Power outages will really make you think about how much we all rely on electricity to run our daily lives. Our reliance on electricity in our homes is on display when we try to open our electric garage door with no power. Losing power can happen from severe weather, nearby auto accidents, or fallen trees.
Losing power in your home can lead to your vehicles being trapped inside of a garage, with little or no way to get them out. In the event of a power outage in your area, some planning and knowledge of the garage door system will prove invaluable. Here in this brief but handy guide, we will show you how to operate your garage door manually and reset it once the power does go out.
Learning How to Use Manual Mode
As a homeowner, we get used to being able to press a button and easily open our garage door. When the power goes out, we lose this ability, and we may find ourselves asking: can we operate the garage door without power? Thankfully, the answer is yes, and here’s how.
To start operating your garage door in manual mode, begin by pulling the manual release cord away from the garage door. Once the cord is pulled, the garage door opener system will disconnect from the tracks and the rest of the components. This allows you to open the door manually by pulling it. The cord is usually red with a handle on it for better grip.
Most modern garage doors have a backup garage door manual release option. This option should be used in any event of a power outage. Be careful when doing so, however. Because the improper use of your garage door manual cord can result in damage to the door, your belongings inside the garage, or worse, bodily harm.
Take Proper Safety Measures
In the interest of safety, be sure to follow these important measures to prevent injuries or property damage.
- Make sure the garage area is clear. Pick up any objects or debris and make sure no persons are around when you go to manually operate the garage door.
- Use caution and be careful when pulling the red rope. Do not pull too hard on the rope when pulling it down. Use a steady but strong motion to ensure you don’t damage the rope or the garage door system.
- Always contact a professional. When in doubt, call out the experts.
Safety First: Call the Garage Door Experts
If you’re at all unsure about how to safely and properly operate the emergency pull rope on your garage door, contact a professional. The expert garage door techs here at Garage DIMA have been helping people with their garage doors during power outages for decades. Call us any time of the day or night, as we can often respond to emergency calls in an hour or less.