While the preference of most people when it comes to opening a garage door is to simply press a button and have it magically open, that’s sometimes not possible because of a power outage, a battery problem with the garage door opener or the motor burning out.
That means an open garage door manually lifted is the only course of action. That sounds like a basic task that anyone should be able to perform, but actually, involves taking some steps to ensure that your car isn’t stuck either inside or out of the garage.
Pulling the Cord
There should be a mechanism in which the center rail has a red emergency cord. That’s been placed there specifically to deal with these types of situation, with the trolley releasing from where the attachment is located to the rail.
Make sure to pull that cord down and then toward the back, which will help avoid having the rope avoid getting stuck on the tracks. Since this in an elevated area of the garage, you very well could need a ladder to reach the area in question. If so, then move the ladder out of the way once that cord has been pulled.
The More the Merrier
This type of job is best done with multiple people, especially if the goal is to put a car or other property back in the garage. That other person can continue holding the cord while you drive your vehicle inside or can strategically place an item to prop the door open. Either of these ways works and can reduce the level of difficulty in doing this job.
Important Reminders
This should only be performed when opening the door. Doing it in an attempt is something that can lead to catastrophe because of the danger of a broken spring causing the door to come crashing down on anyone unfortunate to be underneath at that specific time. Either that or a rapid closing could do an equal amount of damage to any property or individual that happens to be in that path. With regard to the manual opening, unless something more serious is at play, that should disconnect the garage door opener and the door.
Once that’s happened, simply lift the door. In some cases, that may be a challenging proposition, which means that having someone else share that lifting with you is a good idea. The age-old advice of lifting with your legs is something that should also be followed or you could be physically suffering as a result of this issue.
The Final Steps
When your power returns or the issue has been addressed, getting the door back to normal means attaching the locks again or putting the safety latches back in place. Then, pulling down on the red cord again is followed by pulling it toward the front, the opposite of the original step. The re-engages the trolley. In some cases, you may be able to simply press the opener and watch the spring attachment go back to normal without that manual approach.
The People in the Know
Rissland Garage Door is available for all aspects of garage door repair and has been a vital part of Northern and Central NJ for over 50 years. Contact Rissland Garage Door when you’re looking to fix or install a garage door and/or door opener at (800) 300-DOOR (3667).
