How to Open Your Garage Door When the Power Is Out

Before you pull anything

• Make sure the door is fully closed if you can. Pulling the release with the door open can let it drop suddenly if a spring is broken.
• Look at the springs. If there is a gap in a torsion spring above the door, or a cable is hanging loose, stop here and call.
• Clear the area under the door, and keep children and pets back.

Opening the door by hand

1. Find the red cord

   It hangs from the trolley on the opener rail, near the top of the door.

2. Pull it down and back

   Pull straight down, then toward the motor, to disconnect the trolley from the door. Some models release with a straight pull.

3. Lift from the bottom

   Use the handle or the bottom section, not the joints between sections. A balanced door should lift with modest effort.

4. Hold it fully open

   Lift until it stays open on its own. If it will not stay up, keep it supported and lower it gently; the springs need service.

5. Close and lock it again

   Lower the door by hand and slide the manual lock on the inside, if your door has one, so the garage is secure while the opener is off.

Reconnecting when the power comes back

Most openers reconnect automatically: press the button and the trolley travels along the rail until it clicks back into the door arm. Some models need the release lever pushed back toward the door. Check your opener manual. Once reconnected, run the door through a full cycle and do the reversal test with a 2x4 on the floor.

Keeping the garage secure during a long outage

Once the door is disconnected from the opener, it is no longer locked by the opener drive. If your door has a slide lock on the inside, engage it whenever the door is closed. If it does not, a C-clamp fastened tightly on the track just above a roller keeps the door from being lifted from outside. Remove it before anyone tries to open the door again, or the door and the opener can be damaged.

Lock the door between the garage and the house, as you would on any night.

Generators and garage door openers

A portable generator can run an opener if it is connected safely, either through a transfer switch installed by an electrician or by plugging the opener into a generator cord. Never run a generator in the garage, even with the door open, and keep it well away from windows and doors. Carbon monoxide can build up quickly and seep into the house. Most people find it simpler to use the emergency release during an outage.

If your garage has no other way in

Many older detached garages, especially upstate, have no side door. If the power is out and you are outside, there is no way to reach the release cord. An outside emergency release kit, a keyed lock in the door that pulls a cable to the release, solves this. Technicians install them routinely.

Next time: battery backup

Openers with battery backup run for a number of cycles without power. If you lose power a few times a year, it is worth adding when you next replace the opener. Generators should never be run inside the garage, even with the door open. See opener options.

How battery backup works

Openers with battery backup keep a rechargeable battery in or next to the motor head. When the power fails, the opener switches to the battery automatically, and on many models the door runs more slowly and the light stays off to save power. A fully charged battery is typically good for a number of open-and-close cycles over a day or so, depending on the model and the door. The battery recharges once power comes back.

Batteries wear out, often after a few years. Many openers beep or flash to warn when the battery is low or failing. If yours does, a replacement battery is usually a simple swap. Our opener page has more on choosing an opener.

If the opener does not work after the power returns

Outages often end with a surge or a flicker, which can trip a GFCI outlet, reset the opener, or damage its circuit board. If the opener is dead once power is back, check the outlet with a lamp, reset any GFCI in the garage, and look at the circuit breaker. Some openers also lose their remote programming or travel limits after a surge.

If the opener has power but does nothing, flashes an unusual pattern or runs erratically, the logic board or the sensors may have been damaged. A technician can read the diagnostic code on many models and tell you whether a board replacement or a new opener makes more sense.

Get ready before the next storm

• Show everyone in the household where the red release cord is and how to use it
• Do the balance test now, while the power is on, so you know the springs can handle a manual lift
• Keep a flashlight in the garage near the door into the house
• If the car has to leave early on storm days, park it outside the night before a big storm is forecast
• Test the battery backup, if you have one, by unplugging the opener and running the door once
• Put the opener on a surge protector rated for it, since outages often end with a power surge