Power Is Out: 3 Steps To Activate Manual Operation On Your Garage Door

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If your power is out, you might be wondering how to get your garage door to open. If the power is only going to be out for a short while, you might want to just wait it out. However, if the power is going to be out for an extended period of time, you're going to need to get your garage door moving.

To switch your garage door to manual function, you're going to need to bypass the garage door opener. When you look at your garage door opener, you'll see a red rope. To bypass the motor, you'll need to pull on that rope. However, you'll need to understand some safety precautions before you pull on the rope. Here are three safety issues you should understand before you pull the rope.

Start with the Door Closed

If possible, the garage door should only be switched to manual when the garage door is closed. If the garage door is open, it can close abruptly once you pull on the rope. In most cases, you should be able to simply apply pressure to the top of the door and move it to the closed position. If you can't close the door by yourself, have someone else assist you. If you're still unable to close the door, you'll need to take a few added precautions before pulling the rope.

  1. Place 2 x 4s in the upright position under the garage door to prop it up when the rope is released.
  2. Attach a rope to the lower edge of the garage door.
  3. Have several people hold the rope to slow down the descent of the door should if slam shut.
  4. Clear the area around the garage door, and ensure that small children are inside the house.

Don't Hang on the Rope

Once you've prepared the area, you'll be ready to pull the rope and bypass the motor. Grab the rope with your hand and pull down firmly. Don't hang from the rope. Applying too much pressure to the rope could damage the internal lever or permanently disengage the chain drive. Instead, apply firm pressure on the rope until you feel it release.

Lower the Door

If the garage door was in the open position when you bypassed to manual, you'll need to follow these instructions to lower the door to the closed position. While holding the rope attached to the garage door, have someone carefully remove the 2 x 4s. Slowly lower the door to the ground. Once the door has been closed, the red rope will engage the manual override and you'll be able to open and close the door safely until the power is back on.

You don't want to be without your garage door during a power outage. Use the instructions provided here to safely disengage the motor and activate manual operation of your garage door.

Click the link for residential garage doors or do an online search. 

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18 April 2016

repairing garage door damage from auto impacts

I thought the most difficult part of teaching my son how to drive would be out on the roads, but I didn't think about what he could do to my garage door before he even left the driveway. It took one small tap with the car to damage the garage door. Even though the garage door itself looked to be fine, the impact had caused some damage to the mechanical components, and we couldn't use the garage for a while. My blog explains what we had to do to make the repairs and will give you some tips for avoiding this type of accident around your home.