facilities with controlled-access entrances, where the door is also part of the building's security plan.
- Senior living communities and facilities with residents who have limited mobility and rely on the automatic door as their only practical way in or out.
If your building doesn't fall into one of these categories, a standard battery backup built into many door operators may already cover brief outages by holding the door in a safe position. Generator backup is the next step up for buildings that need the door fully operational, not just safely parked, for as long as the power is out.
What It Takes to Add an Existing Door to a Generator Circuit
Putting an existing automatic door on generator power isn't a matter of running an extension cord. It starts with understanding what the door actually draws and whether the building's standby system has room for it.
- An assessment of the operator's power requirements, since swing, slide, and low-energy operators don't all draw the same load.
- Confirmation that the generator and transfer switch have available capacity, or whether the electrical contractor needs to add capacity to cover the door along with everything else already on that circuit.
- A dedicated circuit run to the door operator, separate from general building power, so the door comes back online cleanly when the transfer switch kicks over.
- A check of the door's sensors, controls, and any connected access-control hardware, since all of it needs to come back up together for the entrance to work the way people expect.
- A test of the whole setup under simulated outage conditions, not just a visual inspection, so everyone knows the door actually behaves correctly when the power cuts out.
That last step matters more than it sounds. A door that looks fine on paper can still open slowly, fail to sense someone standing in the opening, or not reset properly after a power transfer. Force, timing, and sensor settings are safety-critical adjustments that belong to a certified AAADM technician with the right testing equipment — not something to eyeball after the electrician finishes and leaves.
Coordinating Door and Electrical Contractors
Most problems with generator-backed doors don't come from bad equipment. They come from the door contractor and the electrical contractor never actually talking to each other.
- Walk the entrance together before any wiring happens, so both contractors agree on where the dedicated circuit lands and how it reaches the operator.
- Decide up front who tests what. The electrician confirms power is present and stable at the operator; the door technician confirms the operator, sensors, and controls are actually functioning once that power arrives.
- Schedule a real outage simulation after installation, not just a quick power-on check, so you see how the door behaves through an actual transfer from utility power to generator and back.
- Keep a written record of what circuit the door is on and what capacity it uses, so the next contractor who touches the generator or the door isn't starting from scratch.
Skipping that coordination is how you end up with a door that has power but doesn't open, or a generator that's sized for everything except the one entrance that mattered most.
Don't Wait for an Outage to Find Out
The worst time to learn your entrance isn't on the generator is during the outage itself, with patients, guests, or customers standing outside a door that won't move. If you're not sure whether your building's automatic door is wired into standby power, or you're planning a generator project and want the entrance included from the start, it's worth sorting out now.
CSC Automatic Doors works with facility owners and electrical contractors across Conway, Little Rock, North Little Rock, Benton, Bryant, Maumelle, Jacksonville, Searcy, Russellville, Cabot, Sherwood, and Hot Springs to get entrances properly tied into backup power. Give us a call at 501-548-2374 and we'll help you figure out what your building needs and coordinate the work with your electrician.
Frequently asked questions
Can any automatic door operator be connected to a generator?
Most operators can be wired into standby power, but the operator type and its power draw determine what the electrical side needs to supply. A technician should confirm compatibility before any wiring is run.
What is the difference between battery backup and generator backup?
Battery backup is built into many operators and typically holds the door in a safe position for a short time during an outage. Generator backup keeps the door fully operating — opening, closing, and sensing people normally — for as long as the generator runs.
Should I call my electrician or my door company first?
Loop in both early rather than picking one first. The door company can tell you what the operator needs, and the electrician can tell you what the generator and panel can support, so the project gets scoped correctly from the start.