Dealing With Your Garage Door Opener During A Power Outage
When you get a new garage door and garage door opener, you'll need to learn how to open the garage door in the event of a power outage. Here, you'll learn how to manually open a garage door when the power goes out:
Disengage the Trolley
When you look at your garage door opener, you'll see a rope or chain that hangs from it. This rope or chain is connected to the garage door opener motor – it is the emergency release for the door. When the rope or chain is pulled, the trolley disengages from the rail and the door can be opened and closed manually.
Note: If the garage door is partially open when you pull the rope, it could crash down when you pull the cord; to avoid injury, you should either have someone hold the door as you pull the rope or place something under the door to support it.
Reconnect the Trolley
After the power is restored, the trolley will need to be reconnected so that the automatic opener will open and close the door again. Grab the rope or chain and give it a quick tug in the direction of the garage door opening. When the rope or chain is pulled the trolley should snap back in place and engage.
Note: Some garage door openers will automatically reconnect when you press the button on the opener after an outage. Refer to your owner's manual to learn if this feature is included in the model of opener you have installed.
Invest in a Battery Backup
Although manually opening and closing the garage door isn't too inconvenient for most people, you can choose to avoid having to go through this process again in the future by installing a battery backup.
The battery backup will provide your garage door opener with the power it needs to continue operating during a power outage. This added feature will also keep the garage lit up – the light that is on the garage door opener will work.
When you invest in a new garage door installation, you should be given precise instructions about how to work all of the features, what you need to do to maintain the system, and what to do if you run into problems. Talk with the professional that installed the garage door to learn what you need to know to be a responsible owner and keep everyone safe, even during a power outage.