Fortunately, not so often you can find yourself in an awkward situation and stay locked outside of your garage, or what is for worse locked inside it. Most garage doors nowadays are electronic and automated. Therefore, they can present a problem of how to easily and open the door manually if you need something like that in an emergency.
If you ever find yourself in such a tricky position, you should avoid despair and panic. Stay calm and remember that there are at least three ways to open the garage doors manually without power. Always keep in the back of your mind that all the electric mechanisms have the bypass for manual use, made especially for accidents you might face.
No.1 Way to Open Your Garage Doors Manually without Power
Imagine the situation that you are in a hurry, but your garage door doesn’t move an inch. You may find out there is an electricity outbreak, and you are late for work.
A better case scenario is that you have two ways in and out of your garage. In that case, you should go to your garage from the inside of your house and deal with the problem as it is a simpler way to do it.
Find the right mechanism
Once you come inside, you should go closer to the garage door and find a mechanism that operates it. Usually, it is attached somewhere in the central part of the ceiling. Then, it stretches from the beginning of the garage door to the backside of the garage. Sometimes it hangs from the ceiling, and sometimes, if it is low, it is on the ceiling itself.
It looks like a long rail and has a chain or red rope hanging from a lever over your head. All you have to do is to pull that rope until the lever comes to the down position and enable usage of the manual mechanism.
Pull the cord
The cord is usually red, but it doesn’t have to be. In any case, there is no way you can miss the right cable since it is a unique part of here.
Keep in mind that another name for that red rope is an emergency release cord. In case you read the garage door manual, you should rest assured it is the same part, which has the same purpose even though it has several different names.
The purpose of the emergency release cord is to disengage the trolley from the garage door’s carriage mechanism. That way, the door can work without the power, meaning you can move it manually.
When the garage door is in an open position, the trolley and emergency release cord are further down the garage. Likewise, when the garage door is in a closed position, the red rope is on the top.
Once you pull the cord, you will disconnect the trolley from the door carriage mechanism. At that moment, you will be able to open and close your garage door quickly.
Be careful
It would be best if you always were extra careful when operating the door manually as you need to be sure the door is open to the maximum. Otherwise, it can slide back, and you can get hurt.
The good news is that you will be able to use your door manually as long as you need it. When you want to engage in automatic mode again, you will need to reconnect the mechanism. There is no reason for worry since it is a simple procedure.
Once you want to reconnect the mechanism, you should pull the emergency release core towards the garage door. It will reconnect almost immediately.
No.2 Way to Open Your Garage Doors Manually without Power
If you are less fortunate and have no back door, your only way in and out of the garage is through the garage door. In such a case, you will need a different, so-called outside approach to the problem. Let’s see!
The mechanism is the same, but your door is fully shut, and you are from the outside. Even though it sounds a bit violently, the only solution you have is to pick your lock.
Prepare a wire
For a start, you should prepare a long wire and shape its end like a hook. You will also need ladders to help you break into your garage. Basically, you need to reach the red rope and disconnect the trolley from the carriage mechanism as in the previous proceedings, but from the outside this time.
Then, you should try to place the ladders in the middle of the outside of the door. There is a little crack in the frame on the garage door. It is big enough to put through your long wire in the shape of the hook. It is crucial to try aiming the wire into the direction of the red rope inside the garage.
Once the wire is inside, you should hook it up with the handle on the trolley. That is the small handle that the emergency release rope hangs onto. When you feel you have hooked the long wire to the handle, pull it back.
That way, you will disconnect the automatic mechanism, and bypass it to manual use. The principle is the same, but you need to be more patient as you will use your memory, not your eyes.
Make the process easier
Some garage models have a window or several windows at the top of the door. You will be able to see the handle with the cord and open your mechanism very quickly in a case like that.
The principle of the manual opening of the garage No2 is to keep the long wire in the house, not in the garage. It is the same with your ladders.
Take care to be extra careful to avoid injury during this operation. If you think you are not the right person for the job, you should call an expert for the garage door to help you.
No.3 Way to Open Your Garage Doors Manually without Power
Not so rarely, the garage doors have a so-called Emergency Door Kit. It is a handy kit placed in your doors that you can use in cases like power outbreak, malfunctioning of electric mechanisms, and when you want to switch to the manual opening.
If you want to invest in a new garage door, I recommend purchasing the model with such a feature, which can help you in a case of trouble. In fact, it is probably the most elegant way out of an awkward situation you have at your disposal.
Use the emergency door kit
If you have the door kit, all you need to do is to find out where it is. Insert the key into the so-called keyhole and turn it. You will see that there is a metal rode you can pull out from that keyhole.
That cord connected to the lever on the trolley will disengage and bypass the automatic mechanism of manual use. That way, you will quickly disconnect the trolley from the carriage, and allow manual operating your garage door.
Way No3 is possible only if the garage door has already had the emergency key feature. Therefore, before doing anything, I suggest you inform yourself about the door you have.
Safety Measures
The reasons for the garage door not operating correctly could be different. In each case, you should be careful as it can slam down quickly and powerfully.
- Close the door – The first thing you need to check is if your garage door is fully closed. It needs to be way down, with no openings or half ways to prevent possible falling, hurting you, and breaking while switching to manual mode.
- Take care of mechanism – Sometimes the rails and mechanisms for opening and closing the door can be broken. Not to risk falling on your head, first try to shut the door to the ground. If you can’t do so, you need to call a garage door expert to help you solve the problem.
- Grease the chains – It will help if you regularly grease the chains and the door for longer and quieter use as instructed in the manual. Also, never lose the guide as you may need it in cases of an emergency.
- Turn off the electricity – As most of the doors are electric and run on power, it is advisable to disconnect your door from the electricity before beginning to do anything with it. That way, you will avoid possible electric hazards.
In case your door doesn’t work when the electricity is back to normal, you should unplug it from the electricity and wait about 30 seconds. Then, reboot and plug it back again. This procedure should fix the problem.
Summary
Luxury and commodity of nowadays appliances and mechanisms allow you a quicker, more comfortable, and more relaxed life. Nonetheless, you need to keep up with inventions and modern technologies to be able to fix the problems and find your way out in difficult situations.
