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Opening Your Garage Door In An Emergency
When the power goes out, I can't get into my garage because the garage door opener is dead, too. Is there some device I can install to allow me access in an emergency?
You are not alone. Many homes have
limited access to their garage, especially if the garage is detached and/or
doesn't have a regular door installed. Many people use the garage as their
primary access to the home, too. When the electricity goes out or the
garage door opener decides to fail, the garage door is as secure as a bank
vault!
There is a
garage door accessory called an emergency release kit. It can be used on
virtually any garage door opener. The lock mechanism is installed
into a hole on the garage door. The cable is unrolled and
attached to the emergency release lever on the garage door opener's trolley.
When
the key is turned, the body of the lock can be pulled through the door, bringing
the cable with it. A sharp pull of the cable will release the trolley from
the opener's drive chain or belt, allowing you to lift the door manually.
As you can see in the graphic to the left, the end of the emergency release cable can be attached to the emergency release rope for easier installation. In fact, the most difficult part of the installation is drilling a hole through the door!
If the cable hangs down annoyingly when not in use, make a loop of it and then twist-tie it loosely to the garage door opener's arm (the heavy, usually two-piece bent steel bar that connects the opener mechanism to the garage door). Don't use anything more sturdy than twist-ties so the emergency cable will release easily when it is pulled from outside.
Last but not least... TEST YOUR INSTALLATION to be sure it works!
(The two uppermost graphics courtesy Genie, a leading manufacturer of garage door openers. The lower graphic courtesy NH trying his best not to fall off the stepstool!)