Pull the emergency release handle, ideally with the door closed, then lift the door by hand. If it lifts smoothly and stays up, you can use it until power returns. If it is heavy, drops or sits crooked, stop: that points to a spring or cable problem, not to the outage. Steps differ by opener, so check your manual.
Winter storms in Massachusetts can take out power for hours, and a closed garage door can trap a car, or lock you out of the house if the garage is your entrance. The opener is a motor with a trolley, and without power it cannot move the door.
The door itself does not need power. It is balanced by its springs, so a sound door can be lifted by hand once the opener is let go. That is the whole idea of the emergency release: it only disconnects the opener from the door.
If you are locked out of the garage, ask us about an exterior emergency release kit. LiftMaster notes that such a kit only disconnects the opener from outside, and without one there is no way to release the opener from outside during an outage.
Make sure people, pets and cars are clear. LiftMaster says to use the release only when the doorway is clear and, if possible, with the door fully closed.
On most openers it is a red cord and handle hanging from the trolley on the rail. Some wall-mounted openers have a lever instead.
A tug down is enough on most models. The door is then free of the motor. Do not use the cord to pull the door itself.
Use the handle or the bottom edge with both hands. A sound door lifts easily and stays up when released about halfway.
If you will leave it open, make sure it cannot drop on a person or a car.
If the door is hard to lift, drops when you let go, or leans to one side, stop. LiftMaster says a heavy door points to a spring problem that needs a professional, and that weak or broken springs can let an open door fall quickly. The outage did not cause that. It only showed it.
Do not force the door or stand under it. See spring repair for what a technician checks, and garage door springs in a cold snap for what to look for.
Once the lights are back, reconnect the opener so the door works normally. On a typical trolley opener, pull the release cord toward the opener, then run the door through one full open and close cycle. Wall-mounted units reconnect with a downward pull until the handle clicks. The details depend on your model, so check your manual.
Watch the first cycle. If the door shudders, stops or reverses, switch the opener off and book a visit.
Some openers have a battery backup that lets the door work during an outage. If yours does, test it now and then, and learn which model it is. If your opener has no backup, know where the release handle is and make sure everyone in the house can reach it.
A cold garage can make the opener and remote slow; see keypad and remote batteries in the cold.
Emil Garage Doors repairs garage doors, springs, cables and openers and installs new doors in Massachusetts, including Barnstable, New Bedford and Plymouth. Call or send your details and we can add an exterior release, fit an opener with battery backup or fix a door that will not lift by hand.
Pull the emergency release handle, ideally with the door closed, then lift the door by hand. If it is heavy or drops, stop and call a technician.
The door can be lifted by hand once the opener is disconnected. An opener with a battery backup may run the door during the outage.
LiftMaster says to use it with the door closed if possible. If the springs are weak or broken, an open door can fall quickly.
On most trolley openers you pull the release cord toward the opener and run one full open and close cycle. Check your manual for the exact steps.
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Call (617) 644-5527 or send your details for the soonest visit.