Getting In and Out During a Power Outage

Ice storms in the mountains and long rural lines mean outages here are a matter of when. If the garage is your main way in and out, a few minutes of preparation now saves a genuinely difficult morning later.

Before it happens

Know where the release cord is and how it works. Everyone in the household, not just one person. Practise it once with the door closed.

Check your door's balance. Disconnect the opener and lift by hand. If it is heavy, it will be much heavier in the dark and the cold, and it means the springs need attention regardless.

Find out whether you have an exterior release. Many garages with no other entry have a keyed release on the outside of the door that lets you disengage the trolley from outside. If yours is the only way in and you do not have one, it is worth adding.

Know where the walk-through door key is if there is one, and make sure it is not inside the garage.

Consider battery backup at the next opener replacement. It keeps the door working for a day or two of cycles.

During an outage

1. With the door closed, pull the release cord down and toward the door.
2. Lift evenly with both hands from the bottom. Do not lift from the side or with one hand.
3. If you need it to stay open, be aware that a door with weak springs will not hold itself. Prop it or clamp the track.

After power returns

• Re-engage the trolley with the door closed.
• Run a full cycle and watch it — the opener may need to relearn its travel limits after an outage, and a door that stops short or reverses is usually a limit setting rather than a fault.
• Test the safety sensors with a block of wood.
• Check that the wall button and remotes still work; occasionally a surge takes out a logic board and the fault only shows up now.

Surge damage

Openers are the most surge-vulnerable thing in most garages. If yours stopped working after an outage or a storm rather than during it, a failed logic board is a common cause and it is frequently repairable rather than a full replacement. Call (423) 262-3147.