Opening Your Garage Door If There’s a Power Outage

Many people often forget that they own an automatic garage door until there’s a power outage and they can’t access their vehicle. Although it may be easy to assume that you’re stranded or can’t open the garage door, there are still ways to lift the device manually. Here are a few tips to opening the garage door if there’s a power outage.

Trip the Trigger

You’ll need to locate the bypass switch on your garage door opener where there’s a rope with a handle on the end. The rope is typically red and easy to spot. When pulling on the handle, it will disengage the trolley from the attachment point. You can put the door into manual mode by pulling on the chord. To prevent it from getting caught on the tracks, pull it towards the back of the motor, which will keep it out of the way once you manually lift the garage door open. Only attempt to use the release cord when the garage door is shut to prevent it from closing too quickly.

Keep the Door in Manual Mode

Keep the garage door in manual mode if you don’t have access to power for several hours, or you’re waiting for a technician to perform Los Angeles garage door repair on the parts. Pull the rope down each time you plan to open the garage door. Lift it with another person to ensure you have enough strength and don’t put your safety at risk.

Reconnect the Door

Once the power is restored, you can reconnect the door by reengaging the trolley attachment. Begin by pulling on the cord in the direction of the garage door to prevent the lever from engaging. The door should snap into place after pulling up on it, which will keep you in the automatic mode. If this doesn’t work, you can also use your remote opener, which will cause the spring attachment to be put back into its original position.