This summer, wild weather across Australia saw thousands left without power, homes destroyed and both human and wildlife casualties.
The safety of your family should always be the number one priority. Being prepared with a family emergency survival plan that is practiced and well known will allow you to stay calm and know what to do in the event that you do need to leave quickly.
Your garage door opener should be included in your emergency survival plan to ensure that if you do have to evacuate and your car is in the garage, you can do so easily, safely and with as little stress as possible.
Homeowners should familiarise themselves with their garage door opener’s manual release cord, which will allow the door to be opened manually should the power go out. Ensure everyone knows the location, how to use it and ensure that it is in good working order – it shouldn’t be frayed and should still have the plastic handle at the end of the cord.
How to operate a manual release cord:
1. Pull the red cord down firmly once to manually release the door’s locking mechanism. The opener will make a clicking noise.
2. Walk over to the door to push it up manually. Do not try to pull the door using the manual release cord; it will snap under the load.
3. Take care when operating the manual release when the door is open, as it may fall rapidly due to weak or broken springs.
4. When power returns or it is safe to do so, re-engage the opener by pulling the red release cord down firmly.
Regular maintenance of your garage door opener is the second part of your survival plan.
Undertaking a quick reversal test and looking for signs of wear and tear each month will allow you to be confident that your garage door is working at its best, at all times.
How to conduct a monthly safety reversal test:
- Place an object 40mm above the base of the garage door’s path
- Set the garage door to close.
- Check that the garage door reverses in less than a second (or two seconds when Safety Beams are installed) when it touches the object.
- If the door doesn’t reverse, contact a dealer to assess it.
It’s also important that you know your door’s safety features. Learning all the features of your automated garage door and reading the instructions will ensure you know how to manually open it in case of an emergency or power failure.
Be prepared and make your garage door opener, and its upkeep, part of your emergency survival plan.
For more information, contact Chamberlain on 1800 665 438.