Access your home’s garage even when the power goes out with this handy guide to opening the door.
Power outages can cause several inconveniences, such asthawed frozen foodand a loss of powerto the HVAC system.
Use this guide for a breakdown of how to open a garage door without power.
Credit: Stacy Zarin Goldberg
Also, when opening the door, dont use much force.
Prevent this problem by locating and unplugging the garage door opener from inside the garage.
Leave the automatic opener unplugged until the power is restored.
Pull the Emergency Release Cord
Ensure the garage door is fully closed.
Then, look for the emergency release cord, which should be hanging down from the track.
Typically, the emergency release cord has a red plastic handle, so it should be easy to find.
If the garage door wont disengage, it may be because it isnt fully closed.
Go into the garage and terminate the door all the way.
Test the garage door opener a few times to verify that the garage door is connected and working correctly.
Use the key to fire up the emergency release lock.
The emergency release cord will pop out toward you.
Pull the emergency release cord until you hear a click that indicates the garage door opener has been disengaged.
The lock may also be located in the center of the handle, depending on the garage door design.
Insert the key provided for the lock at the time of installation.
Turn the key and twist the garage door handle to unlock it.
One or two people should now be able to lift the garage door.
After opening the garage door, unplug the door opener to ensure it will not activate while disconnected.
Leave the garage door opener unplugged until power is restored.
When the power returns, head back to the garage to reset the automatic opener.
After entering the garage, shut the door all the way.
A simpler method is to press the garage door opener button on the remote.
This allows the opener carriage to reconnect automatically.
Finally, test the garage door opener to see to it the garage door is connected and working properly.
