As you pull up to your house, your headlights reflect off your garage door. It’s been a long day at work, and all you want to do is make dinner and enjoy a relaxing evening. You reach up and push a button on your garage remote, but nothing happens. Your garage door won’t open.
Electric garage doors save us money, time and energy — we can quickly and easily open, close or adjust the height of our doors with the push of a button. Sometimes, however, you click your remote, and the door remains closed. How do you manually open a garage door that won’t open? Garage doors that stay closed are frustrating incidents, no matter whether the cause is due to external factors like a power outage, or internal factors like broken springs. It may be as simple as hitting the override, or it may be so complicated you need assistance to fix it.
At Marvin’s Garage Doors, we understand a stubborn garage door is often confusing and always inconvenient. We’ve created this guide to give you practical ways to get in and out of a closed garage — the next time your garage door acts up, you’ll know what to do.
Jump to Section:
- How to Manually Open and Close Your Garage Door
- Safety Precautions
- Why Open Your Garage Door Manually
- What to Do if Your Emergency Release Cord Breaks
How Do You Manually Open and Close Your Electric Garage Door
When your garage door doesn’t open, you’re either locked in or out of your garage. If your garage connects to your home through an interior door, you’re in luck — manually opening a garage door from the inside is easier than opening it from the outside. However, if your garage door is the only way to access your garage, you may need to contact a professional to open your garage door.
A garage door repair service will be able to access the emergency latch from the outside of the garage to override the electric mechanism safely. Opening a garage door from the outside can be tricky, so it is best to call a professional to avoid harming yourself or damaging your garage door. If you can access the interior of your garage, follow these steps for manually opening your garage door from the inside.
1. Closing and Opening Your Garage Door Manually From the Inside
Sometimes, the problem isn’t about being locked out — your garage door could malfunction while you and your vehicles are still inside your garage. If you can’t open your garage door from the outside, but you still have access to your garage through your home, don’t panic — it is typically much easier to open a garage door from the inside than from the outside. Many electronic garage doors come with a bypass switch, allowing you to override the system and manually lift it open when needed.
To locate the bypass switch, look for a red rope hanging down from your garage mechanisms. This emergency release cord will be attached to the trolley in the center of the garage door. When the cord is pulled, the automated opener carriage that normally opens and closes the door is released from the trolley. This feature allows the door to slide freely on the trolley without the help of an electric mechanism.
Before pulling the release rope, make sure the garage door is fully closed. If your garage door is stuck partially open and the spring inside the door is broken, the garage door will fall when the cord is released. Unexpected movement could damage the garage door and anything that may be underneath the door. If your garage door is stuck open, contact a repair service to fix the door safely.
To disconnect the opener, pull the rope down and towards the door. Many garage door release cords come prepared with a handle for easy gripping. Depending on the length of the cord and the height of your garage, you may need a ladder to safely reach the rope.
When you’ve successfully disengaged the mechanism, you will hear a “pop” which means the motor is no longer connected to the door. You should then be able to lift the garage door easily. Using both hands, grip and raise the door from the bottom.
If you feel any resistance when trying to lift your garage door, stop and contact a professional. If your garage door does not open smoothly after pulling the release cord, this could mean the door is off of its track or the springs are broken. In either case, trying to force the door open will only cause more damage.
Keep lifting the garage door until it is fully overhead. Without the automated lifting mechanism, the door can slide back down if it is not open entirely. When closing the garage door, lower it slowly and manually lock it by sliding the lock bar.
2. Resetting the Garage Door Opener After A Power Outage
When you manually open your garage door, it will remain in manual mode until you reengage the door opener. As soon as you can fix the underlying issue or your home’s power comes back on, you will have to reset the door back to its automatic mode.
Fortunately, reengaging a garage door opener is simple, although the exact method depends on the model of your door. One common method has three quick steps — first, while the door is in a manual setting, raise it fully overhead. Next, pull straight down on the red emergency release cord to connect the trolley to the carriage. For some garage doors, you may need to pull the cord down and towards the garage door. When the trolley is successfully reconnected to the opener carriage, you should hear a loud click. Finally, push the control button on either the wall panel or the remote to operate the door.
If your garage door shuts off because of a power outage, it may not start working automatically when the electricity comes back on, and you may need to use another method. To allow the system to reset, try unplugging your opener. Let the system rest for 30 seconds, then plug the opener back into the socket. If your door still doesn’t work, a power surge might have damaged the motorhead. Contact a garage door repair company for a thorough examination.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR MANUALLY OPENING YOUR GARAGE DOOR
While manually opening your garage door is a relatively low-risk process, take a few safety precautions to protect yourself, your loved ones and your valuables:
- Avoid muscle strains: Your garage door may weigh too much for you to open. If you are having difficulty lifting the door, avoid straining your back, knees or shoulders by contacting a garage door repair company to help you open your door.
- Prevent electrical shock: If you are planning to work on the carriage assembly or the motor head while the electricity is out, unplug the unit before you begin. This precaution will prevent injury if the power unexpectedly turns on as you’re working.
- Keep the door closed: Before pulling the release cord, make sure the door is in the closed position. While closed, your garage door experiences the least amount of pressure. Additionally, a closed garage door cannot move, reducing the chance that it will fall and injure anyone or anything underneath.
- Unplug your automatic door opener: Disconnecting your automatic garage door opener as you operate your door manually can prevent injury and damage. Even if you lose power, you’ll want to protect yourself in case the power comes back on unexpectedly.
