Have you ever arrived home to find that your garage door won’t close? If you have a power outage or your opener fails, you may need to know how to close your garage door manually. Here are some easy instructions on how to do just that.
What You'll Learn Today
Why Might You Need to Close Your Garage Door Manually?
Sometimes, your garage door may not open or close when you hit the button on your garage door opener. Rather than being a cause for alarm, this is actually a common occurrence that can have a few different explanations.
The first thing you’ll want to check is the batteries in your garage door opener remote. If they’re dead, the opener won’t be able to send a signal to the garage door motor to open or close the door. Simply replacing the batteries should fix the issue.
If the batteries in your remote aren’t the problem, then it’s likely that something is interfering with the signal between the remote and the garage door opener motor. This interference could be caused by anything from a power outage to something as simple as a stack of boxes in front of the motor unit.
In some cases, it’s possible that the tracks that your garage door runs on are bent or otherwise obstructed. This can cause your door to get stuck or fall off track entirely. Inspecting and/or repairing your tracks should be done by a professional to avoid further damage to your garage door system.
Finally, it’s possible that there’s an issue with the springs that help counterbalance your garage door’s weight. If one of these springs breaks, it can cause serious damage to both your door and your opener system.
Again, springs are under high tension and can be dangerous to work with – so if you suspect an issue with your springs, be sure to call a professional for assistance.
How Do You Close a Garage Door That Won’t Close?
It’s annoying when your garage door won’t close, especially when you’re in a hurry to leave for work or an appointment. The good news is, there are several things you can try to get your garage door working again.
Not up for the full read? Here’s a video that will walk you through a simple technique to get your garage door closed:
Use the Emergency Release Cord
All garage doors have an emergency release cord that allows you to open and close the door manually. To use the cord, simply pull on it to disengage the opener from the door. Once the opener is disconnected, you can then open and close the door manually.
Re-Engage Your Garage Door Opener After Using the Emergency Release Cord
Once you’ve used the emergency release cord to open or close your garage door, you’ll need to re-engage the opener. To do this, simply pull on the cord again until you hear a click. Once you hear the click, your opener is now engaged and you can use it to open and close your garage door as usual.
What to Do if the Emergency Release Cord Breaks
If your emergency release cord breaks, you’ll need to replace it before you can use your garage door opener again. Thankfully, emergency release cords are relatively cheap and easy to replace. You can find them at most hardware stores or online retailers.
In the meantime, if you happen to find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having a broken emergency release cord, there are still a few things you can do to open your garage door.
First, try manually opening the door by disengaging the opener from the track. Every garage door opener has a disengage lever that allows you to open and close the door manually.
This is useful if there’s a power outage or if you want to open the door without using the opener. To disengage your opener from the track, start by pulling the red cord that’s attached to the handle. This will release the trolley from the track.
Once the trolley is released, you can push the door up or pull it down to open or close it. Keep in mind that you’ll need to reattach the trolley to the track when you’re finished.
To do this, simply pull the cord again and align the trolley with the track. Once it’s in place, release the cord and your opener will be ready to use.
In the meantime, it’s important to make sure that your garage door is properly secured so that it doesn’t pose a safety hazard. You can do this by placing a piece of wood or another sturdy object in front of the door to keep it from closing.
Once you have the door open, be sure to check the emergency release cord and replace it if necessary. With a little bit of effort, you should be able to safely and successfully open your garage door even if the emergency release cord breaks.
Consider Contacting a Garage Door Repair Professional
If none of the above methods work, then it’s time to call in a professional garage door repair service. A professional will be able to diagnose and fix the problem quickly so that you can get back to using your garage door as normal.
How to Manually Open and Close a Garage Door From the Outside
Most garage doors these days are operated by an opener that’s controlled by a remote. But what happens if the opener breaks, or the batteries in the remote die? You can still open and close the door manually, but it takes a little more effort.
To open a garage door from the outside, start by disconnecting the door from the opener. Then, lift the door slightly and insert a J-hook or C-hook into each of the tracks on either side of the door. Next, pull down on the hooks until the door is level with the ground.
Finally, disengage the locking mechanism (if there is one) and push the door up until it’s fully open.
To close a garage door from the outside, simply reverse this process. Start by lifting the door until the hooks are disengaged from the tracks, then engage the locking mechanism (if there is one). Finally, lower the door until it’s fully closed.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to put a little more muscle into opening and closing a garage door manually. But with a little practice, it’s something that anyone can do.
Final Thoughts
No matter what type of garage door opener you have, knowing how to close your garage manually is an essential skill every homeowner should have in their toolbelt—just in case!
With this step-by-step guide, you’ll be ready for anything Mother Nature (or a faulty opener) throws your way.
