How do I reset a garage door after a power outage?
While it doesn’t happen often, some situations test your garage door knowledge when you need to open it manually, and power outages present a great example of these situations. So, how do you reset your garage door after a power outage when you desperately need to get to work?
Unfortunately, while in a frenzy, it’s possible you damage your garage door if you don’t know the correct way to operate it manually. For that reason, it’s essential you know the correct methods to use unless you’re ready to pay a significant repair bill.
The professionals at Garage Medics, the garage door experts in Carlsbad, have created a guide of all the things to do – and not to do – when you need to lift the door manually in a power outage. Follow this guide closely, and you should be able to get to work without destroying your garage door in the process.
Make Sure the Door Is in the Down Position
If you’re asking how to reset your garage door after a power outage, keep in mind that sometimes the door gets jammed while in-between an open and closed position.
If you try and disengage and reconnect the opener while the door isn’t fully shut, you could face serious danger. If the door has broken or imbalanced springs, resetting the opener could result in the door slamming to the ground, hard and fast. Garage doors aren’t light, and it goes without saying that you don’t want any children, pets, or yourself in the way of the total weight of your garage door.
If your garage door has gotten stuck in an open position, call us immediately for emergency services. We’ll send a skilled technician over promptly to resolve the situation safely.
Engage the Emergency Release Mechanism
You might know this cord by its red handle, dangling from above your garage, hanging from the garage door trolley. If your door is closed, the cord lies near the front of the door. The trolley is the part that connects to the door and moves as it closes and opens.
The trolley also connects to the garage door opener carriage. This carriage allows the door to open automatically, sliding into place. This is the number one way to reset a garage door after a power outage, or at least bide you some time to get your car out of the garage before a maintenance worker arrives.
You can open the trolley by pulling the release cord, removing the trolley from the carriage, and opening the door manually. Again, if you have any apprehension about dealing with your door, call the Garage Door Medics. We have extensive experience dealing with these problems, and we can ensure you can get your door open without breaking any integral components.
Manually Put the Garage Door in the Down Position
If you’ve completed the above step, you can now freely move the garage door to open and closed positions. If you try to lift the door, but the weight makes it impossible, you might have a broken spring – which could stop your door from opening even without a power outage. Many people believe the door openers lift the door when the springs do the bulk of the work.
Regardless of the cause, call us immediately if you spot a broken spring. Your garage door will lock in position and cause a nuisance until you get a proper repair.
Pull the Emergency Release Cord
If you cannot disconnect the door from the opener, you need to re-engage the carriage to operate the door electronically again. Pull the release cord towards the door. This compresses the spring lever and allows the components of your door to connect.
Once your home regains power, close the door. The door must be completely closed before the opener can reconnect and begin opening automatically.
After closing the door, firmly press the opener button. Once prompted, the garage door should reconnect automatically. Do not interfere with this process, or you might disrupt the reconnection. Watch as the chain connects the trolley to the correct position.
This step should solve nearly every garage door that cannot open in a power outage. If the door continues to give you trouble, you may be dealing with a more significant issue. In those circumstances, call Garage Door Medics so we can send someone over to get everything back to normal.
Reconnect the Trolley and the Opener Carriage
This is one of the leading solutions to reset a garage door after a power outage. First, you’ll have to reconnect the opener to the trolley. Do this by running the opener for one complete cycle.
Once the door has gone all the way up and down again, you should hear a loud click. This means your maintenance was successful, and your door will work as normal again.
Some Things to Watch Out For
If you’re asking how to reset a garage door in a power outage, you might be dealing with a low-light environment. Because garage doors are heavy and their parts can prove finicky in power outage situations, we advise you proceed with the utmost caution.
Always use a flashlight or alternative light source if you’re attempting to resolve the issue in the dark. Having a partner handy so you can use both of your hands to engage the mechanisms is also extremely helpful.
Luckily, the release cord always has a bright red indicator, so finding your way around shouldn’t prove too difficult.
If you ever find the situation too much to handle, give Garage Door Medics a call. We’re experts in every garage door make and model, allowing us to fix even the trickiest of garage problems.
Things to Avoid
Some people get desperate when resetting a garage door after a power outage. While a broken garage door might drive you nearly insane, the last thing you want to do is panic.
Often, people who panic try to manually open the door without checking any mechanisms that allow the door to open normally. Trying to use brute force on your poor garage door only risks breaking it or some of its components, rendering it inoperable even after the power goes back on.
While following this guide will give you an upper hand in the situation, garage doors are heavy and dangerous, even to strong adults. Keep all children and pets inside when attempting to adjust your garage door.
Even capable DIY-ers can’t account for everything, and keeping bystanders inside is an excellent way to avoid accidental injuries. Additionally, make sure you’re not straining yourself when manually opening the garage door. And, of course, there’s no shame in calling for help if you cannot manage to fix the door on your own.
When you find yourself in this situation, remain calm and reference our guide.
Garage Door Medics: Your Trusted Garage Door Repair and Installation Service Provider
Have you tried everything on this list and still have trouble? Are you dealing with a blinking garage opener light?
Garage doors can be complex beasts, and sometimes the issue is a little more nuanced than a broken spring or a power outage.
If you want to learn more about how to reset a garage door after a power outage, don’t hesitate to call Garage Door Medics at (888) 997-2423. We’ll send a knowledgeable and experienced technician to your home directly to resolve the issue. Call now for a free quote!
