Thursday, January 14, 2016

How to Open Your Garage Door During a Power Outage

Power outages are a fact of life. A storm, a fallen tree branch on a power line, a heat wave, or a work crew doing maintenance are typical reasons for them. Knowing how to use your garage door without power will come in handy in the event of a power outage or when there is an electrical problem with the door.

Manually opening the door must be done from the inside, so you will have to enter your home through another door and proceed to the garage.

First Step
Locate the emergency release handle. Garage doors are required to have an emergency release handle, which mechanically disconnects the door from the motor. The handle is usually red and at the end of a cord that's tied to the release lever of the trolley.

Second Step
After locating the red emergency release handle, pull it down and toward the garage door motor.

Third Step 
The door is now disconnected from the motor and you are free to lift the garage door using the door handle near its bottom. After opening the door, make sure it will stay in place before letting go of the handle.

Fourth Step 
When you're ready, manually close the door. If your door doesn't have an interior slide lock, you can re-engage the trolley attachment, which will lock the door. This is done by pulling the emergency release handle down and toward the garage opening. You may have to move the door a bit to get the tow bar arm properly positioned with the trolley for it to re-engage.

When The Power Returns 
If the tow bar arm isn't already re-engaged, then with the door in the closed position, push the close button and the trolley will move toward the tow bar arm and re-engage. A Word Of Caution During a power outage, the emergency release handle should only be used when the door is fully closed. Using the emergency release handle when the door is open may cause the door to fall to the floor if your springs are weak or not balanced.

Overhead Door Co. of Lansing is always available to assist you in the event of an emergency. Contact us today!