How to Open an Automatic Garage Door Manually

The joy of an automatic garage door is that normally, you’ll never have to open it manually at all. You’ll be able to open and close it just with the touch of a button. You won’t even need to get out of your car, so you can just drive right in. it’s wonderful in the colder months when rain or snow makes it unpleasant to be outdoors.

In this article, we’re exploring how to open an automatic garage door manually.

How to Open an Automatic Garage Door Manually

Sometimes though, you will need to open that garage door yourself without the remote.

In some cases, you may have lost the remote and need to get the door open. Perhaps there’s been a power failure, so you can’t get the garage door open in the usual way. Luckily, there is a manual opening feature on all automatic garage doors. Here’s how to open an automatic garage door manually.

Here’s how to open an automatic garage door manually.

A Warning Before You Open Your Garage Door

If you’re using these tips on how to open an automatic garage door manually, ensure you only do so when the door is fully closed. If your door is stuck open, you don’t want to try and get it moving manually. This is because as you do so, the door can come crashing down. It’s going to hit anything in it’s path, including your car or even anyone who happens to be standing near it. If the door is stuck open, it’s a much better idea to call a garage door engineer to take care of it for you.

How to Manually Open Your Garage Door

Ok, so the door is stuck closed as there’s no power or you’ve lost the remote. What do you do? Here’s how to open an automatic garage door manually:

1. Find The Cord

Most garage doors are going to have an emergency manual opening device somewhere on them. It’s usually located on a bracket on the chain. It’ll be easy to find, as in most cases it’s a red cord. If you only have one cord but it isn’t red, it’s most likely going to be what you need. If you’re not sure, check the manufacturer’s guide. Place a ladder underneath it so you can reach it.

2. Pull-On The Lever

Next, you need to pull on the lever. Before you do this, ensure that nothing is in the opening path of the garage door, to ensure that no damage or injury occurs. As you pull on the cord, you should see that it’s attached to a small lever. This lever is spring-loaded and should lock in the down position once you pull on it. Once you’ve done this, come down from the ladder.

3. Lift The Garage Door

Now that you’ve pulled the release cord, you’re ready to lift the garage door open. It’s a good idea to have another person with you for this step, so they can help you. The door should lift as you pull it up. If you’re finding that the door won’t budge, then you’ll need to pull on the cord again until it totally locks into place.

4. Keeping The Door Open

Once you have the door open, it’s important that you don’t let it go. When the garage door opener is working, it will keep it on the tracks so it doesn’t come down. However, at the moment it is free on the tracks. If you were to let go of it, it would just slide back down. Therefore, this isn’t a long term solution to getting the garage door open.

At this point, use something to prop the garage door open. Using a 2 by 4 is helpful, or having someone hold the door open as you drive your car in or out. Ensure you don’t leave the garage door open, as this is a safety issue.

5. Lock The Garage Door Again

Once you’re done moving your car, you’ll need to shut and lock the garage door again. Ease the garage door down by hand, until it’s in place again. Again, get your ladder and pull on the cord. This time, the lever it’s attached to should move back up, sliding the bracket back into the chain bracket. This will enable the door to be opened automatically again once you have the ability to do so.

If you have power, test the remote to check that the bracket is fully locked. If the chain is moving but the door isn’t opening, it hasn’t been locked into place fully. Pull the cord again until you feel it lock back into place.

What to Do if Opener Isn’t Working?

If you’ve used all these tips on how to open an automatic garage door manually, because you can’t get your opener to work, there could be several different issues at play. Take a look for the following:

Batteries: Are the batteries in the remote working? Try a new set of batteries to see if that works. If not, try polishing the contacts as corrosion can stop the remote working.

Springs: Check the torsion springs on the door. Are they broken? If they are, don’t try and replace them yourself. We highly we commend contacting a professional for help replacing garage door springs, as springs can be dangerous if not properly handled.

Disconnect Cord: It could be that the cord has already been pulled, stopping the door from opening automatically. Check to see if the lever on the cord has been pulled down, and reconnect it if it has.

Power Source: It could just be that the garage door opener has been unplugged. This happens all the time, so check your opener to see if it has been unplugged.

Cables: The cables that pull your garage door may have snapped or come loose. Much like springs, they are dangerous to handle alone. If you see a snapped cable, call an expert to help you.

It’s actually easier than you’d think on how to open an automatic garage door manually, even if you can’t do it automatically. Have someone to help you, and you’ll be able to get your car in and out in no time at all. If you’re having more problems with your garage door, call on an engineer to help you out and you’ll have it working again in no time.

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