Many homeowners take the operation of their electrically powered garage doors for granted — until the time comes when the door will not open. A garage door may fail to open due to a power outage or an issue with the remote-control unit. Fortunately, it is possible to open a garage door without electricity, but it will require a few steps and some old-fashioned “elbow grease.”
How to Open a Garage Door When There Is a Power Outage
The process to manually open a garage door involves accessing the bypass switch — which disconnects the door from the powered carriage — and raising the door with your hands. Follow these steps to open the garage door from the inside:
1. Make Sure the Garage Door Is in the Closed Position
Before trying to disconnect your automatic garage door opener from the door, make sure your door is in the closed position. This preliminary safety measure can keep you safe against injury and damage to your property. A garage door in the open position can come down to the ground in full force. Consult a professional garage door technician immediately if your door is stuck in the open position.
2. Pull the Emergency Release Cord
There should be a cord attached to a red handle, or a lever hanging from the opener rail connected to the trolley. Pull on the rope to disengage the trolley/bypass switch and put the garage door into manual mode. The lever is normally spring-loaded, so you should be able to feel it lock into place when pulling the rope.
Each brand and model of electric garage door opener may have a slightly different trolley mechanism. Some trolleys will lock open by simply pulling down on the emergency release cord, while others will require you to pull the cord down at a slight angle, pulling the release down and towards the inside of the garage to keep it open.
3. Try to Lift the Garage Door Manually
Pulling the emergency release cord will allow you to operate your garage door manually. Grasp the door’s handle firmly with both hands and attempt to lift it. If the door is too heavy, there may be a problem with the counterbalance springs on your door.
Your springs may need to be adjusted or replaced so they can continue to operate your door safely and effectively. Seek help from a qualified garage door service company if your door is too heavy to lift, is difficult to lift or will not stay open by itself. An expert technician knows how to handle springs that are under extreme pressure.
4. Reengage the Automatic Garage Door Opener
When the power comes back on — or you can get your remote-control unit working again — you will need to place the door back into automatic mode. Pull the emergency release cord toward the door to connect the carriage to your automatic garage door opener. To reengage the door opener’s trolley attachment, pull on the cord until the bracket slips back into place, which will lock the door into the powered carriage.
Run the opener for a complete cycle up and down to connect the trolley back to the opener. As the carriage and trolley pass one another, they should make a loud click to indicate they’ve connected. After you hear this sound, you can operate your garage door automatically. Test the door by using the remote.
Safety Tips for Opening Your Garage Door Manually
When you open a garage door by hand, you need to practice these safety precautions to prevent serious injury or death from a falling garage door:
- Unplug the automatic garage door opener: Even though the power is out, it’s important to disconnect the garage door opener to keep you and your property safe. If the power turns back on unexpectedly, the opener may try to open the door while it’s disengaged, which can make it more challenging to operate the door.
- Consult a professional when necessary: Manually operating automatic garage doors is easy to do on your own, but you may run into issues as you try to get the opener to work during a power outage. Contact an expert technician if you notice any broken springs or parts that could cause injury to you or further damage to the garage door itself.
- Avoid pulling the emergency release cord when the door is open: It’s only safe to use the emergency release cord when the door is completely closed. If the door is open, it could drop to the floor when you try to use the emergency release mechanism. Your best option is to wait until the power comes back on before closing the door or contact a garage door technician to help close your door.
- Keep your loved ones and valuables away from your open door: Whenever your garage door is disconnected from the automatic opener, it’s vulnerable to wind or gravity pulling it to the ground. Since the door can close at any minute, it’s best to keep young children and precious valuables away from the garage door opening. Once the power is back on, you should close the garage door as soon as possible to keep your family and property safe.
- Lock your garage door manually: Normally, the automatic lock on your garage door protects your home and everything inside. Use the metal manual lock next to your garage door to guard your house against break-ins or theft during a power outage.
- Inspect your garage door for damage: After you reconnect your garage door, make sure everything is working properly. If the door moves or shakes unevenly as it opens or closes, there may be an issue. Consult a professional if you notice anything abnormal about your door.
Contact The Doorman of Southeast Florida if You Need Help Opening a Garage Door
The Doorman can assist you with stuck doors and other garage door repair emergencies in Palm Beach County and Broward County. We also offer a $39.95 tune-up special that can keep your door in peak operating condition.
Our new electric garage door openers even open and close your door without electricity. Some LiftMaster openers now have a battery backup system built in that will work during a power outage. This is especially important in hurricane-prone areas of South Florida.
Contact us to learn more today.
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