Power outages happen all the time, so it’s wise to prepare for them as much as possible by winterizing key areas like your garage door and learning what to do when you lose power. If you do this, you won’t have to suffer too much in the event your power does go out.
Preparation is key because you could be without power for a few minutes or a few days during an outage, depending on how bad the damage is. So what happens when your garage door opener can’t open your door automatically? Here are some tips to help you open your garage door without power.
Start Closed
Before you can begin to operate your automatic garage door without power, you have to think about its mechanical processes. You need to know how it works manually in order to get it open without messing up the internal parts too much. Start by ensuring the door is fully closed, if possible. This will set you up for the following steps.
Pull the Emergency Cord
Above you, where the track leads to the motor, you will see a small cord with a pulley that you can grab. This is the emergency cord designed specifically for manual operation in events such as this. When you pull on the release cord, you take the trolley off the automated track and convert it into its manual mode. If you cannot get it to operate, you may need to call a garage door service to operate your machine because there may be something wrong internally.
Manually Operate the Door
Now that the trolley is off the automated track, it can roll freely, and you can close and open the garage door without power. When you do open or close the door, make sure you do it with a slow, smooth transition. After you’ve done this to ensure the mechanism is in working order, you will need to close the door and put it back into its original position.
Pull the Cord Again
To close the door, you will have to repeat the above steps. This means that you will need to pull the cord again to get it to its original position. This may take two people, as it may prove to be difficult to pull on the cord and operate the door all at once with such a heavy door.
Reconnect the Trolley
When the door is firmly on the ground, you will need to reattach the trolly to the track closest to the automated engine. Once it’s reconnected, it will be ready for automation once the power surge is over and electricity is running to the unit again.
This has been a step-by-step guide to tips on how to open your garage door manually. When your garage door has lost power, you will have the knowledge of what to do to open it.
