# how to open garage door when power is out?



## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Do you see the chain with a ring hanging down from the opener,right where it meets the door lift bracket? Pull on that and the lift bracket will slide free----that's it---the lifter will catch the bracket when you operate the machine and you will be hooked up again--


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## HomeSealed (Jan 3, 2008)

What he said ^^^


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## young707 (Jul 31, 2012)

Yes, the power is off. I pull the ring-to-chain to unlatch/dis-engage the push-pull mechanism that is driven by the electric garage door openner motor screw shaft.

I know some of the old type of garage door, I can just pull the garage door and flip it open.

But, this one would not move a bit.

No, this is not available in our local library.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

That is the release ---get on a ladder and look at it as you pull---is the latch opening?


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

That was rather long to read---

OP--have you pulled hard on that chain? Do you have a helper to lift while you pull?


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

oh'mike said:


> That was rather long to read---
> 
> OP--have you pulled hard on that chain? Do you have a helper to lift while you pull?


That is why you like me Mike. I am thinking that assembly may be frozen, or the Torsion spring is out of adjustment, if they cannot get it to release.

I do not see any problem with them calling a reputable garage door company to come and look it over, and balance the door, along with checking out everything on it. If the previous owner did not keep up on the maintenance, and looking at the OP previous questions, they got left holding the proverbial Cat in the bag on this place.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Lots of nice pictures but none of where you release it.
So we can see why your having trouble.
Should be just a quick hard tug and it releases.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Joe, They may be able to get a large headed flat head screw driver in there, to help push down on that latch. If they are not able to pull down on that chain and release, it is either frozen in place, due to not being "exercised' every six months, along with greased, but could be that there is a lot of weight pushing against it, from the opener, and that could also be why it is not releasing.

At the angle the bar is at, which it should not be at almost vertical, that is half the problem right there.


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

Greg,
you're on the right track. If the down limit is set just a tad too much, the opener will have tension on the track when the door is closed. If the tension is too much, it can make the release hard to pull. I haven't run across any releases that were frozen in place. Even on some very old openers. If the owner was to raise the door off the floor and stop it anywhere above there, even in the fully open position, the release should pull down easily. If it does, the down limit just needs to be backed off just a tad.
Mike Hawkins


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## young707 (Jul 31, 2012)

Yes, when I pull the ring downward, it clickes, the latch is dis-engaged. If I pull the ring side way forward, the latch will engage.

After the power comes back on, I pull this ring downward, the latch dis-engaged, the motor screw keeps turning without pulling the garage door.

I turn the power off, still unable to manually pull the garage door open with the motor screw latch dis-engaged.


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## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

young707 said:


> Yes, when I pull the ring downward, it clickes, the latch is dis-engaged. If I pull the ring side way forward, the latch will engage.
> 
> After the power comes back on, I pull this ring downward, the latch dis-engaged, the motor screw keeps turning without pulling the garage door.
> 
> I turn the power off, still unable to manually pull the garage door open with the motor screw latch dis-engaged.


Try it with the door open. Be careful. If your door spring is not tensioned correctly the door will be heavy as you start to pull it down. Don't stand directly beneath the door.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

young707 said:


> Yes, when I pull the ring downward, it clickes, the latch is dis-engaged. If I pull the ring side way forward, the latch will engage.
> 
> After the power comes back on, I pull this ring downward, the latch dis-engaged, the motor screw keeps turning without pulling the garage door.
> 
> I turn the power off, still unable to manually pull the garage door open with the motor screw latch dis-engaged.


The whole idea of that latch, is so you can disengage the opener mechanism from pulling the door up, so you can pull it up manually.

That is all it is there for. Reengaging it just shows that the mechanism is working and not frozen or stuck.

Basically you would pull the door up, with the Torsion spring assisting. When you push the button on the garage door opener, it will pull back the chain or cable for the plate that engages back with that mechanism at the top of the arm, so you can use the opener to open and close the door.


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## iamrfixit (Jan 30, 2011)

young707 said:


> Yes, when I pull the ring downward, it clickes, the latch is dis-engaged. If I pull the ring side way forward, the latch will engage.
> 
> After the power comes back on, I pull this ring downward, the latch dis-engaged, the motor screw keeps turning without pulling the garage door.
> 
> *I turn the power off, still unable to manually pull the garage door open with the motor screw latch dis-engaged.*



Your tests show that the trolley is disconnecting and reconnecting just fine, but you still can't lift the door.....

I would bet the door arm is simply adjusted too short. Looking at the pics it looks as though the trolley is too far forward, vertical or maybe even over center instead of leaning back toward the opener motor. 

When you release the trolley and try to manually pick up the door, the trolley may be trying to move toward the door instead of voluntarily moving toward the motor, effectively wedging the door shut. Have someone pull the release AND pull the arm back away from the door as you try to pick the door up manually. 

It may be as simple as just lengthening the arm out a couple sets of holes and re-engaging the mechanism, as long as the travel limit switches are built into the motor unit. If the limit switches are on the rail and activated by the trolley, as some Genie models are, then the switches would need to be adjusted also. Some better pics of the opener and/or brand and model info would be necessary to help you make the adjustments.


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## young707 (Jul 31, 2012)

thankyou, djlandkpl
lo & behold, I have the garage door opened, turn off power, dis-engage the latch to the motor screw drive. I can manually pull the garage door down to close it.
I can pull the door up and down, as long as the door is NOT all the way down shut.

However, once I have the garage door down shut, (without power and dis-engaged latch) I cannot pull it back up again. Looking for some kind of lock or hook or latch, I cannot find it. I am not certain the locking device is inside cable - pulley system. Unable to verify if that is correct.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

The latch is in that trolley that the cable is hooked to. Again, you need to readjust the trolley, that it is not at a almost vertical position, is why you are having difficulty with it.


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## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

Please reread the post from mriamfixit. 

The problem is the arm that connects the opener to the door. When the door is closed the vertical part of the arm is too far forward and wedges the door closed. When the door is closed, the arm should have a slight angle. 

Your arm looks like this. L
It should look like this \_


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## young707 (Jul 31, 2012)

Holy Toledo, Dan, thank you very much,
I adjusted the arm in 75 degree in \_ shape linking the garage to the screw drive shaft. It works! Now I can pull the door up and down manually after unlatch the drive shaft.

Thank you guys for the powerful use of DIY char room.com forum.


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## Shaynecalkins (Jan 17, 2013)

the connecting arm that connects to the door is travelling too far.when you lift the door it is pushing the arm straight up to the ceiling. this is good to keep out crooks, but to open the door you have to physically start the trolley back toward the motor with your hand or the chain or two people. its not easy. extending the j bar and adjusting the limit switch would be the right answer. but the opener can be back pedaled with gradual force. it will not lock. old genies do not have a way to lock the engine closed. as the windings wear out the opener can be forced open. you are very secure now, but with the power out you will have to start the trolley back toward the motor manually. once it is started it will go unassisted but the initial force coming off the floor must be pulled backward on the trolley a little.


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## cleveman (Dec 17, 2011)

You are basically screwed when this happens. This is what happened to all great civilizations in the past-the Mayans, the Sumerians, the Romans, everyone. They got to a certain point of development, then they couldn't get their garage doors open anymore and eventually stopped reproducing and then died off completely.


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