How to Manually Open a Garage Door after a Power Outage
While a powered garage door opener is a very convenient way of gaining access to your garage each day, there will inevitably be situations that arise which require you to manually open your garage door. After a power outage, your openers aren’t going to work, whether they’re in your vehicle, on the wall of your garage or on the outside access panel. If you’re in a hurry and need to get going, there is a proper way to open your door.
Make Sure Your Door is Completely Down
There are some steps that you’re going to have to take in order to disengage your garage door opener from your garage door, but the first step you need to follow is ensuring that your garage door is completely down. If you try to disengage your garage door when the door is partially open (even an inch or two), this can be a very dangerous situation. The spring can become off balance or broken, and the garage door can come crashing down. If you cannot get your garage door down all the way, contact a professional right away to assist. Safety should always be a priority.
Releasing the Emergency Cord
Every garage door opener has a red cord that hangs down from the center of the system’s trolley. It will move with the garage door as it opens and closes. You’ll want to look for it in the middle of your garage when your door is completely down. When your garage door is completely closed and you pull down on this cord, the emergency release will disconnect the carriage from the trolley so that you are then able to move your door open and closed freely without the use of power.
Manually Moving the Garage Door
Once you have pulled the emergency release cord, you can use the handle on the outside of the door or the horizontal rails on the inside of the door to move the door upward. The door should move pretty easily once you get some momentum going. If you are having a lot of trouble moving the door or it doesn’t seem to move at all, there could be an issue with the spring on the door. A professional can assess the problem, and they’ll let you know if a repair is needed. A lot of people think that the door is simply sliding along its track when you’re manually opening it or closing it. In fact, there are a number of working parts that contribute to how your garage door functions.
Re-Engaging the Garage Door
You will need to re-engage the garage door in order to utilize the opener again once the power goes back on. Pull the release cord towards the direction of your garage door. The spring will compress again, and everything should connect back together.
Connecting the Trolley to the Opener
After you have manually pulled the release cord in the direction to re-engage your door and opener, you will need to connect the trolley to the opener. The power will need to come back on for this to occur. Press the opener button at any location to run the cycle in its entirety. The carriage and the trolley should pass each other, and a click should engage them together again. If the power remains on, you’ll be able to run your garage door opener like normal.
Opening Your Garage Door Manually When You Have a Lock / Key System
Some garage doors come with extra security in the way of a key and lock attached to your emergency release system. Your emergency release should be located at the top of your garage door near the center. There is an emergency release cable attached to this area, and you should have a key for the lock. The emergency release cord should be unlocked with the key before proceeding.
Once you access the cable that is hidden under the locked area, you can access manual mode for your door. There should be another lock that is situated near the exterior handle for your garage door. The handle will need to be unlocked and turned vertically in order for the door to move.
Lift the garage door, moving it straight up with your hands. Make sure that it has gone all the way up to prevent it from coming back down on its own when you’re in the process of accessing your garage. You can close the garage door in the same manner.
It’s always a good idea to know how to manually open your garage door before the day comes when you need this information. After all, rushing can only lead to issues like damaging your garage door. If you’re having issues with manually opening your garage door or there are problems with the door even when the power comes back on, it’s a good idea to have a professional come and look at your door and opener for you. You can contact Commonwealth Garage Door for more information or to schedule an appointment. We are a family owned and operated business, ready to help you with any commercial or residential garage door needs that you may have. Call us at 804-920-9677 or Click Here to Email Us.
