How to Open your Garage Door During a Power Outage

Power outages can happen at any moment. Flashlights and candles are the first two things you should set up during a power outage. What if you have to leave, though, and your car is inside your closed garage? Do you know how to manually open the garage door? If not, don’t fret – we will teach you!

Step 1

Unplug the opener from the power source. This will prevent any potentially hazardous situations from occurring if the power comes back on while you are manually opening the door.

Step 2

Pull the emergency cord on the opener while your garage door is in the closed position. This will disconnect the door from the opener, allowing you to manually adjust the door.

Step 3

Try lifting the garage door straight up until the door is fully open. Make sure that the door stays in the open position before leaving it unattended. If the garage door is difficult to open, its springs might be unbalanced. If so, this could pose a safety risk and you should call one of our dealers (visit our Dealer Locator here) so they can fix the issue.

Step 4

When you wish to close your garage door, pull the door down slowly until it reaches the floor.

Step 5

To lock the door, you can engage the slide lock. If your garage door does not have a slide lock, you can also use a C-clamp. To lock your garage door using a C-clamp, tightly clamp the roller and door track to keep it from opening.

To Reconnect Opener:

When the power comes back on you will need to reconnect the garage door to the track and motor. To do so, follow these instructions.

Step 1

Make sure the garage door is closed all the way. There should not be any gap between the door and the ground.

Step 2

To re-engage the motor, you need to pull the emergency cord toward the door opener. You should hear a click when it re-engages.

Step 3

To reconnect the door with the trolley track, you will need to lift the door about 1-2 feet until you hear a click. Alternatively, you can press the remote control button to reconnect the door with the track as long as you have power.

Step 4

Now you can test the garage door. To do so, press the open button and allow the garage door to open all the way. Make sure to listen for any abnormal noises or shakiness. If you hear anything out of the ordinary, call a professional to examine the problem. If the garage door sounds like it is functioning well, press the button again to close. You are all set!