If The Power Goes Out Will I Still Be Able To Open My Garage Door?

In this episode of Check A Pro Radio, we tackle a common issue faced by many during power outages: getting stuck in or out of your garage. Our guest, Adam Greer from EZ Lift Garage Doors and More, shares expert advice on how to manually operate your garage door when the electricity goes down.

Adam explains the step-by-step process of disengaging your garage door opener and the potential pitfalls you may encounter, such as doors slamming shut due to unbalanced springs. He also highlights the importance of regular maintenance to ensure your garage door operates smoothly and safely.

Tune in for practical tips and solutions to keep your garage door functional during emergencies and learn why a battery-operated opener might be a temporary fix but not a permanent solution. Don't miss this essential guide to avoiding garage door hassles during power outages!

 

For more information about EZ Lift Garage Doors & More in Katy, Texas log on to www.ezohd.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com.

 

Visit Us At -  EzLiftGaragesDoors&More

You Can Call Anytime:  [phone]

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
In Houston, we get hit with tropical disturbances, sometimes hurricanes,
sometimes the grid goes down, and we rely on electricity to open and close our garage doors.
When the power goes out, we can sometimes get stuck or the car or truck gets
stuck in the garage and we don't know how to get it out.

(00:23):
So I've asked my garage door expert, Adam Greer from EZ Lift Garage Doors
and More to join me here on Check A Pro Radio to help us out with this. Adam, how are you?
I'm doing fantastic. Living the dream, as you like to say. How are you?
There you go. I'm living the dream.
So you and I both know that this happens.
It happened recently in Houston where we both happened to be located.

(00:45):
Complicated the power goes out to millions
of people and they're like pressing the
button they're like oh yeah the power's out how do I open my
garage door how do I get my car or truck out what are the options uh-huh uh
we have that has been the constant call now for two weeks just heard this morning
and there's still over a hundred thousand people without power it's crazy so

(01:08):
the first thing is to get out is to say pull the red cord problem with that is.
Certain models I'll leave it to nameless but there are models out there that
when there's forward pressure on that door which keeps it closed it won't allow you to release that cord,
it's an issue that should have been addressed for a long time
so we get those phone calls so I'd pull the cord I can't get

(01:31):
it we can't hardly get it what we have to do is come out
and actually pull the pin on the arm to get the
release so so it's not to me
that's a danger so if you can't release your
core by a simple tug call us we'll get you the right opener but
if you have a like a lift master which really
our go-to brand it's a simple pull of the

(01:52):
cord there's a quick release get you a one-time open and close type of thing
or if you pull down and then while it's down pull it back it'll lock the trigger
it's kind of hard to explain maybe right now on the radio but it'll lock the
trigger open but it won't reattach if you're out for several hours or days or even in weeks.
Then the problem is we're getting all these phone calls now,

(02:14):
our power's back on, we can't reconnect our door.
And that's actually more simple than it sounds. And we walk people through that
on the phone, simply hit that port, it'll release it back to,
it'll respring the trigger and it just actually operates your opener.
It'll find it and that's usually that simple, unless you have that other opener we already referred to.
That one doesn't reconnect well. Well, there's a couple of them like that.

(02:38):
But in theory, pull the cord, manual, power contact on, let it reconnect, and you're good to go.
Solution is to go with a battery-operated opener.
The only issue with that is it's about 72 hours of battery life of use.
We're now into what, week two and a half? End of week two now?
Or are we in week three since the hurricane?

(03:00):
Something like that. It feels like it's been forever.
And you're not recharging that battery, so you're back to manual mode anyway.
So it's a temporary solution if we have your standard power outages,
but may not be the permanent.
Yeah. So first option is pull the cord.
And if it's operating correctly, you should be able to disengage your garage

(03:25):
door from the opener and manually open and close it.
And if the spring is doing its job properly and everything's balanced,
it should be easy to open and close the door.
There's always the risk of that door slamming down when you disengage it if
the spring is not wound to where it should be. Why don't you touch upon that?

(03:47):
Yeah. Yeah, that's actually a really big danger right there.
The opener is not really designed to lift the labor supposed to guide a balanced door.
A balanced door is simply as well take your fingertip, open and close the door
wherever you let go it should hold its position.
If it fall even a few
inches before it settles back down that's a sign that
it's getting weaker if it falls more than that you're you're

(04:10):
on the verge of either full failure or it's
really time to get a tune-up so the issue where becomes
a safety if the power runs out with the door open
people pull the cords thing shut it and the
door slams all the way to the ground that is a
horrible thing so you should have your system checked at least
once a year uh safety the inspection maintenance to

(04:31):
make sure that door is balanced well yeah have adam
and his team from EZ Lift Garage Doors and More come out and do a
tune-up and balance everything lube
everything up also some of those those bolts
and the screws come loose over time the whole system can move over one way or
the other and over time you're looking for a problem you can actually cause

(04:54):
damage to the panels in your door and it's not necessary if you get your doors maintained.
Correct Adam and you can damage your opener and you can damage your opener and
it's dangerous to your pets your children and yourself yes as always Adam thank
you so much for joining me today here on Check A Pro Radio my pleasure thank you.