How To Get Your Garage Door Open If You Lose Power
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You wake up on time, get ready, grab your toast, and embark on your next adventure or, you know, go to work. However, pesky issues like power outages can halt your progress. While you can wait for the power to be restored, you might not necessarily have this option if you were late last week and you have already used the "my kid had an appendectomy" excuse one too many times. Under such circumstances, roll up your sleeves, munch on your toast (for energy), and get ready to open your garage door manually.
Though this sounds like something that would require a lot of time and effort, all you have to do is release the emergency cord and lift the door. Easy-peasy. But before we get into the details, check if you have a battery backup. Otherwise, go the manual route after you take a safety precaution of ensuring the door is down with zero gaps to avoid unwarranted injuries, per Action Door. This is important because a broken or imbalanced spring might not be able to handle the pressure if the door is open when you pull the emergency cord. This will cause it to get off track and crash to the ground, forcing you to fix garage door dents. Simply put, if the door had started rolling upwards when the power went out, don't attempt to push it open manually; contact a professional instead to avoid injuring yourself or further damaging the door.
How to open a garage door from the inside
Once you ensure the door is down, check if the door is locked. If it is, unlock the latches found outside the garage door to prevent the locking mechanism from interfering. Next, unplug the automatic system. This will prevent it from getting triggered if you get power back while you're trying to open it manually, making it challenging to engage the door. Now, look for the emergency cord near the central rail of the door track. In case of confusion, look for a short rope with a red plastic handle.
After you find the emergency release, pull it downward till you hear a click. This will indicate the trolley's detachment from the carriage. In simple words, this action will ascertain the door is no longer connected to the automatic mechanism. Although you might be in a hurry, exercise patience and don't yank on the cord too hard to avoid breaking or damaging it. Finally, take hold of the door's bottom, not the center, to lift it manually. Try to lift with your legs, not your back. You should be able to open the door with minimal effort, provided you lubricate your garage door's springs routinely. Voila! Don't forget to close and lock the door before you drive away to protect your home from intruders. However, if the door seems too heavy to lift, you might be dealing with a broken spring and have to call a professional.
How to open a garage door from the outside
While you're all set if the power ever goes out and you can move in and out via an access door; what do you do when you don't have this luxury and are on the other side when the power goes out? In such situations, look for a tiny lock towards the top of your garage door and unlock it to access the emergency release cord. Pull the cord until you hear a distinct click to detach the door from the automatic mechanism. Additionally, if there are any locks to keep the door closed from the outside, unlock these, too.
Now, grab the bottom and lift the door to drive your car in. Remember to close the door once your car is inside. Although the process is fairly simple, you'll only be able to open it from the outside if you install an outdoor quick-release system. This means if you don't have an access door or a quick-release lock at your disposal, you'll have to wait for the power to be restored or contact a professional. Purchase a universal emergency release lock so you aren't stranded the next time the power goes out. The Wulankd garage door lock comes with two keys and costs around $15 on Amazon.