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How to Open a Garage Door Manually When Your Opener is Broken

What’s more inconvenient than a garage door that won’t open when you need to get to work in the morning? OK— I’m sure you can name a few things but this is definitely near the top of the list. 

We get lots of calls from folks who have their car stuck in the garage because the door won’t rise. There are lots of reasons why the doors won’t rise. Sometimes it’s because of a power outage or a tripped circuit breaker. Other times it’s because of a problem with the opener or another part of the garage door unit. Whatever the reason, there is a way to open your door and get your car out without an emergency visit from your local garage door pros. 

How to Open Your Garage Door Manually

Technology is great but as we all know it can sometimes fail us, that’s why we back up our hard drives and send the photos from our phones to the cloud. And when our garage doors won’t open our first response doesn’t have to be panic about having our car stuck and running late. Modern garage doors have a release cord that will allow you to open the door without power. We’ll tell you where to find it and how to get the door open by hand below. 

Opening Your Garage Door by Hand from Inside the Garage

If you’re in a rush to get your car out of the garage and don’t have time to wait for a garage technician, follow the steps below to get your door open.

1. Make sure any manual deadbolts or locks are not engaged. The door won’t open if these locks are engaged, try to open the door to see if this was the problem. If the door still won’t rise move on to the next step.
2. Turn off the power to the garage door opener by unplugging it.
3. Next, locate the emergency release cord, ERC, or release cord for short. The release cord is usually a red handle or red cord hanging down from the center track.
4. After you locate the release cord, pull it to disengage the door from the opener. Disengaging the door will allow you to lift the door open without using the automatic opener. You’ll be able to re-engage it later.
5. Lift the door straight up from the bottom at the center of the door. Once the door is above your head the weight of the door should slide it back onto the upper track. You can now move your car out of the garage.
6. Once your car is out of the garage you can lower it manually. Make sure to engage any locks on the garage door.
7. Now you can leave. Remember to call your local garage door company and schedule a garage door opener repair service.

Opening Your Garage Door by Hand from Outside the Garage

But what if your car isn’t stuck inside? What if you’ve just returned home and your garage remote isn’t opening the door? Tried the keypad and it still won’t open? Don’t worry, you can still lift the door manually. Depending on your door, there is an easy way and a hard way.

The Easy Way

Some garage doors have an emergency release built into the door. If your door has this it will look like a key slot located at the top center of your door. You should have this key. Here is how this process works:

1. Turn the key in the slot then pull the entire lock mechanism toward you.
2. The tumbler should come out with an emergency release cord.
3. Pull the cord until the motor is disconnected.
4. Now you should be able to lift the door. Lift the door straight up from the bottom center. 
5. Once the door is above your head most of it should already be on the top section of the track, let go of the door and allow it to finish sliding into position. 
6. After the door is in place, drive your car into the garage and shut the door.
7. Lock the door and contact your local garage door company to schedule a repair service.

The Hard Way

If your garage door does not have the built-in emergency release in the door you can try the following method. You’re going to need a wire coat hanger and step ladder or something sturdy to stand on.

1. Unwind the coat hanger. You need to straighten it out and make a hook at one of the ends.
2. Go to the center of the door. Slide the coat hanger in at the top between the door and the frame.
3. With the hanger reach for the emergency release lever. Once you locate the lever, pull the hanger until the door is disengaged, you should hear a loud click.
4. Remove the hanger from between the door and frame.
5. If you were able to disengage the door you should be able to open the door by hand. Lift the door straight up from the bottom center. 
6. Once the door is above your head most of it should already be on the top section of the track, let go of the door and allow it to finish sliding into position. 
7. After the door is in place, drive your car into the garage and shut the door.
8. Lock the door and contact your local garage door company to schedule a repair service.

Call Heritage Garage Door for Automatic Opener Repairs

A professional garage door company can quickly diagnose the root of your door problem. It may take some time to schedule a repair depending on the size of the company that you are working with. Regardless, you now know a few tricks to help you open your garage door. In the best scenario, getting your car in or out of your car should be quick and easy. If these tips don’t work for you or don’t apply to your specific situation, call a local professional near you for immediate assistance. 

Heritage Garage Door operates in Southern California.