How to Manually Open Garage Doors Without Power from Outside

Imagine a situation: a weekday morning, you are in a hurry to work or on other important matters, and you urgently need a car. However, you are faced with the fact that there is no electricity, and you cannot open the garage door. Time is running out, and you urgently need to open the garage. Yet, if you do it recklessly, there is an extremely high risk of you breaking it. Then, a locksmith with specialized tools will have to open it.

In this article, we will take a closer look at how to open a garage when the power is out from the outside or inside.

HOW TO OPEN A GARAGE DOOR WHEN THE POWER IS OUT FROM THE INSIDE

Let’s continue our story, which may well happen to anyone. So, you are standing in front of a closed garage door, there is no electricity, and you need to carefully open it. To do this, you should try the following.

STEP #1. UNLOCK THE DOOR

First, you need to open the locks and latches of the garage door so that they do not interfere with the further manual opening of the door. If you do not do this, any excessive force on the door can damage it. Plus, the chances are great that you won’t be able to manually open the garage door without power.

STEP #2. FIND THE EMERGENCY RELEASE KIT ON THE DOOR

How can you open a garage without power? Just use the emergency release kit. Any garage door is equipped with a special kit in case of a power outage. Often it is located in the central part of the door at the very top. You will see a small lock that can be unlocked with a special key. In this lock, you will find a cable to open the door.

STEP #3. GET OUT THE CORD

Using the key, turn the lock and take out the lock’s tumbler. You will get the cable needed to transfer the garage door lifting mechanism to manual mode. Pull this cord.

STEP #4. UNLOCK THE DOOR

Next, you should go down to the lower door lock, which is located near the handle. It is also currently holding the door closed. Open this lock with a key and turn the handle to the vertical position.

STEP #5. RAISE THE DOOR UP

Pull the door handle to open the garage door without power. You need to pull all the way up and make sure the door is locked in the upper position before releasing it.

STEP #6. CLOSE THE DOOR

Once you are done, close the garage door from the inside of the garage by pulling it down.

STEPS TO MANUALLY OPEN A GARAGE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE WITHOUT POWER

Now, let’s look at the opposite situation when you need to open a garage door from outside without power. Here the algorithm of actions will be quite similar to the previous one, except there will be fewer stages. Here is a quick rundown of how to open a garage door without power from the outside.

STEP #1. FIND THE DOOR LOCK

Just like opening the door from the inside, you need to find the emergency release kit. It is in the same location as before – at the top center of the garage door.

STEP #2. RELEASE THE EMERGENCY CORD

Take the special key and insert it into the lock. Turn all the way and release the lock’s tumbler to gain access to the cord. By pulling it, you will switch the door lifting mechanism to manual mode. This is a vital step since it allows you to manually open the garage door from the outside without power.

STEP #3. UNLOCK THE DOOR

As in the previous case, you need to open the door lock that prevents the door from rising. To do this, find the door lock located at the bottom near the handle and open it with a key.

STEP #4. PULL THE DOOR UP

After all these manipulations, you can finally open the door. Lift it by the handle to the very top until you hit the bollard. Make sure the door is locked in the up position before releasing.

STEP #5. CLOSE THE DOOR

As soon as you complete all your business, pull the door down to close it again.

SAFETY TIPS FOR OPENING GARAGE DOORS WITHOUT POWER

So, we told you how to open a garage door from the outside without power, but this process requires some caution. You may even ask: what could be dangerous in manually opening a garage door? However, even in this process, there are small security tips that will help you not get hurt or break the garage door.

• Tip #1. Disable the automatic opening mechanism. Disconnect the lift in advance so that when you reconnect again, you won’t have problems due to a sudden voltage surge.
• Tip #2. Do not press the emergency release button on the garage door when it is open. This action can cause the entire door to collapse with a crash. We recommend that you wait until the power is turned on again.
• Tip #3. Keep an eye on an open door without electricity. Despite the door being open, a small draft may be enough for it to close itself. This is highly traumatic, so we advise you not to delay closing the door and look after both the door and the relatives who may be near it.
• Tip #4. Monitor the status of the door. If, after attaching the door and connecting the electricity, you notice that the door’s movement has ceased to be smooth (strange sounds or rattling appeared), you will need professional assistance lifting the door or resetting the garage door.

IF YOU WANT TO GET SAFETY MAINTENANCE OF YOUR GARAGE DOOR – CONTACT STI GARAGE DOOR

Maintenance and repair of garage doors is a complex process that requires the attention of experienced specialists. If you’re having trouble with your doors, STI Garage Door is proud to provide its expertise in this matter.

Our company has many years of experience servicing garage doors of any complexity. Our staff has hundreds of specialists who will guarantee a quick and affordable solution to your problems.

The line of services includes:

• Door installation
• Repair services for commercial garage doors
• Maintenance services for garage doors
• Repair and maintenance of springs
• Insulation services
• High-tech openers installation

If you’re still wondering how to open a garage door without power — contact us. All you need is to drop us a line, tell us about your issue with the garage door, and our specialists will come up with the best solution for it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Power outages are always inconvenient, and the inability to automatically open the garage door is one of them. However, door manufacturers always provide for such a course of events and prepare the necessary elements to open the door manually. You just need to follow the simple instructions that we have prepared for you, and you can easily handle them. Armed with this knowledge, you now know how to open a garage door when the power is out from the outside and inside.

STI Garage Door

Operating in the garage door industry for over 25 years, STI Garage Door is dedicated to quality service and excellence in everything.

The company is a proud partner to the top brands in the field — LiftMaster for commercial door openers and Amarr and Clopay for residential and commercial doors.