An automatic garage door opener offers you the convenience of entering and exiting your garage without leaving your vehicle. However, these devices require electricity to operate — which means they won’t function during a power outage.
Opener manufacturers recognize that these interruptions can be problematic for homeowners. That’s why they’ve added a built-in mechanism that makes it easy to manually open a garage door in an emergency.
How to Open a Garage Door Manually
You can follow these five steps if you need to open a garage door without power.
1. Disengage the Opener
If the opener automatically engages when the power returns, it could damage the motor. You can avoid this situation by unplugging the opener before proceeding with the manual opening process.
2. Pull the Emergency Release Cord
You should see a rope connected to a red handle hanging from the garage door trolley. This emergency release cord disconnects the carriage, allowing the door to slide along the railings. Pull the cord straight down until you hear a clicking noise. Depending on your garage’s height, you may need a stepladder to reach the handle.
3. Raise the Door
While the opener is temporarily out of commission, the springs enable you to raise and lower the door manually. Grasp the bottom of the door with both hands and lift it slowly while using your legs to supply most of the force. You can then drive your vehicle out of the garage.
4. Close the Door
It’s a good idea to lower the door after removing your vehicle. Since the door is still disconnected from the opener, heavy winds could slam it to the ground and injure a person or pet nearby. You can raise it manually again when the need arises.
5. Reconnect the Opener
You’ll need to reconnect the opener when the power returns. With the door closed, pull the emergency release cord down and toward the opener unit. Next, plug in the power cord and press the remote control button that activates the device. Raise and lower the door at least once to ensure everything functions correctly.
6. Call a Garage Door Professional
If you still experience problems with your garage door, it is time to call in professionals for help. Your local garage door company should be able to help you with any garage door repairs that you need to get your door back into working order.
Get Help With a Garage Door Power Outage
If you don’t want to try opening or closing your garage door manually on your own, the experts at Drake Reed Door Co. are ready to assist you. We offer timely garage door emergency services to handle these and other urgent repair issues. Contact us to schedule a service appointment or call us at 717-366-7091!