The average garage door opens and closes between three and five times every day. That’s about 110 times per month and almost 1,500 times per year. Most times, you’ll press a button or voice activate your garage door, raising it or lowering it as required.

However, if we’ve learned anything over the past few years, it’s that natural disasters can cause widespread damage including power outages. Power outages will prevent your voice activation or your remote control from working and they will leave your garage door stuck in whatever position it was in when the power failed. This can lead to problems, especially if your vehicle is inside the garage and effectively out-of-service.

You are not wholly dependent on the power grid when it comes to your garage door, though, because it comes with a failsafe system for just such an emergency. If you find yourself with a frozen door, there’s a simple process to unfreeze it.

1. Be Safe

If the garage door is suspended at any height above the ground, it is very risky to switch from the electric to a manual opening system. Immediately, the mechanism that had been supporting the weight will be disengaged, leaving nothing holding the weight. This will cause it to slam to the ground, likely causing damage. Worse, if somebody were trying to handle the door while it was being disengaged, the weight of the door could come down upon them with force, causing injury. We recommend you call a professional if it’s stuck off of the ground, for safety’s sake.

2. Pull the Emergency Release Cord

The key to getting your door unstuck is to separate the trolley from the carriage so that you can move the door manually. Until you do this, the motor is still the only way that it will budge. The garage door trolley is connected to the door and moves it as it opens and closes. You’ll see it moving above your head. When the garage door is open, the trolley will be toward the center of the garage; when it is closed, it will be located closer to the door.

Attached to the trolley is a red handle hanging from a length of rope or chain. This is the emergency release cord and when you pull it, it disconnects the trolley from the carriage, transforming the system from electric to manual. Only now will you be able to lift the garage door fairly easily depending on the weight of the door, and without resistance.

3. Check for Locks

Garage doors often come with manual locks. These could look like three or four-inch pieces of metal on either side of the door that, when pushed in, prevent the door from moving. They blend into the tracks because they are both the same color and they’re easier to see when pulled out and thus disengaged. If the door still isn’t moving, check to see if the manual locks are engaged.

As far as opening the garage door manually, it’s truly not as hard as you think. If you’ve disconnected the parts and checked for locks, it should open right up for you. If not, give us a call at Bayside Garage Doors at (813) 433-7395 and we’ll offer you garage repairs and service to get that door open and you on your way.

Your garage can present a big challenge for energy efficiency, from air leaks to inefficient fixtures and equipment. Improvements that can make your garage more energy efficient are straightforward and fall into a few categories.

Get Insulated

Insulation is the MVP for preventing heat or cooling loss all over your home, so it’s no surprise that it plays a starring role in making your garage more efficient. Insulating your garage’s basic structure (ceiling and walls) is a natural first step to prevent costly leaks, not to mention making your garage a more comfortable workspace no matter the season. You can also look into DIY insulation kits that allow you to add fiberglass or foam insulation to your pre-existing garage door. While you may not get the same results as you would by hiring a professional or replacing the door, these kits are an affordable way to get a boost in your door’s efficiency.

Small Repairs

Catching up on small repairs can save energy if worn or damaged garage elements are allowing air to leak out or in. Look for cracks, openings or gaps that can be filled with caulk or expanding foam sealant. Any place where a hole has been made in the wall, from windows to electrical outlets, is a possible source of leaks and thus energy loss. If you have an uninsulated garage door, and replacing or insulating it is not on the agenda, you should at least do what you can to address obvious air leaks. Repair broken or bent door corners and edges, and make sure you have quality weather stripping along the bottom to block drafts.

Smart Replacements

Replacing energy-wasting garage elements will make the biggest impact in energy savings. Replacing an uninsulated garage door with an insulated one and installing double-pane garage windows will help seal your garage’s heat envelope. Replacing inefficient fixtures & small appliances is an even easier way to capture some energy savings. If your garage is also your workshop, you may use fans or heaters to keep yourself more comfortable while you work. If these are older, energy-sucking appliances, you can swap them out for newer models that are higher-efficiency. Don’t forget the fixtures on the outside of your garage. Good quality solar-powered security lights have been available for years.

With some thought and a few wise investments, you can prevent your garage from being a huge source of wasted energy. Reach out to the experts at Bayside Garage Door online or by phone at (813) 433-7395  for more practical advice on repairs and improvements that can give you more of a garage that works for you and the planet.