When the power goes out, you’ll likely be concerned about resetting clocks and other appliances in your home. Once you try to pull out of your garage, however, you could realize that you’ve forgotten to reset your door. Your garage door opener won’t work after a power outage because it runs on the same electricity as many other appliances in your home. And when it shuts off due to an outage, it needs a quick restart to start functioning again.
How to Operate an Electric Garage Door During a Power Outage
Before we jump into the specifics, here are a couple of tips for operating your garage door manually while the power is out.
Check the Position of the Door
Your garage door opener won’t work without electricity, so the first step to reset it is to break the connection between the opener and the door. However, before you attempt to disengage the garage door from the opener, check that the door is fully down.
If the power goes out while the garage door is still halfway open, disengaging the opener will cause it to come down quickly. At the very least, the sudden crash will damage the door, but in the worst case, it could injure you or damage any object in its way. While it’s possible to manually close your garage door if it remains partially open after the power goes out, it’s not safe. Have a garage door expert do it for you to avoid potential damage to the garage door system or injuries to yourself.
Pull the Emergency Release Cord
The little red rope hanging from the trolley of your garage door is standard for garage doors, regardless of brand. Pulling the emergency release cord detaches the trolley from the opener carriage, allowing you to lift the garage door. You’ll know the garage door is disconnected from the opener once you hear a little click after pulling the emergency release cord.
Manually Open and Close the Garage Door
Now, you can open your garage door fully and get anything essential out, like your vehicle, then close it manually. Be careful with this step and get help if you need it — make sure you’re closing it slowly. Be sure to close the garage door completely, too. The garage door opener won’t be able to connect until the garage door is fully shut.
A garage door is heavy, but the springs should make it easier to open and close. If it’s impossible to manually lift your garage door, you may have a problem with your springs, which a professional can look at.
How to Reset Your Garage Door Opener After a Power Outage
Follow these steps to reset your garage door when the power comes back after an outage:
Press the Close Button
After power is restored, you can get to work re-connecting the garage door and garage door opener. This shouldn’t be too challenging — just press the button to close your garage. The opener’s chain should automatically move the trolley to the correct position and connect your garage door’s arm.
Manually Attach the Trolley (If Needed)
In some cases, your garage door trolley may not be automatic. If this is true for your situation, then you’ll have to connect the arms of the garage door to the trolley on your own. Pull the red cord in the direction of the garage door until you hear the click. You’ll also see the spring door’s spring retract back into place at this point, and then you can manually reconnect the trolley.
Enjoy Your Functioning Garage Door
Once you follow those steps, the garage should start functioning properly again. Make sure you’re going through each step slowly and cautiously. If it still isn’t working after going through those steps or if you’re having trouble figuring out what you have to do, then make sure you get in contact with a professional service that can help you restore your garage door system to an operational state.
Contact the Garage Door Experts In Tennessee
Your garage door is an essential part of your home. When there’s an outage, you could find yourself stuck without being able to get your car out of the garage. While these steps can help guide you toward a successful reset, there may be times when your door still isn’t working. In those times, you should find reliable repair services like EXL Garage Doors to help.
With decades of experience in the industry and a focus on quality customer service, EXL Garage Doors is your go-to choice for garage door services. Whether you need emergency garage door service, installation, repairs, maintenance, or inspections, our garage door technicians have you covered for all garage door problems. Contact us today!