The greater Twin Cities area captivates many residents with its natural beauty, low cost of living and almost endless entertainment opportunities. Yet, recent climate data shows our communities also attract more intense storms. That can mean more frequent power outages that prevent you from using your garage’s opening system. When that happens, you need to know how to open your garage door without a remote opener.
Crawford Door Sales has the answers you need to engage your door’s manual operation features and safely cycle it by hand.
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Step-By-Step Guide to Manual Garage Door Operation
Follow these steps to use your door when the power’s out.
Conduct an Inspection
To protect your safety, garage door components should be in good condition before you attempt to manually operate your garage door. Inspect your door for loose cables, worn parts or other damage first. If something is concerning, contact your local garage door experts for repair services right away.
Release the Door’s Trigger
Your garage door’s trigger is the red-handled rope suspended from its track. When you pull this, you’re essentially disconnecting the door from the opener. We recommend doing this with the door closed. That way, it can’t descend too quickly and create a safety issue. If you can’t locate the trigger, check for release instructions in your owner’s manual for your opener.
Open the Door
Slowly lift the door with the internal handle. Once you’ve raised it a bit, you can push on the bottom edge to help guide it up and into place. You can then exit the garage and lower the door back down. Engage the door’s manual lock to help prevent unwanted access. If it doesn’t have one, consider upgrading your garage door to a newer, more secure model.
Reconnect Your Opener Once the Power Returns
After the electricity is restored, unlock the manual lock and couple your door and opener again. To do this, you can grab the trigger and pull it toward the door until it clicks into place. Many models also allow you to reconnect the door by using the opener. Hitting the button can help move the springs into place and reunite the trolley and door.
Prepare Your Garage for Future Outages With a New Opener
Crawford Door Sales proudly offers, installs and maintains premium-quality LiftMaster® residential garage door openers. Many models we carry feature battery backup systems for continued performance during a power outage.
Contact Crawford Door Sales for Your Garage Door Needs
Businesses and homeowners throughout the greater Twin Cities area have trusted family-owned Crawford Door Sales since 1958. Connect with us online for more information or to schedule a service call.