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Get me OUT of my garage! Power out!

The TVClubHouse: General Discussion ARCHIVES: 2006 Mar. ~ 2006 May: Get me OUT of my garage! Power out! users admin

Author Message
Schoolmarm
Member

02-18-2001

Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 11:05 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Schoolmarm a private message Print Post    
Help! My car is stuck in the garage and can't get out. It's going to be a dang long 12 mile walk to work tomorrow unless I figure something out.

OK, here's the scoop. The power is out in most of my garage and laundry room. Not all of it, just what is on circuit breaker 31. 31 won't stay flipped, and I have pushed the little test button thing a zillion times. I even turned the power off to the whole house. We had a storm this morning, so maybe something got struck?

I plugged in the remote box to the garage door opener to a long extension cord in another part of the house. Still stuck, since the power to the actual garage door is really high and I can't reach it even with climbing on the car and/or stepstool. My ladder is too tall...it's for getting up on the roof and I don't have anything in the garage to lean it on.

I can't seem to find a release for the garage door from the garage door opener. Dang, still stuck!

I should probably give y'all a laugh in telling you that I had to crawl over boxes and stand on top of the organ in my "church suit" to get to the circuit breaker box. Thank God I'm not playing today (the bishop was there!).

All of my neighbors and relatives are at church right now. Hoping someone here is online this morning with some advice.

Oven works just fine! Better take the pizza out....

Advice anyone? I'm out of my suit and in some grubbies!

Herckleperckle
Member

11-20-2003

Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 11:13 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Herckleperckle a private message Print Post    
Call the power company or the fire department. They might offer some handy advice--or actual help.

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 11:19 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
Call the garage door people, maybe they can come and fix it for you? That's all I can think of, since we don't have one of the automatic ones.

I seem to remember when we bought our new one 5-6 years ago the salesperson pointing out that most of them had a release handle (or was it a button?) in a fairly easy to reach place cuz at the time the kids were little and he said they'd be able to get out if they got stuck. Reason I remember is cuz I was a smart ass and said if they got stuck in the garage there was no hope for them as all they had to do was walk to the other end and open the door and step into the laundry room, lol. However, it's been so long since we were looking at them I can't remember where the handle/button was located! Wish I could be more help!

Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 11:28 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vee a private message Print Post    
I have a long stick to push the release with...sure makes it easier than trying to climb a ladder...good luck!

C
Door Up

C
Door Down

Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 11:50 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vee a private message Print Post    
Gee, I could've been a bit more helpful...the release on my system is right there where the long red cord hangs down.

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 12:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
There is supposed to be a safety release (that red cord) on all garage door openers for just this situation. If you don't have a cord, find the pin the cord should be attached to (you can see it in the pictures Vee posted) and pull it to release the control arm from the pully track. Then you should be able to just lift the door manually.

The problem then is, when you get the car out of the garage, you need to close the door manually and it won't be locked (unless you've got a separate lock installed for it, which most doors equipped with a power opener don't). So, make sure the door from your garage into the house is locked when you leave AND that you have a key with you to open it when you get home! :-)

I had this situation one winter and pulled the cord to allow manual operation of the door, only to find that the darned thing was frozen to the ground! I had to get hot water and pour it where the door met the concrete to melt the ice before I could open the danged door. Bother! :-)

Schoolmarm
Member

02-18-2001

Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 12:42 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Schoolmarm a private message Print Post    
WHEW! I'm out!

My release cord has only a little wire attached to it, so that didn't work.

The BIG pole idea, however, gave me a great idea. I took a pole and tried to yank out the really high garage door opener cord. No luck....it kept going crooked. So I took an old non-working USB cable and threw it over the power cord and looped it. Success....

One 50 foot extension cord to the kitchen later and the garage door opens just as my brother (the fire-fighter) calls and tells me how to trip the breaker switch to get #31 to stick.

Now Dad is on the phone with more advice!

Thanks!!!

Schoolmarm
Member

02-18-2001

Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 12:51 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Schoolmarm a private message Print Post    
Now, all I have to figure out is how to get the opener plugged back into the socket that is 12-15 feet high. I've got it running on the extension cord to the wall socket and that will work in the short term.

Had to get the cord out of the kitchen or I would have a house full of cats in the morning! They like to crawl under the house and get in the garage. Ellie has been known to paw open the laundry room door.

Better get to the grocery before the next storm hits!

Herckleperckle
Member

11-20-2003

Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 1:03 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Herckleperckle a private message Print Post    
Yay!! Time to buy another ladder?! Buy some peanut butter while you're there, just in case the power goes out again.