Most homeowners these days use automatic garage door openers. It’s a massive time-saver and helps keep your car and belongings more secure. But what happens when your power goes out and you have no way to open your garage door?
Don’t panic — garage doors come equipped with built-in emergency devices that allow you to open your door manually. Here’s how to open your door by hand safely.
1. Familiarize with Your Garage Door’s Emergency Release Using Manual Operation
Before attempting to operate your door, you should know where your emergency release is and how to use it correctly.
Most emergency releases are connected to long cords with red handles, which make them easy to spot. Pulling the cord will unlock the door; you’ll have to do this before you can open it manually.
Unless you’re purposefully using it, you should always make sure your emergency release stays locked.
2. Check the Manual
All garage doors come with a user manual. Follow the instructions in this manual to the letter when you go to open your door. It’s the most crucial tool you have, as the information in it will be specific to your specific model.
If you ever have questions about your next steps, consult your manual to avoid breaking your door and possibly hurting yourself or one of your loved ones.
3. Unplug Your Garage Door Opener with Manual Operation
It may seem counterintuitive to bother with your automatic opener while the power is out, but there’s always the chance the power could come back on while you’re operating the door manually. If it does, the motors could engage and damage the assembly.
Preventing this is as simple as unplugging the automatic opener before disengaging it from the track and leaving it unplugged until you finish.
4. Don’t Forget to Close Your Door
You’ve safely opened your garage door. Congrats! But don’t spend too much time celebrating — you should always close your garage door behind you as soon as possible.
Because the door isn’t connected to the opener or track, the wind could pick up and cause it to slam into the ground. Luckily, this danger is easily avoidable. Just lower the door slowly once you’re in or out, remembering to keep a tight grip on it.
Garage Door Experts Who Care About Safety
At D Bar Garage Doors, we care about our customers’ convenience and well-being. That’s why we’re so passionate about teaching others about garage door safety. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have or schedule an appointment to fulfill your garage door needs.
