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How to Open Your Garage Door Manually

May 24, 2022

Power outages always seem to happen at the most inconvenient time. You have plans and appointments, and the schedule does not include time to deal with the challenge of a power outage at home. The car is in the garage and your electric garage door opener is not working while the power is out. But there’s no need to worry! Your car is not trapped in the garage, and you can still get out and on your way. Here’s how to open and close your garage door manually when the electric power is out.

Disconnecting the Garage Door Opener

All garage door openers have a bypass that disconnects the garage door from the powered carriage and allows you to open the garage door manually. You should find a red release cord hanging from the center track of the opener. With the garage door fully closed, pull down on the handle of the red release cord toward the floor. You should see and hear the pin disengage from the opener track. This action disconnects the garage door opener from the door. The door can now be opened manually.

Before you open the door, make sure that pets and children, and everyone else, are a safe distance away from the door. Take the handle of the door, located either in the middle or on the bottom side of the door, and raise the door. You should lift the door from a point closest to the floor so that it will not rise out of your reach before it is fully raised. 

Take Special Caution

Take special caution as you lift the door and be sure to raise it all the way up. If the door is not fully raised to the ceiling, it will likely slam back down with heavy force when you release your hold. You will want to be certain that your feet, and other people or pets who may be in the garage, remain safely out of the door’s path. If at all possible, do not release the garage door when it is open, except for emergency or security purposes, and use caution to close the door. 

Some older openers may not have a red release cord and may need to be released by pulling down a handle, a spring-loaded clip, or even possibly unbolting the arm from the door and opener. If you have an older door that is difficult to disconnect, you may want to replace the opener with a new garage door opener that has an easy pull red release cord.

Reconnecting the Garage Door Opener

After you have removed the car from the garage, return to the inside of the garage to manually close the door. Again, use caution when lowering the door and be sure that no one is in the path of the door. To reconnect the door to the garage door opener, pull the red release handle upward toward the ceiling. The pin should reattach to the track, connecting the door back to the opener. Once the electric power to the house comes back on, test the door to confirm that it is operating properly again.

Joe Wilde Company Can Help

Learn these instructions and practice a couple of times so that if the power to the home goes out, you will be prepared and able to handle the situation safely and easily. You will be the hero in your family when you can exit the garage and whisk away to your destination without delay! You can get quick answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about garage doors and openers on our website at www.joewilde.com/service-repair/frequently-asked-questions. 

Category iconGarage Door Fun,  Garage Door Repair,  Garage Door Security,  Garage Door Tips

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Joe Wilde Company

16601 W Cleveland Ave
New Berlin, WI 53151

Phone (262) 782-0500

Rockford, IL 61109

Phone (815) 491-8115

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