How to Open a Garage Door Manually Without Power
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!
What Size Garage Door Opener Do I Need?
A garage door opener is one of those household gadgets that homeowners install and then forget about. But like any mechanical device, an opener can malfunction or wear out. If you notice signs like excessive noise during operation, intermittent or random functioning or a garage door that gets stuck during opening or closing, it could mean it’s time for an opener replacement.
If you’re in the market for a new garage door opener, you might be surprised at how many options are available today. You’ll need to evaluate several factors during the buying process, including the best device size for your needs.
How to Determine the Ideal Garage Door Opener Size
Regarding garage door openers, the appropriate size refers to the amount of horsepower the unit’s motor must generate to operate your door efficiently and safely. If you select a model that provides insufficient horsepower, it could burn out the motor and significantly reduce its life expectancy. On the other hand, an opener that delivers more power than you need wastes energy — and money.
Before you purchase an opener, you’ll need to evaluate your garage door based on these factors:
- Door opening size: Most garage doors fall into the single- or two-car size category, although larger versions for recreational vehicles are also available. If you don’t know which door type you have, use a tape measure to find out. A single-car garage is typically 9 feet wide by 7 feet high, and a two-car garage is usually 16 feet wide by 7 feet high.
- Door material: Garage doors come in several materials that impact the product’s weight. Wood doors are the heaviest, while steel and fiberglass models tend to be lighter. Adding insulation will also make a garage door heavier.
As you might expect, a two-car insulated wood garage door will require an opener with more horsepower than a non-insulated fiberglass product.
How Much Horsepower Do You Need?
To get an idea of how much horsepower your garage door opener needs to deliver, determine whether you have a one- or two-car garage, and identify your door’s material type. If you have a door for a one-car garage made of steel or fiberglass, choose an opener with a ½ horsepower capacity. For a two-car garage door constructed from these materials, select a ¾ horsepower model.
What if you have an insulated fiberglass or steel door? A one-car garage version would require an opener with ¾ horsepower, and a two-car door will need 1 horsepower. If you have a one-car wood garage door, choose a 1-horsepower opener. A two-car wood door should have an opener ranging from 1-1 ¼ horsepower, depending on the weight.
Drake Reed Door Co. Has the Right Opener for Your Garage
Central Pennsylvania residents can turn to Drake Reed Door Co. for high-quality garage door openers from LiftMaster® that offer industry-best features, performance and durability. We also have the expertise to choose the appropriate door opener size for your needs. Contact us today for more information or call us at 717-366-7091!