Opening the Garage Door When the Power Is Out

Whether it be spurred on by a frightful snowstorm, rumbling thunderstorm, or just a downed power line, power outages are no fun. You have to fumble for a flashlight to see around your own home and can’t cook your meals because the stove won’t work. The last thing you want to worry about is figuring out how to leave your house because you can’t open your automatic garage door.

Fortunately, garage door manufacturers keep this in mind when creating automatic doors. You can have peace of mind knowing that you don’t need to be trapped in or out of your garage just because your door won’t function automatically. Here are some essential tips on how to open your garage door manually.

1. Pull the Bypass Cord

Before you begin, make sure that your garage door is fully closed if possible. Pulling the emergency cord activates the door’s manual mode and disconnects it from the garage door opener, meaning that an open door could come crashing down at a dangerous speed. If the door is stuck in an open position, make sure people and animals stay clear of it until you pull the bypass cord.

Now disconnect the garage door opener and pull its bypass cord to enter manual mode. The cord typically has a red handle and hangs down from the middle rail of the garage door system.

After you pull the cord, keep it out of the way by securing it close to the garage door motor. That way it won’t get caught on the tracks.

2. Open and Close the Door Using Handles

To open the garage door in manual mode, lift the garage door by the inner handle until it opens fully. The door should easily lift from the ground and stay in place when fully opened. If the door is hard to open, call a service technician as soon as possible to avoid potential safety issues.

To close the door, gently pull the handle down until the door reaches all the way to the ground. When closed, remember to lock your door, as it does not lock in manual mode until you slide the lock bar.

3. Reattach the Automatic Opener

When power is restored to your home and you regain the full functionality of your automatic door, you’ll need to reattach the door to the garage door opener. Plug the opener back in, making sure that the manual lock is not in the lock bar.

To re-engage the opener, pull down on the handle of the bypass cord the same way you did when deactivating it. Pull in the direction of the garage opening. Then pull up on the door until it snaps in place. Alternatively, you can also hit the button on the remote opener. The track will force the spring attachment back into place.

Repairing Your Garage Door With Upper Canada

At Upper Canada Garage Doors, we pride ourselves in the excellent customer care we provide in the Oakville, Burlington, and Milton regions. If you have any problems in accessing the manual mode of your garage door or have any other product or service-related questions, contact us today for an estimate or repair service. We look forward to hearing from you and taking care of your garage door needs.