There will be times when you will be required to open a garage door manually, especially if you are dealing with a power outage or the garage door motor that won’t work. It is essential to know how to open a garage door manually to avoid damaging the garage door. While no one can control power outages, you can still be prepared and be in control, particularly during an emergency or during extreme weather conditions.
When Do You Need to Open Your Garage Door Manually?
You might think that you don’t even need to learn how to manually open your garage door if you have never gotten locked in or out of your garage. However, an unmoving garage door can be frustrating. The following are situations that prove you need to know how to open garage door manually:
When the Power is Out
During power outages, the garage door shuts down, and it calls to open your garage door by your hands. Almost everyone experiences the occasional power outages, and it is beneficial if you and your family know how to open your garage door without power manually.
When Your Remote Gets Lost
A garage door remote is small and easy to misplace. Sometimes, you don’t have the time for an extensive search of your car wherever it may be. It is an advantage if you know how to open garage door manually.
In Case of an Emergency
There will be emergency cases when you need to manually open your garage door, such as events related to natural calamities that also cause an untimely power outage. In immediate danger situations such as fire incidents, manually knowing how to open and close your garage door is vital for you and your home’s safety. It allows you to safely and quickly navigate emergencies.
When You Check to See if Your Garage Door is Broken
Broken or faulty torsion or extension springs are the most common garage door problems. Extension springs and torsion allow the opener to lift the heavy garage door quickly. The door is lifted easily with little resistance if your springs are in good condition. When you’ve raised it all the way, the door must stay up.
But if your door is impossible or difficult to lift or slides down when elevated, you are probably dealing with a springs issue. When this happens, the best way to troubleshoot is to try to open your garage door manually. Make sure to disconnect the automatic opener before you attempt to open your closed garage door.
How to Manually Open a Garage Door
Whatever the reasons may be, it is better to be prepared when the situation calls you to open a garage door manually. Here are simple steps on how to open garage door manually, without any problem:
Door Must Be in Down Position
You should make sure that the door is in the down position before trying to disengage your garage door opener in your garage door. Do not try to disengage the opener while the door is in the open position. If the spring is broken, releasing the opener could result in the garage door’s full weight slamming to the ground, which could be dangerous.
Pull the Emergency Release Cord
That red rope that hangs from the garage door trolley is the emergency release cord. This cord should be located near the front of the door when the door is in the closed position. The trolley is attached and connected to the door and moves as it opens and closes and also connected to the garage door opener carriage. The emergency release cord detaches the trolley from the carriage so you can open the door manually.
Move the Garage Door Manually and Return to Down Position
If you cannot lift the door manually because of its extreme weight, it might be possible that you are dealing with a broken spring. The springs are the ones that lift the door, and if they are broken, you should call for professional repair service.
Pull the Emergency Release Cord Towards the Door
To connect and re-engage and reconnect the carriage and operate your garage door electronically, pull the release cord toward the door to compress the spring lever and allow the two mechanisms to reconnect.
Reconnect the Trolley to the Opener Carriage
To do this, run the opener for a complete cycle all of the way up and all of the way down. When the trolley and carriage pass one another, there will be a loud click. With that, they now connected, and you can open and close your garage door electrically again.
Conclusion
Electric garage doors will save you money, time, and energy, and allow you to easily open or close or adjust the garage door’s height with a push of a button. However, you should not rely on it entirely. It is always good to know essential tips on how to open your garage door to avoid panics and trouble manually.
Due to external factors like power outages or internal ones like broken springs, a stubborn garage door that will not open when they need to be is very inconvenient and confusing. But if you know how to open garage door manually, the next time your garage door acts up, you are confident that you know what to do. Find out more tips about safes here!