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No matter how far we, humanity, have advanced, we are still at the mercy of nature’s temperamental elements.
From the rattling force of thunderstorms to the deep cold of snowstorms, Mother Nature still reigns supreme over us.
This is especially evident when we are suddenly robbed of the thing we depend upon the most—electricity.
When these weather conditions get so extreme, they destroy power lines and any important electricity delivery means; we suddenly find ourselves unable to use any appliance and devices.
As power goes out, you find yourself wondering if you can manually open your garage door.
Fortunately, most garage doors come with an emergency release kit in emergencies such as power outages.
The guide below will help you through the process of manually opening garage doors.
Safety First
Before opening your garage doors by hand, learn about these safety tips first.
Make sure to unplug your garage door’s automatic opener first.
It is a cardinal rule that you have to disconnect from the power source first for your safety when working with electronic devices.
This tip is also necessary when the power comes back on while you’re manually opening the door.
The opener might try to open the garage door while it’s still disengaged, which could cause issues when reconnecting.
Don’t hesitate to call your trusted technician.
If you’re having difficulty moving the door even when you’ve successfully disengaged it, call your technician.
The problem might be the springs and dealing with them on your own is risky.
Don’t pull on the emergency release if your door is up.
If your garage door is open and you want to close it, never pull the emergency release cord.
Doing so might result in the heavy metal doors falling upon you.
The best thing to do is wait for the power to come back or call your technician to be safe.
Don’t leave your door unattended if it is up.
If you’ve disengaged the garage door, don’t take your attention off it.
It could suddenly slam shut from strong winds and cause injuries if you or anyone is nearby.
Hence, if you need to be somewhere else, close the door as soon as you can to avoid accidents.
Keep an eye for garage door issues
If the door moves abnormally after reconnecting, like moving shakily or unevenly, don’t try to fix the issue yourself.
As mentioned above, risky components like springs might have been affected as you manually opened the garage door.
Leave the issue for professionals to fix so you can keep yourself safe.
How to Open your Garage Door When Power is Out
If you need to go somewhere with your car while the power is out, here’s what you need to do.
To open the garage door from the inside:
- Open all the latches and lock on your garage door to prevent them from interfering.
- Unplug the automatic opener.
- Look for the emergency release cord. It is a red cord that hangs from the center track.
- Pull the cord down to disengage the door from the trolley, allowing you to open the door.
- Lift the garage door, supporting it from the bottom.
- Close the garage door by pulling the door slowly to avoid it slamming down.
If you’ve just arrived at home with the power out and you need to park your car inside the garage, here’s what you need to do.
To open the garage door from the outside:
- Find the emergency release kit. This is a lock located above the door, right at the center. It stores the emergency release cable and has its corresponding key.
- Unlock and pull it out. This will reveal the lock tumbler that contains the cable to put the garage door in manual mode.
- Below the emergency release lock, is another lock for the garage door. Unlock it with your key.
- Lift the door and ensure it stays up while you’re driving inside.
- Close the door when you’ve parked.
How to Avoid the Hassle of Manually Opening Garage Doors
Invest in a backup battery for your automatic opener to avoid the hassle of opening garage doors manually.
Ensure that your door will still operate with the power out by installing a backup battery for it.
Contact us for installations, so the next time a storm comes, you won’t have to worry about opening the garage door by hand.
For your overhead, segmented, and sliding garage door repair and maintenance services, trust only our professional technicians at Vancouver Garage Door Repair.
Call our experts at Vancouver Overhead Doors now at (778) 654 6470 and get your garage door fixed.
