How to open a garage door manually when the power goes out

Can you open a garage door manually when the power is out

Yes. Every automatic opener has an emergency release that disconnects the door from the opener so it can be moved by hand. On most openers it is a red handle on a cord hanging from the rail overhead.

Chamberlain, the company behind LiftMaster, lists a power outage as the first reason to use it in its guide on how to manually open or close a garage door, along with a motor that does not respond and an opener that is damaged or malfunctioning.

The springs do the lifting, not the opener. That is why a healthy door can be raised by one person, and why the same release can be dangerous on a door with a broken spring.

When is it unsafe to open a garage door by hand

It is unsafe when the door is open or partly open, when a spring or cable is damaged, or when the door feels very heavy. Chamberlain says to use the emergency release only when the garage door is fully closed, if possible, because if the springs are weak or broken the door may fall rapidly and without warning.

Chamberlain also says not to attempt manual operation if the door is extremely heavy, falls quickly when released, won't stay open, or has broken or damaged springs, cables or rollers. Check your situation against this chart before you reach for the cord.

Where is the emergency release on a garage door opener

Look for a red handle on a cord. On an opener with a rail across the ceiling, it hangs from the trolley, the part that rides along the rail and connects to the door. On a wall-mounted opener, which sits beside the door on the wall, the release handle hangs from the opener itself.

Chamberlain describes three types: a square rail opener, a T-rail opener and a wall-mounted opener. On a square rail opener, pulling the cord down moves the release arm to a vertical position. On a T-rail opener, the cord pulls straight down. On a wall-mounted opener, you pull the handle down firmly until it clicks.

How do you open a garage door manually step by step

Close the door fully, unlock it, unplug the opener, pull the release and lift from the handle. Clopay's guide to opening a garage door when the power is out notes that if the springs are properly balanced, the door will open easily and stay in place.

1. 1Look at the door firstWith a flashlight, check the springs above the door and the cables at the bottom corners from a few steps back. If a spring has a gap, a cable is loose or the door sits crooked, do not pull the release.
2. 2Make sure the door is fully closedThe bottom of the door should be resting on the floor. In winter, check that it is not frozen there. Our guide to a garage door frozen to the ground covers freeing it without tearing the seal.
3. 3Unlock any manual lockSlide back the lock bar or turn the T-handle if your door has one. Clopay warns that locks can interfere with the door or damage it when you lift.
4. 4Unplug the openerClopay's steps call for disconnecting the opener's power cord. That way the opener cannot start up under your hands if the power returns.
5. 5Pull the red releasePull the handle down until you hear or feel the trolley let go. Chamberlain says never to use the release handle itself to pull the door up or down.
6. 6Lift from the handleLift straight up with both hands on the lift handle or a flat part of the bottom section, keeping fingers away from the joints between sections. Raise the door until it is fully open.
7. 7Make sure it stays upLet go carefully and watch the door for a moment before anyone walks or drives under it. If it drifts down, lower it and leave it closed.

How do you close and lock a garage door by hand

Pull the door down slowly by the handle until it rests on the floor, then lock it. Stand inside the garage, keep a hand on the door the whole way and keep your fingers out of the section joints. Do not let it drop the last few feet.

A disconnected door is not secured by the opener. Clopay points out that when the automatic opener is disconnected, the door is not securely shut until you slide the lock bar by hand. If your door has no lock, reconnect the opener as soon as you are done using the door, and it will hold the door closed again.

This is also a good time to notice how the door feels. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says a properly balanced door will stay in place when stopped in any partially open position, and that doors that are out of balance, bind or stick should be serviced by a professional.

What should you do if the garage door is stuck open in an outage

Leave the release alone if you can. A door that is open is being held up by its springs and by the opener, and if a spring is weak or broken the opener may be doing more of that work than it should. Genie says in its winter maintenance tips that it is never recommended to pull the emergency release with the door in the open position.

If the springs and cables look normal and the only problem is the outage, the simplest answer is often to wait for the power. Keep cars, kids and pets out from under the door in the meantime.

If a spring is broken, a cable is loose or the door hangs crooked, do not try to close it yourself at all. Our guide on what to do about a broken garage door spring explains what is happening, and garage door spring repair is work for a technician. Keep people, pets and cars clear of the opening and call the office during business hours.

How do you reconnect the garage door opener when the power returns

Close the door, unlock it, reset the release and run the opener through a full cycle. On most openers the trolley catches the door again by itself as it travels. Clopay adds one caution that matters: make sure the door is unlocked first, because running the opener with the lock bar in place can cause major damage.

The exact motion depends on the opener. This chart follows Chamberlain's instructions for its own openers. Other brands differ, and Clopay's general guide describes pulling the cord toward the door, so check your manual if these do not match what you see.

How do you get into the garage from outside when the power is out

Go in through the house or a side door and use the release from inside. If the overhead door is the only way in, you need an exterior emergency release, and it has to be in place before the outage.

Chamberlain describes it as a small round keyed lock on the outside of the door, usually near the top panel. Turning the key and pulling the lock disconnects the opener. Chamberlain is clear that it only disconnects the opener and does not lift the door, and that without an exterior release or another entry point you cannot operate the door manually from outside during an outage.

This matters most on detached garages, pole barns and shops with no walk-in door. If that describes your building, find out whether it has an exterior release and where the key is. Clopay suggests keeping that key in the glovebox or console of your car so it is there when you need it.

Why does a winter outage hit garages hard in Benzie County and Fife Lake

Because storms, distance and closed-up buildings all meet at the garage door. Genie points out that snow and ice sitting on power lines, or poor road conditions that lead to impacts with power poles, can take your power out. Up here that usually happens during the same storm that makes you need the car.

Around Lake Ann, Almira Township is wooded and rural, with M-72 to the north and US-31 to the south. Lake-effect snow drifts across the open ground between them, and many homes have a pole barn or a detached shop. Clear the drift away from the door before you lift it by hand.

Beulah sits at the southeast end of Crystal Lake, close enough to Lake Michigan to catch its lake-effect snow. Frankfort faces the big lake head on from Betsie Bay, and many of the older houses in town have detached garages. Cottages along the Crystal Lake shore and north on M-22 past Point Betsie Lighthouse are often closed for the winter, so nobody is there to notice that a door was left disconnected.

Fife Lake is inland on US-131, surrounded by state forest, and winter comes early and stays late there. Weekend cabins and pole barns near the Manistee River sit closed for long stretches. If you pull the release at a seasonal place, reconnect the opener or lock the door before you leave.

We work on doors and openers in all four towns and across Benzie County from our office on Blue Star Drive south of Traverse City.

Is a battery backup garage door opener the permanent answer

For most households, yes. An opener with battery backup keeps running on stored power when the electricity goes out, so the door opens from the remote or the keypad the way it does every other day. Clopay notes that a battery backup opener keeps the door, the entry keypad and the safety sensors working during an outage, and that the door stays locked and secured.

A backup battery runs the opener for a limited number of open and close cycles, enough to get the car out and back in. It charges itself when the power is on, and it wears out over the years and needs replacing. Genie recommends testing it before winter: unplug the opener from the outlet and run the door from a remote or the wall console.

We install LiftMaster and Linear garage door openers, including battery backup models. Our guide to the best garage door opener for cold weather covers the other features that earn their keep in a Northern Michigan winter.

Even with a battery, everyone in the house should still know where the red handle is.