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A weather-related power outage is a major inconvenience. While you may not want to go out, you certainly don’t want your car to be locked inside – or outside -- of the garage, so you’ll need to know how to locate the emergency release cord to open your garage door manually.
How to Open Your Garage Door Manually When The Power Is Out
- Unlock any keyed or slide locks. They can interfere or damage the door when you lift open the garage door.
- Close the door.
- Disconnect the garage door opener power cord.
- Locate the emergency release cord with the red handle and pull it down until you hear a click to disconnect the garage door from the opener. The cord will hang down from the center rail of the garage door mechanism if you have a trolley garage door opener. On a wall mount or jackshaft garage door opener, the emergency cord will hang down from the opener itself.
- Lift the garage door straight up until the door is fully open. If the springs are properly balanced, the door will open easily and stay in place. If it’s hard to open, have a garage door service technician check it as soon as possible to avoid further damage or safety risks.
- Close the garage door once you are inside.
- Lock the door. When the automatic opener is disconnected, the door is not securely shut until you manually slide the lock bar.
- When the power is restored, pull the emergency release cord towards the garage door to re-engage it. The spring lever will be compressed and the two mechanisms will reconnect.
- Re-connect the trolley to the opener carriage by running the electric opener. This should return your garage door back to functioning after just one cycle of opening and closing of the garage door.
- Make sure the door is unlocked when the opener is reconnected. Opening the garage door with the lock bar in place can cause major damage.
How to Manually Open a Garage Door from the Outside
Many people rely on their garage as the main entrance to their home. So, if the garage door doesn’t open while you’re in the driveway, or if you have a detached garage, you’re probably wondering how to open your garage door from the outside when the power goes out or the remote battery is dead.
If you have a house key and can access the garage from the inside, you might prefer to do that, especially if you’re unsure where the key to your emergency release cord is located.
If your garage doesn’t have an alternate access, there should be a manual cable release that disconnects the door from the opener chain so that you can open it manually.
Unlock the emergency release. Your garage door should have a small keyhole near the top of the door. This lock stores the emergency release cable. Use the designated key to unlock it and reveal the cable. Pulling the cord toward you will activate the release, allowing you to safely open the door by hand. Keep this key in the glovebox or center console of your car so it’s always handy.
Unlock the door. Near the bottom of your door, you should have another lock right next to a handle. This lock keeps the door closed, and you’ll need the key to unlock it before you can lift the door.
Lift the door. Grab the handle at the bottom of the door and lift it. Make sure you pull it all the way and it stays in place it in place before you pull your car in or walk underneath it. Do not try to force the door open. If it’s not moving smoothly along the track, it could be damaged, and you should not try to open it.
Close the door. Once you and your car are safely inside, close the door by pulling it back down from the inside. The garage door is heavy, so move slowly to keep the door steady. Don’t forget to re-lock it. Once the power comes back on, you can reset the automatic opener.
Safety Considerations
There are a few precautions you should take when tending to anything heavy or electrically powered, including an automatic garage door.
Make sure everything is unplugged or powered down before attempting a manual opening.
Garage doors are heavy so you may need help lifting the door.
Avoid using too much force or moving too quickly to open the door. Doing so may cause the door to spring up and slam back down, which could damage the door or cause injury.
Make sure there are no other issues causing your door not to open besides a power outage. If the door doesn’t open smoothly, gets stuck halfway, or won’t budge at all, it may have a broken spring, or another issue that requires professional repair by a garage door technician.
Power outages and dead batteries are an inconvenience, especially when you are trying to get in or out of the garage. If the garage is the main access point into your home, you’ll need to know how to open your garage door manually to avoid being locked in or out. Some doors require a special key to open your garage door from the outside so be prepared in advance so you aren’t caught unprepared.
One way to avoid the inconvenience of manually opening your garage door when the power is out is to invest in an automatic garage door opener that includes a battery back-up feature. That way, the garage door will still function using the opener, as will the entry keypad and the safety sensors, and the garage door will be locked and secured. Contact your local Clopay dealer for more information about battery back-up openers.
