We just got an emergency call for a garage door repair that could easily be avoided, so we thought we’d share one homeowner’s grief. It seems his teenage son had accidentally locked the garage door from the outside. And then someone tried to use the automatic opener on the inside and ended up frying the motor.
It’s a pretty common mistake. But like many household mishaps, it’s one that can easily be avoided with a few simple and easy proactive steps.
Most garage doors have some way to lock the garage door from the outside. This is in case you don’t have an automatic opener. But most families have garage door openers these days, at least those who park their cars indoors.
How to Disable the Lock
That’s why if you have an automatic opener, you should double check your locking mechanism is disabled. Don’t worry. All garage door openers have automatic lock protection to keep your garage secure. When we install an opener, we routinely disable the outside lock by screwing the lock rod to the door. This will prevent the lock from being used. If your door should stop functioning, you’d then want to re-engage the lock by removing the screw until the opener has been repaired.
Kids and the Buttons They Love to Push
Disabling the lock can be critical because it is so easy to lock it from the outside, even without a key. Kids love to push buttons. And while they may be playing rocketship when they accidentally set the lock, the next time you push the automatic button, you may very well crash the motor.
It won’t be the end of the world, but avoiding the problem in the first place couldn’t be simpler. Check your lock and make sure its disabled. You just might save yourself an emergency house call from your Roseville garage door repairman.