Most people worry a lot about their house while they are away on vacation. They take many precautions to ensure that their home is safe. They lock their entrance doors and garage doors. What they fail to do is unplug their garage door opener.
A garage door opener is a motorized device used to open or close your garage door. This automatic opener operates using a switch or remote control.
When you are away for a long period of time, it is always wise to unplug this garage door opener.
As part of our garage door safety tips, our Nashville garage door repair company experts at Tip Top Garage Doors want to offer some recommendations that help families enjoy their vacation without worrying about their homes. Unplugging your garage opener has great benefits as seen below.
Benefits of unplugging the garage door opener
No more threats from thieves
An automatic garage opener is an easy option for thieves to enter your home. They try to manipulate the opener in many ways. One way to do this is to hack the keypad code. Another way is to use a duplicate garage door remote. Or they could cause damage to the opener by tampering with the power supply.
Avoid all this by unplugging the opener and locking your garage manually.
Protect from power outage
A power outage can happen anytime during bad weather. At times like these, the opener might get damaged. This could pose a huge threat as the door might be accidentally left open.
Avoid such risks by unplugging the opener and locking the garage using manual locks.
Prevent damage to garage door
If you have physically locked the garage door but have not unplugged the opener, you could be in trouble. Trying to operate an opener while the door is physically locked might cause severe damage to the garage door.
Safeguard your door by unplugging the opener while you are away.
Steps to follow to unplug the garage door opener.
Keep the door closed
Check your garage door manual first before you start to dismantle anything. Prior to disconnecting the opener, make sure the door is closed. It is easier that way and safest while it is in the bottom or floor position.
Pull the emergency release cord
Every garage door has an emergency release handle. This handle is connected to a red rope. It is used to disengage the opener. But it cannot be pulled by accident. So, use all the power you have to pull this emergency release cord and disengage the opener.
Open and close the door manually
Now that you have pulled the emergency release handle, try to open and close the door manually. You must be able to do this with ease. Usually, the door has enough tension to open and close freely. If it does not, then you need to call a garage door repair technician to check it at once.
Reconnect the opener by retracing these steps if you want to operate the door automatically.
You can use these other steps too to unplug the opener
Disconnect the power supply
An automatic opener operates only using a power source and not batteries. So, in the absence of power, it does not function.
The best way to unplug the opener safely is to disconnect the power cord from the power outlet and cut off the power supply to the opener.
Install a wall switch
Many thieves can easily program or change a keyless entry pin or use a duplicate opener remote to hack the opener.
Prevent such hazards and keep your family safe by installing an ON-OFF switch to operate the opener. Now, no thief can hack the opener or operate the remote garage.
Connect the opener to a timer
Install a timer and connect it to the electric door opener. By doing this, you can keep the opener turned off for ample time throughout the night.
Use a vacation timer
Thieves normally operate only while homeowners are on vacation. To prevent this, electric door openers have a vacation mode in their settings. when the vacation mode is on, your opener will not function through the remote. It functions only via the keypad.
Unplugging your garage door opener is a good idea to prevent theft and break-ins. If you don’t want to compromise on your garage door security, unplug the opener always.
With years of expertise mending, installing, and replacing all major brands of garage door manufacturers as well as broken garage door systems, we are your go-to professional Nashville garage door repair service technicians. We provide a wide range of garage door opener materials, garage door opener brands, styles, colors, and other characteristics.
Call our garage door experts at (615) 696-7300 for residential and commercial garage door repairs or installation in Nashville.