In the era of computers and smart home systems, power outages demand more planning from homeowners than just keeping candles and flashlights on hand. Depending on your family’s habits, a power outage could lock you out of your garage and your home.
Consider the following:
- You will not be able to open your garage door upon your arrival home if you were away when the power went out.
- Some homeowners have gotten out of the habit of carrying a house key because they enter through an unlocked door in the garage—a problem if the garage door is inoperable due to a power outage.
- If your garage door is not properly balanced, opening it manually may be impossible.
Battery backup for your garage door opener
Battery backup power for garage door opening systems is not mandated in the State of Ohio, but it is in some states, including California, where wildfires saw homeowners trapped inside their garages when power went out and they were unable to open their garage doors manually.
All garage door openers are equipped with an emergency release handle to disengage the door from the opener so you can open the door manually if the opener malfunctions or the power goes out. Your door’s spring system operates as a counterbalance, enabling you to open the door manually. Otherwise, the average metal garage door weighing about 125 pounds would be difficult to open and a heavier wood door would be virtually impossible to lift.
Unfortunately, unless you test the emergency lever, you may not know the door is out of balance, meaning in an emergency, you could be trapped inside your garage with a door too heavy to lift.
Additionally, garages that are detached and without a man door are completely inaccessible if the power goes out.
A battery backup system leaves nothing to chance:
- If power goes out while you are evacuating during an emergency, you will not have to rely on the emergency lever; your garage door will open.
- You are not locked out of your garage and home if you are away when the power goes out and you don’t have a house key.
- You can reach your vehicle if your only access to a detached or apartment garage is through the garage door.
Many newer garage door opener systems are now equipped with a battery backup or were designed to make upgrading seamless if you want to add battery backup. If your opener motor is a DC (direct current) you should be able to add a battery backup.
Batteries provide enough power to open and close a garage 20 times or more and can be recharged in four to five hours. Depending on how often you use it, your battery should last two years or more.
If you have questions about battery backup for your garage door opening system, contact Above & Beyond Door Systems today for more information about Chamberlain and LiftMaster systems with battery backup compatibility or built-in battery backup.