How To Open Your Garage When the Power Goes Out
One of the greatest conveniences today is having power-operated garage doors!
However, if there is a power outage, then your garage door opener won’t work unless you have a battery backup.
So, if you are stuck without power and need to open your garage door, then here is how you can open or close it manually.
- Ensure that Your Garage Door is in the Down Position
The first thing you need to do is ensure that your garage is in the down position.
This is extremely important. Trying to disengage the door opener when your garage door is open is extremely dangerous.
If there is even a little damage to your garage door – a misaligned track, a broker cable or spring, worn out rollers – releasing the door opener could be disastrous.
The entire door could come slamming down to the ground, and it could lead to severe garage door damage. More importantly, you could sustain grievous injuries.
If your garage door is stuck in the open position during a power outage, it is best to call us immediately so that we can safely fix the door.
- Disconnect the Opener
After you have checked the position of your garage door, unplug the door opener’s power cord.
- Use the Emergency Release Cord
You will see a red rope hanging from the center your garage door’s track. This is the emergency release cord. This cord is attached to the trolley of the overhead doors, which is what connects the center track to the arm of the garage door.
Once again – do not pull this cord unless your garage door is closed.
When you pull this cord, it will disconnect the overhead door from the trolley, thus enabling you to manually open it.
- Open Your Garage Door
After you have pulled the emergency release cord, you may safely open your garage door. Overhead doors should lift easily and stay in place if there is no damage to your garage door. Please ensure that you fully open the door before you move away from it.
If, however, you find that it is really difficult to open your garage door because it is too heavy, this means that there is something wrong with the springs of the door. If this is the case, then it would be best to call us in immediately to take a look at your garage door. If the springs of the garage door are damaged, then the doors dangerous. It is best to let us fix the problem first before you try and use the doors again.
- Close the Garage Door
Once you have either entered or left your garage, pull the door down to close the door. Once again, do ensure that the door has been closed completely, i.e., it reaches the floor before you move away from it.
- Lock Your Garage Door
When the garage door is disconnected from the automatic door opener, it will not only have to be opened or closed automatically – you will also have to manually lock it. Therefore, slide the lock bar into place after you’re done.
- Reconnect the Opener
The last step you need to take is to reconnect the automatic door opener. You can do so immediately after using the garage door or you can wait until the power comes back on.
A word of warning here. Before you reconnect the door opener, do ensure that the garage door is unlocked. If you try to electrically open your garage door while the manual lock is on, you will badly damage the door.
Avoid Manual Opening!
If you wish to avoid the hassle of manually opening your garage door in the event of a power failure, then it would be advisable to invest in a backup battery. This backup power supply will ensure that you garage door works even if there is a power failure.
A Final Piece of Advice
Garage doors, especially when they are overhead doors, are extremely heavy pieces of equipment. So if there is any kind of damage to your garage door, then please call us to repair your garage door before you attempt to open it manually.
