As a people, we have come to use electricity for so many tasks and one of those tasks happen to be opening the garage door. What do you do when the power goes out though? How will the garage door be opened so you can get your vehicle out? Will you have to wait for the power to come back on? All your answers are here. Let’s get started!
Not All Is Lost
The good news about garage doors is that they can be opened even without power. In fact, the automatic electrical feature of the opener is something that is not new but certainly an advancement of the garage door. Garage doors used to only be able to be opened manually. While it may be a little heavy, the garage door can still be opened manually today. That means if there is no power, there is no problem. Just a little bit of an inconvenience.
When the power goes out, that means that the garage door cannot be opened with electricity. The good news is that a garage door can, in fact, be opened without having power. Discount Garage Door (Edmond), which does garage door opener repair in Edmond, notes that garage door openers are built with a bypass system that will allow you to open the door without power. The bypass system also comes in handy when the remote is lost or the motor in the opener is broken.
More information on the bypass system in a garage door can be found at Garaga.
Opening the Garage Door Manually
While the bypass system allows you to open the garage door manually, it still does not open the door for you and some work will need to be done. However, the task is fairly simple.
In some cases, you may need a ladder in order to reach the chain of the garage door. Located on this chain will be a holding bracket that has a red cord coming from it with a knob on the end for pulling. A lot of times this cord will be closer to the actual garage door. Do note that not all of the cords will be red. However, a large majority of these cords are.
There is a lever inside of the bracket that is attached to the red cord with a knob. When this red cord with the knob is pulled, it then moves the lever. The force of the spring can be felt when the cord is pulled. Once the red cord has been pulled as far as it will go you can then step down from the ladder and put it away.
Once the lever has been pulled to release the garage door, then the next step can be taken. By simply walking over to the garage door you can lift the door up using the handle at the bottom of the door. Make sure you bend at the knees when lifting to prevent injury.
After all these steps have been taken, you are still not in the clear. The garage door will need to be secured to keep it from falling. This is because the garage door will be loose on the track, which is what allows it to be manually moved to open it without power. It keeps the door from staying open though. Take a look at the next step to ensure safety.
Secure the Door When It Is Open
The garage door will need to be secured to keep it from falling. This will require some help from a friend, family member, or neighbor. Someone will need to hold the door up while another person props the door open. The ladder can be used for a prop or even a piece of wood that will fit into the place.
Remember that the garage door will need to be secured but it does not have to be opened completely. The garage door can be opened just wide enough to get your vehicle in and out.
This YouTube video is very helpful with garage door power failure help.
Wait for the Power to Come Back On
Sometimes waiting for the power to come back on seems like a better option. If the power goes out, try calling the power company to see how long the wait will be before deciding to open your door manually. If nothing is urgent, you may want to just wait it out.
