Posted Friday, March 10th, 2017

Spring is just around the corner. And with this season, comes crazy weather. The Seattle area will likely experience thunderstorms, heavy winds and power outages.

So what happens when the power is out and your garage door is closed? How will you get your car out? Here are some tips to help.

How to open your garage door without power

Pull the lever

Garage door openers all come with a switch, known as a bypass switch. The bypass switch was specifically designed for power outages or when an opener’s motor isn’t working. To engage the bypass switch, look for a rope with a handle attached to it. Most of the time it is red. This is the manual release handle that will disengage your garage door’s trolley from where it is attached on the rail. When you pull on the rope, the garage door is put into manual mode.

Warning: Only pull the handle if your garage door is in the down position. Otherwise, it may come crashing down and cause serious harm.

Keeping your garage door in manual mode

If the power is going to be out for some time, simply keep your garage door in manual mode. Make sure to pull the rope down and toward the back of the garage. This will prevent it from getting stuck in the garage door tracks.

Power’s back! Now what?

When you power comes back on, it’s time to get your garage door back into automatic mode. To reengage your garage door, simply pull the cord again. Instead of pulling it backward, pull it forward. This will keep the lever from engaging. Continue to pull the rope forward until it snaps back into its proper place.

If you are having trouble, give the team at Cressy Door and Fireplace a call. We’ll do our best to assist you. Information on Service and Repair for your Garage Door.