If you happen to live in places which get hit by storms that knock out the electricity grid, it is time to disconnect the opener from the garage door. Sure it is an inconvenience, but contrary to popular belief, your garage door isn’t stuck, and you can still raise it to take your car out. The good news is that there is a universally fast and simple way to disconnect the garage door opener and then lift it manually. In this article, we will discuss how you can do it by following a couple of simple steps.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

How to Trigger the Garage Door’s Manual Override?

You can trigger the manual override by doing the following:

  • Close the Door: The first step is to close the door. You can also disconnect the opener when the door is open, but it is easier to do it when it is closed
  • Trigger the Release: All garage doors have an emergency release button or handle which will disengage the door from the opener. It usually has a red rope hanging from it. So, just yank on the rope, you will not break it so don’t worry.
  • Manually Open and Close the Garage Door: Once the emergency release handle has been pulled, you can easily open and close the garage door when needed. Keep in mind that all garage doors are under a lot of recoil tension from the spring, which is why they feel light despite weighing several hundred pounds. If the garage door feels heavy and you can’t easily open or close it, then that’s a sign that it requires maintenance and repair immediately.
  • Reconnect the Garage Door: After the power returns or you are ready to start using the garage door opener simply reconnect the door. To do that you’ll need to pull on the emergency release handle and press the button on the garage door opener remote. The opener’s trolley will fold back into position from where it will reconnect to the door. Depending on the opener you might have to lift it slightly to reconnect it to the trolley.

Be Cautions When Working with a Garage Door

You always want to be careful when manually operating a garage door regardless of the brand. If you are not sure about something, consult with the garage door opener’s manual. If you are still not comfortable, then call a team of professionals. It isn’t a difficult job, so most professionals will not charge you a lot for it.

The vast majority of people reading this should be able to easily disconnect and reconnect a garage door opener. However, you shouldn’t connect and disconnect the opener without any reason. In most cases, you will want to do this when there is no power, or the power is irregular. Also, if the garage door opener isn’t working properly.