Understanding and Operating a Garage Door Emergency Release Cord

With all of the chaos happening in the world around us, it doesn't take much to turn a misunderstanding or mistake into fodder for national headlines. A recent example of his was in the summer of 2020 at the Talladega Superspeedway when a garage door opener emergency cord looked like a noose was found.

A Controversial Misunderstanding

The garage was used by Bubba Wallace, the only black NASCAR driver at the time. A member of the Richard Petty racing team discovered the cord hanging in the garage and immediately reported it to the officials at NASCAR. This was shortly after the tragic murder of George Floyd and the ensuing protests to come; it was no surprise that such a discovery gathered national attention.

Beyond that, the fact that Wallace had recently convinced NASCAR to ban Confederate flags from being flown at races had also put him in the middle of some controversy. The result was onlookers believing that a noose had been placed as a racially motivated threat against Wallace.

After the FBI came in to investigate, it was discovered that the rope was actually the garage door opener emergency release. It had been made into a noose many months before Wallace had been assigned to that specific garage. Ultimately, it was revealed that it was not a hate crime, and instead, the event had been purely coincidental.

Still, the situation raised eyebrows regarding the rope and the noose. The reasons for it may never be known, but the misunderstanding could have been avoided if knowledge of emergency release cords for garage openers had been better known.

Emergency Release Cords and Safety

The rope that was at the center of all of this is an emergency release cord that is often used with garage doors that feature motorized opening instruments. They can be found both in commercial and domestic settings. While many understand the basics of such tools, having a better understanding of the emergency cord can't hurt.

Garages have been an addition to most homes for more than a century. What started as a separate building eventually became a part of the home for reasons of convenience and safety. The garage door opener made them even more convenient. The opener was originally created in 1926 as an automatic device that opened standard doors but evolved over time to also open up garage doors.

Having an emergency release cord is one of the safety standards for an automatic garage door that has a motorized or mechanical opener. Since the 1970s, these openers have had to meet UL325 safety guidelines before they can be installed into a garage. More than 30 tests are done on the items before they can get the certification. This test serves the purpose of not only ensuring the proper operation of the product; it is also used to reduce certain risks like:

• electrical shock
• fire
• mechanical injury

Electrical shock and fire injury both have to do with the electricity that operates the motor on the opener. Mechanical injuries can occur when operating the actual door harms someone. In many cases, a mechanical issue will result in the door not being able to be opened or shut. The emergency release function comes into play when the garage door opener won’t open or close the garage door and it’s need to be operated manually. Although today many garage door openers equipped with a backup battery incase the power goes out.

Using an Emergency Release Cord

While battery backups are convenient, it's good to know how the emergency release cord functions. If you're able to lift a garage door manually, the emergency release cord will let you get the door open when the automatic garage door opener is broken or doesn’t work properly. This is true especially if there is a malfunction in the garage door motor, which will make it impossible to use, even if you have a backup battery.

To get familiar with using the emergency function, begin with the garage door in the down position. After, pull on the red release cord and attempt to open the garage door. If the garage door springs work well, the door will move as it should. If it doesn't, you may need to troubleshoot the garage door. To do so, you must first reconnect the unit by moving the door into the right position against the tracks. You could also use the motor to get it into the right position. If you notice the garage door isn’t working properly, check the following for problems:

• Ensure the batteries in the remote work
• Remove anything obstructing the garage door area
• Ensure the sensors along the bottom of the door's track are also free from obstructions
• Listen and look for any imperfections along the track

If you can't find the issue on your own, it's best to get in touch with a garage door repair professional to help you. It's important to understand emergency release cords not just to prevent strange misunderstandings as in the case of Bubba Wallace, but to make sure you can operate your garage door safely.

Summary

Though many commercial and domestic garages alike have emergency release cords, not everyone fully understands what they are, what they do or how to use them. Because this cord relies on electricity much of the time, not having a good grasp on how it works could lead to danger. Some of the most common issues when it comes to the misuse or misunderstanding of garage door emergency release cords are fire, electrical damage and even mechanical damage.

You should always check to make sure that your garage door opener is working properly. If it doesn't open and close as it should, you can troubleshoot it on your own by:

• making sure the batteries in the remote are charged
• moving anything obstructing objects from the garage door area
• ensuring the sensors found on the bottom of the door's track are clear
• looking for any general imperfections along the track

If you are unable to find the cause for a faulty garage door opener or otherwise determine that it needs repairs, get in touch with a professional. Trying to tinker with it yourself is dangerous due to the electricity involved.