When power goes out at your home or when you've misplaced your garage door remote, you always have the option to open your garage door manually. And if you park your vehicle in your garage on a regular basis, it's a good idea to know how to safely open and close your garage door in the event of a power outage or emergency. The process is pretty simple, but there are still some important tips and safety considerations to keep in mind.
Opening a Garage Door Manually
The first thing you'll want to do is to locate the release handle on your garage door; most often, this handle is red in colour and located near the door itself. Sometimes, the release may look more like a cord than a handle. Either way, it should be pretty easy to spot.
Pulling down on this cord or lever will release the garage door from the powered opener while keeping the door itself on the tracks. More than likely, you will need a ladder to comfortably reach this handle/cord and pull it with enough force to disengage the door from the powered opener. You should feel some tension when you do this, and a little bit of force will be needed to disengage the door.
Next, you should be able to step carefully off the ladder and lift your garage door manually with both hands. Carefully and gently glide the door along the tracks until it is completely open, and don't hesitate to ask for help from another person if you need it. If you need to get your car out of the garage, you will need someone to hold the door open for you while you do so.
To close the door, you will need to ease it back down carefully by hand; do not let go of the door abruptly, as it will fall and will likely damage the door itself or anything in its track. When you're ready to re-engage the door on the automatic opener, simply pull the lever or cord again with a fair amount of force.
Important Safety Considerations
When opening a garage door manually, it's important to keep the path of the garage door clear at all times. Serious injury could occur if the door falls while something or somebody is in its path.
Finally, to avoid the need to ever open your garage door manually, you might also consider investing in a garage door opener with a battery backup in place.
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