I locked myself out of my detached garage. The remote to open it no longer works.
It’s a really old garage and the opener is from 1999.
Trying to lift it obviously doesnt work. There’s an emergency release you can activate with a key, but the keyhole is crammed full of old hard metallic paint that I can’t get out.
Anything else I can do? Or do I have do smash the thing down?
They all use springs. Modern garage doors use torsion springs which are safer. They look like a small rod mounted on the wall directly above the garage door.
Nope. Did maintenance for a while.
Some the roll garage door is connected directly to the motor which pulls/pushes it up a rail with teeth. Direct drive. No spring, even above the door.
Roll down storm shutters and theft prevention shutters often don’t have them either.
Obviously, this is anecdotal for my area, and it’s best to always check.
It’s possible that the sealed motor unit has a small spring in it, but I’d often replace the entire thing.