How to Open a Garage Door Manually
When the clouds roll in and the wind picks up, you can anticipate a storm. Whether you’re driving home through torrential rain or sheltering from the hurricane at home, powerful winds and weather may be frightening – especially when the power goes out. You have additional issues with no electricity, such as being unable to open your garage doors.
After a power outage, a garage door opener without a battery backup will not function. When your door won’t open or close, it’s an issue whether you’ve pulled into your driveway and found that you can’t get into the house or if you’re trapped inside with no way to get your vehicle from the garage when the wind is howling and rain is coming down in sheets.
If you find yourself in either of these situations, there is a way to open your garage door manually so that you can get in or out as needed. It’s not difficult to do, but it does take a little bit of effort, and you’ll need to know where the release cord is located.
How to Open a Garage Door When the Power Is Out
Stay cool if your garage door won’t operate after a power outage. Every modern garage should include an emergency release kit, which is a mechanism that allows you to manually open the door from the inside or outside. You may use a few simple techniques to open your garage door effectively when you don’t have electricity and must drive to work or enter during a pounding rainstorm next time you find yourself without power.
How to Open a Garage Door Manually from the Inside
If your garage door opener has stopped working, or if you need to open your garage door during a power outage, you can open it manually. Here’s how:
- Locate the release handle on the garage door. This is usually a red cord that hangs down from the opener unit.
- Pull the release handle to disconnect the door from the opener.
- Lift the door up until it is fully open. Make sure to support the door so it doesn’t fall and injure anyone.
- Once the garage door is open, you can reconnect it to the opener by pulling on the release handle again.
How to Manually Open a Garage Door from the Outside
- Unlock the door: look for any locks or latches on the garage door’s exterior and make sure they’re open, so they don’t get in your way when you manually open it.
- Unplug the opener: To turn off the automatic door opener, unplug the power cord.
- Find the emergency release cord: Locate the emergency release cord, which has a red handle and hangs from the garage door track’s center rail. This red line connects the arm of your garage door to this center track via the trolley. Only utilize the emergency release lever when your garage door is completely closed.
- Pull the cord: Locate and pull down on the emergency release handle. This cord should separate the garage door from the trolley to allow you to move it manually.
- Lift the garage door: When the door has stopped moving, you should pull straight from the bottom until it comes to a halt, making sure it doesn’t shift before letting go and backing your vehicle out of the garage.
- Close the door: After you’ve gotten outside, manually close the door by pulling it down by hand. If your door has a lock bar, manually slide it to secure it.
Safety Tips for Manually Opening Your Garage Door
Most garage doors have a manual release handle that allows you to open the door manually in case of power outages or other emergencies. It’s important to know how to operate the manual release handle and to understand the safety risks involved in doing so.
There are a few things to be aware of when opening your garage door manually.
- First, make sure that the door is fully disengaged from the opener before attempting to open it. If the door is still connected to the opener, you risk damaging the opener or injuring yourself if the door suddenly closes.
- Second, be aware that the springs on your garage door are under a lot of tension. Once you release the door from the opener, it will be very heavy and difficult to control. Exercise caution when opening the door manually, and be sure to keep your fingers clear of any moving parts.
- Third, remember that once you open the door manually, it will no longer be protected by the automatic reversing mechanism. This means that if someone or something is in the way of the door as it’s closing, the door will not reverse and open again. Be sure to keep children and pets away from the door while it’s in motion.
By following these simple safety tips, you can safely open your garage door manually in case of an emergency.
How to Reset a Garage Door After a Power Outage
If your garage door opener is not working after a power outage, it may need to be reset.
The solution might be as simple as reconnecting your garage door to the opener. If you’ve tried reconnecting and it still doesn’t work, it may be time to call a garage door technician.
How to Reconnect an Opener with an Automatic Trolley:
You may not have an automatic trolley on your garage door opener if you attempt to connect it automatically and it does not function. In this instance, you’ll need to manually link the garage door arm to the trolley. You may also use this approach to reconnect your garage door before the electricity returns.
- Locate the release cord on the automatic trolley. This is usually a red cord hanging down from the trolley.
- Pull the release cord to disengage the trolley from the garage door opener arm.
- Manually move the garage door opener arm to the fully open position.
- Reconnect the trolley to the garage door opener arm by lining up the holes on the trolley with the pins on the arm. Push or screw the trolley into place until it is secure.
- Test the reconnected system by pressing the garage door opener remote or wall button to close the door. The door should operate smoothly and without issue.
To sum up, if you need to open your garage door manually, first locate the release cord on the automatic trolley. Pull the cord to disengage the trolley, then move the opener arm to the fully open position. Reconnect the trolley by lining up the holes on the trolley with the pins on the arm, and test by pressing the remote or wall button to close the door.
If you live in Maryland and you need assistance with your garage door, please contact us at Olympus Garage Door Repair in Damascus, MD. We provide residential and commercial garage door services throughout the state of Maryland.