December 28, 2023 6 min read
Your garage door is often the largest entry point to your home. Knowing how to operate it during emergencies, and how to keep your family safe around it, could make a critical difference when it matters most.
Every automatic garage door has an emergency release mechanism, typically a red cord hanging from the trolley. This releases the door from the opener, allowing manual operation.
How to Use It: 1. Only use when the door is fully closed if possible 2. Pull the cord down and toward the motor unit 3. The door should now move freely by hand 4. Lift from the bottom, keeping hands away from sections
Important: If your door is stuck partially open, be cautious. A broken spring could cause the door to fall rapidly when released.
Florida's storms can knock out power for hours or days. Be prepared with battery backup openers, which continue operating during outages. Know where your emergency release is located. Keep a flashlight in the garage. Practice manual operation before you need it.
In a fire emergency, never open the garage door until you know what's on the other side. Opening the door can feed oxygen to flames. If evacuating through the garage, feel the door for heat first. Have an alternate escape route planned.
The emergency release can be a security vulnerability. Thieves can sometimes trigger it from outside using a coat hanger through the door seal. Consider: Security shields that block access to the release, doors without windows near the release cord, motion-sensor lighting inside the garage.
Garage doors cause injuries every year, especially to children. Essential safety rules include never allowing children to play near a moving door, keeping remotes out of reach of young children, teaching kids that the door is not a toy, testing auto-reverse monthly with a 2x4 board, and ensuring safety sensors are aligned and working.
Monthly, test your door's safety features: Place a 2x4 flat on the ground in the door's path, it should reverse. Wave an object in front of the sensors, the door should stop or reverse. Check that the door stops if it hits resistance while closing.
If your door won't release manually, falls too quickly, or has damaged springs, don't force it. Call Wauchula Garage Doors for 24/7 emergency service. We're here when you need us most.