How to Open a Garage Door Manually
A garage door opener without a battery backup will not function after a power outage. This can pose as an issue whether you’re trying to get into your house and can’t from the driveway or if you’re trapped inside with no way to escape during severe weather conditions.
In either of these cases, there is a way to get into your garage without using the garage opener. While it does take some effort, it’s not difficult once you know where the release cord is located.
How to Open a Garage Door When There is a Power Outage
If your garage door won’t open after a power outage, don’t fret! Most modern garages come with an emergency release kit. This nifty little mechanism enables you to manually open the door from either the inside or outside. To make use of it, simply employ one of these easy techniques next time you’re without electricity and need to get to work fast or enter during a storm.
How to Open a Garage Door Manually from Inside
Opening your garage door manually is easy, and can be done even if your power is out. Here’s how:
- Find the release handle for the garage door, which is usually a red cord hanging from the garage door opener unit.
- To disconnect the garage door from the opener, pull the release handle.
- Gently raise the garage door until it is open all the way. Make sure to prop it up so that it doesn’t fall and hurt anyone.
- After you open the garage door, reconnect it to the garage door opener by pulling on the release handle a second time.
How to Manually Open a Garage Door from Outside
- Unlock the garage door: check to see whether there are any locks or latches on the garage door’s exterior and make sure they’re open so you don’t get caught when you manually open it.
- To turn off your garage door opener, unplug the power cord from the outlet.
- Find and use the emergency release cord only when needed: The emergency release cord is red, hangs from the center of the garage door track, and is connected to the arm that opens your garage door. Using this lever should be reserved for emergencies when your garage door is shut all the way.
- Pull the emergency release cord: Locate and pull down the cord. This handle should separate the garage door from the trolley in order to enable you to move the garage door manually.
- Lift the garage door: To open the garage door, pull it from the bottom until it stops moving. Be sure that it doesn’t shift before you release it and back your car 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 The Garage Door
Many garage doors come with a manual release handle to be used in the event of power outages or other emergencies. While it is beneficial to know how to operate the manual release handle, one should also be aware of the safety risks associated with its use.
There are several things to consider when opening your garage door manually.
- Before you try to open the door, make sure that it is completely disengaged from the opener. If it’s still connected, you might damage the garage door opener or hurt yourself if the garage door starts to close quickly.
- Second, keep in mind that the garage door springs supporting your door are under a lot of strain. If you disconnected the door from the garage door opener, it will be extremely heavy and challenging to open. Handle with care when manually opening the door, and make sure none of your fingers are near any moving components.
- Keep in mind that if you open the door manually, it will no longer have the reverse function working. Consequently, if something is obstructing the door as it starts to close, it won’t re-open automatically. So be sure there’s nothing (or nobody) in its path while it’s moving.
Use these easy tips to know how to open your garage door by hand in case of an emergency.
How to Reset a Garage Door After a Power Outage
If your garage door opener does not seem to be functional after a power outage, you may need to reset the system. Sometimes, all it takes is reconnecting your garage door to the opener. If connecting the two doesn’t fix the problem, then it may something more serious that will require calling a professional.
How to Reconnect a Garage Door Opener with an Automatic Trolley:
If your garage door opener doesn’t have an automatic trolley, you’ll need to connect it manually. You can also use this method to reconnect your garage door when the power comes back on.
- On the automatic trolley, look for the release cord. This is usually a red cord that dangles from the trolley.
- To remove the trolley from the garage door opener arm, pull the release cord.
- Move the garage door opener arm to the fully open position by hand.
- To reconnect the trolley to the garage door opener arm, line up the holes on the trolley with the pins on the arm. Push or screw into place until it is secure.
- To test the reconnected system, press the garage door opener remote or wall button to close the door. The door should function without a problem and without delay.
To summarize, if you need to open your garage door manually, check for the release line on the automatic trolley. To disengage the trolley, pull the cord, then move the opener arm to a full open position. Reattach the trolley by aligning the holes on the trolley with the pins on the arm and testing whether you can close it by pressing your remote or wall button.
If you’re located in the surrounding area of Carmel IN and need any help with your garage door, feel free to contact Garage Door Repair of Carmel. We provide a wide variety of garage door services, including garage door opener repair and installation services.