- Call a professional when necessary: An expert garage door technician knows how to repair your garage door safely. Contact a professional to inspect your door if you notice any signs of damage, especially to the springs or automatic opener.
- If the door is open, avoid using the emergency release: During a power outage, you may want to try to close your open garage door with the emergency release. Instead, it’s best to wait until the power comes back on to prevent the door from forcefully hitting the floor.
- Steer clear of the doorway if it’s stuck open: After you’ve disengaged the automatic garage door during a power outage, the door is vulnerable to closing unexpectedly from a forceful wind or other factors. Keep your family and valuables out of the pathway of your garage door until the power is back on to prevent damage or injury.
- Use the manual lock: During a power outage, the automatic garage door lock won’t work. Guard your property against theft by sliding the metal manual lock next to the garage door.
- Watch for irregular movement: After you’ve restored power to your garage door, call a professional technician if you notice uneven movement or shaking.
If you have trouble resetting your garage door, contact a professional garage door repair service to examine your door. They’ll make sure to reset it properly to prevent damage and avoid any future problems with your garage door.
Why Would I Need to Open My Garage Door Manually?
If you have never gotten locked in or out of your garage, you might not think this is a relevant issue — why would you ever need to manually open your garage door? An unmoving garage door is actually more common than many people think. Below are four situations where you’d need to know how to open a garage door manually.
1. How to Open Your Garage Door Without Power
We rely on electricity to power almost every facet of our lives. Power failures lead to a long list of issues, ranging from minor inconveniences to more severe problems.
On the other hand, when the power goes out, life doesn’t necessarily grind to a halt. Most likely, your workplace will still expect you to show up on time, and you’ll still have errands to run and supplies to purchase. These require a vehicle, which means you have to access your garage. But when the power goes out, the garage door shuts down, and you’ll need to find a new solution for accessing your car.
Even though power outages are rare, you may encounter one every once in a while from storms or nearby construction. Taking the time to make sure you and your family know how to manually open your garage door without power reduces the disruption of electricity failures.
2. Checking to See If Your Garage Door Is Broken
If your power is still on but your door stops working, you might be dealing with a more serious issue, such as a broken garage door. One of the most common garage door problems is broken or faulty torsion or extension springs. Torsion and extension springs allow the opener to easily lift the heavy garage door, reducing the amount of stress on the mechanism.
Trying to manually open your garage door is one of the best ways to troubleshoot your problem. Attempt to open your closed garage door — make sure to disconnect the automatic opener, then use the steps above to operate your door by hand.
If your springs are in good condition, the door should lift easily with little resistance, and it should stay up when you’ve raised it all the way. You may have an issue with your garage door’s springs if your door is impossible or difficult to lift or if it slides down once you’ve lifted it overhead.
3. When Your Electronic Remote Gets Lost
As you run around from one errand to the next, you may lose track of some important items, especially if they’re small. A garage door remote is both small and essential, but it’s easy to misplace. An electronic remote is important when you’re running late to work and need to access your car from the garage. In situations like this, you probably need to leave the house as soon as possible instead of running an extensive search of your car, garage and house or cross-examining your family about the last time they saw the remote.
If you know how to manually operate your garage door, you can quickly jump out of your car, open the door and be on your way. You can search for your remote or order a new one when you get home, and in the meantime, a little missing box won’t disrupt your schedule.
4. In Case of an Emergency
Knowing how to manually open your garage door can be crucial during an emergency. Many natural disasters cause electrical surges and failures, including floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires and heavy snow and ice storms. In any of these events, an untimely power outage could deactivate your garage door and prevent you from accessing your vehicles.
If your house or property catches fire, your garage door might be the only safe exit. Other doors could be too damaged or too close to the flames. On the other hand, if the fire has affected your home’s power, your garage door might not open. In immediate danger situations, knowing how to open and close your garage door manually is vital for you and your home’s safety.
Knowing how to manually operate your garage door does more than help you avoid inconveniences — it allows you to safely and quickly navigate emergencies and gives you peace of mind when you need it most.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR GARAGE’S EMERGENCY RELEASE CORD BREAKS
You can only operate your garage door manually if the emergency release cord is functional. Be sure to maintain it and check for damage, which might include:
- A cracked handle.
- Rust or corrosion.
- Fraying on the cord.
If the emergency release cord is not usable, you’ll have to replace it. You can call in a professional to perform the replacement, or you can do it yourself by following these steps:
- Cut off or untie the broken cord to detach it from the lever.
- Thread the new cord through the handle.
- Tie the cord in a knot to secure it.
- Thread the other end through the mechanism.
- Trim any excess cord.
- Prevent fraying by heating the end of the cord with a lighter.
Contact Marvin’s Garage Doors If You Need Help Manually Opening Your Garage Door
Once you learn how to manually open and close your garage door, you’re prepared for a wide range of situations ranging from a power outage to a lost remote. But operating your door yourself is only a temporary solution — to fix the underlying issue affecting your garage door, you need professional service.
At Marvin’s Garage Doors, we’re committed to providing efficient work and expert service. Our team of highly qualified professionals is standing by to assist you in any garage door-related repairs you need — we offer 24-hour emergency service, so we’re available to help at any hour of the day.
We service all models of residential and commercial garage doors, and we include opener, spring and panel repair. Family-owned and -operated, Marvin’s Garage Doors has been a trusted provider of garage door service in the northwestern North Carolina area since 1970, and we’ve worked hard to earn a reputation of excellence.
Contact Marvin’s Garage Doors to schedule your garage door repair today.
