Power Outage and Need To Get Into The Garage: Here’s What To Do

Automatic garage door openers are the ultimate convenience for any homeowner. However, when a storm breaks out and cuts the power, your garage door will most likely be affected. Need to urgently get out and pick up the kids from school but find that your garage door won’t open? 

Luckily, by following Sam’s Garage Doors tips, you won’t be left stuck inside the garage for long.

Pull The Garage Door’s, Red Cord

Most modern garage doors have a bypass switch for emergency situations and when the remote door opener dies. There should be a rope with a red handle on the end at the door opener. Pull this handle to disengage the trolley operator which should pull the door open. This puts the garage into manual mode and should open the door, but ensure you’re doing so when the garage door is closed to avoid it from falling and crashing down.

Find The Lifting Handle and Open The Door Without Force

You should be able to locate a lifting handle in the bottom panel or section of the door opener. If your garage door is balanced properly, you may be able to lift it easily with one hand whether you have a double or single garage door. However, if it is not well-balanced, you may have to use a significant amount of force to lift the door. Once the door is lifted, close it and call Sam’s Garage Doors, because the problem may be caused by a broken spring or the door has reached its end.

Reconnect the Trolley and Close the Door

After the door has been lifted, you should be able to get your car out of the garage and close the door behind. Ensured the trolley is reconnected by pulling the cord down towards the garage door’s opening to keep stop the lever from engaging. Pull-on the garage door until it’s stable in place and should be engaged with the engine trolley attempting to lift the door.

What To Remember While The Door Is In Manual Mode

• Use the release cord when the garage door is closed and in the down position when possible. During a power outage, this may be more difficult as the outage may have occurred when the door was up. However, when the handle is released, the door will come plummeting down.
• If you need to disengage the door when it’s stuck in the up/open position, use 2×4’s to keep it propped open so it does not crash down.
• Ensure the opening area is clear with no objects or people.

Save yourself the time and confusion it takes to repair your garage door, and give Sam’s Garage Doors a call. Our efficient garage door repair specialists ensure each part is installed and working optimally. For high-quality garage system components and services, we’re the right technicians to call. Get in touch with us today by sending us a message online or call us to learn more about our services!