When a pounding rainstorm or a power outage stops your garage door from working, stay calm, and don’t panic. Most modern garage nowadays comes with an installed emergency release kit system that lets you open the garage door manually either from the inside or outside. So the next time when power is down, but you need to drive to work, you can go back to these simple tips on how to manually open garage door successfully.
How to Manually Open Garage Door From the Inside
Here are simple steps on how to manually open garage door from the inside.
- Unlock the door: Look for any locks or latches near the outside of the garage door and ensure that they’re open — so they won’t hinder you when you are manually opening the door.
- Unplug the opener: Detach the power cord from the automatic door opener.
- Find the emergency release cord: Look for the emergency release cord with a red handle hanging from the center bar of the garage door track. The red cord attaches to the trolley, which joins the arm of your garage door to the center track. Use the emergency release handle only when the door of the garage is closed.
- Pull the cord: Pull the emergency release handle down. This cord should detach the garage door from the trolley so that you can move the garage door.
- Lift the garage door: Pull straight from the bottom until the door stops moving. Make sure the door stays in place before letting go to back your car out of your garage.
- Close the door: Once you are outside, pull down the door to close it. If your garage door has a lock bar, slide it to lock again.
How to Manually Open Garage Door From the Outside
Here are the steps on how to manually open garage door from the outside.
- Find the emergency release kit: Find the small lock located at the center near the top of the garage door — the lock holds an emergency release cable, and you will need to know the corresponding key.
- Unfasten the emergency release cord: Turn the key to pull out a lock tumbler and expose the cable. This cable will trigger the release device, which sets your door into manual mode.
- Open the garage door: From the emergency release kit, lower down another lock next to the handle that keeps the door itself locked. Using your key, unfasten the door and turn the holder to an upright position.
- Lift the door: With your hands, pull your garage door straight up and be sure it stays open before you drive your car inside the garage.
- Close the door: Once you are inside, pull down the garage door to close it.
Safety Tips for Opening Your Garage Door Manually
When you plan to follow these steps on how to manually open garage door with your hands, make sure that you practice these safety precautions.
- Unplug the door opener: Unplugging your garage door opener before you try to open or reconnect it manually will keep you safe. If power suddenly turns back on, the opener might open the door while it is disengaged, which will make it harder to reconnect.
- Seek Professional Help: If you have disengaged the trolley, but the garage door is tough to move, you might have a problem with the springs. The garage door springs are dangerous to work with, so you will need professional help.
- Never pull the emergency release when the door is open: If your door is open or unlatched, you might wonder how to close it after the power outage. Never use the emergency release when your garage door is open. The weight of the door might come crashing down. The best thing to do is wait until the power comes back on before closing the door or, better yet, call a garage door technician.
- Never leave open door unattended: When power is out, and you have a disengaged door, watch out for forceful wind as this may slam your garage door shut. Keep the doorway clear and safe from children and shut the door as soon as possible.
- Make use of the manual lock: There should be a metal lock next to your garage door. When power is out, the automatic lock on the garage door will be inactive. So set the manual lock into place to protect your home during a power outage.
- Watch for issues: If the door shakes or moves even if you reconnected the door, something might be wrong. If this happens, it is best to seek help from a professional.
How to Avoid the Need to Manually Open Garage Door
One excellent way to evade the trouble following these steps on how to manually open garage door is to invest in an automatic garage door opener. This way, when power is out, this automatic opener with battery back up will power your opener and the entry keypad and safety sensors so that your garage door will be secured.
Conclusion
When the time comes, and you realize that your garage door isn’t working because of a power outage, you might question if there’s any way you can keep it running or make it work every without power. It is always a great idea to know how to manually open garage door in case a situation as this happens. But, if you want to avoid the stress and hassle, you can invest in an automatic garage door opener with a backup battery so your garage door will still have its functions even if there’s a power outage. If you are doing it manually, make sure to practice safety precautions, and seek professional help if necessary. Here’s how to learn more about Garage Doors.