Things to Know About Garage Door Emergency Cord

Garage doors tend to stop working without any prior warnings. For example, the power can suddenly go out and stop the functioning of your door automatically. That could be dangerous when you are locking yourself out of your house. Every garage door has an emergency cord on the inside. In an emergency, you can use the release cord on the inside to open the door and save yourself from distress. Here is a guide to help you learn more about this garage door safety feature. 

What to Know About Garage Door Emergency Cord

For many, garage doors are the primary entryway to homes. Yet, it can serve as an exit way, too. If you have an automatic overhead garage door, you must know how to use its emergency cord. 

What Is an Emergency Cord?

The emergency cord on a garage door disconnects the trolley from the opener carriage so you can manually open and close the door. Knowing how to operate it can provide you a means out of your home during a power outage.

Where Is the Emergency Cord Located?

The emergency release cord for a garage door is usually a rope that hangs from the door’s trolley, with a handle at the bottom. It is often dangling a few feet below the ceiling. You may be able to reach it with a stretched arm, or you may need a stool to stand on.

How to Disengage and Reset a Garage Door’s Emergency Cord

You may need to operate your garage door manually in case of a power outage or a garage door opener failure. Fortunately, you can easily release and reset your garage door whenever needed. Follow the instructions below, or use the product manual that came with your purchase. If you recently just had a garage door opener installation, you may recall how your garage door service provider demonstrated this emergency feature.

Shut the garage door

Closing your garage door before attempting to switch it to manual mode is crucial. The door may fall quickly if any garage door springs malfunction. A damaged spring can injure anything in its path and damage the door itself. We advise promptly calling a garage door technician if your door is stuck open to address it safely.

Find the emergency cord, then pull it

To manually operate your garage door, disconnect the trolley from the carriage by pulling on the red emergency release cord. The cord is attached to a spring lever that you can set in 2 positions. Pulling the cord toward the door will keep it from reconnecting to the carriage.

Important reminder: Always make sure to leave your garage door in the closed position until you re-engage the opener. That will keep you safe and prepare your door for reconnection when you are ready to use it again.

Reconnect your garage door to the opener

When ready to reconnect your garage door to the opener carriage, pull the emergency release cord back towards the door. You can either manually move the door or use the remote, which will automatically connect. There should be a loud click when the trolley is attached back to the carriage. 

Garage Door Service Near Me

Do you have a garage door needing fixing? A malfunctioning door is not only dangerous, but it can also make your home less secure and exposed. Omaha Garage Door Repair is your local garage door company specializing in emergency garage door repair. We provide you with the highest quality service you can ever find in the industry, and we can guarantee that you will never be disappointed by the results.

The certified experts at Omaha Garage Door Repair can fix any problem, whether a garage door opener repair or a spring replacement—we are here to help! Call us at (402) 819-5158 if you have any inquiries concerning your garage door. Also, do not hesitate to ask for free estimates on our garage door installation services.