PSA: garage door locked? Are you sure?

[vavet]

My garage door opener has a switch on the panel to "lock" the door. I used this a few weeks ago when I was hanging lights in the garage and had my ladder near the door. My wife was at the grocery store and I didn't want her to push the opener button in her car with me on the ladder.
Fast forward 30 minutes, my son wakes up from his nap, I go inside to get him. We go back out to the garage and I reach up to push the open button. It opens, hits the ladder, knocks the ladder over and hands on my riding lawn mower, ripping the seat.

Now this situation isn't nearly as bad as it could've been - a ripped lawn mower seat - no biggie, but I'm disappointed that the door opened because I used the wall-mounted control. This switch also does not prohibit the door from closing, from a remote or from the wall mounted control. The only thing it prevents is a remote control opening the door.
My point is that if you want to make sure the garage door can't open, either physically lock it or unplug it from the receptacle...or know the particular characteristics of your garage door opener. Maybe all of them don't behave like this.

 

[ducksface]

So no mention of model?
I'm sure that the lock timed out.
Pull the cord instead. Disabling is exactly why it is there.

 

[Buckgnarly]

I pull the red cord when I do not want anyone to open it on me.

 

[n20junkie]

My openers are on their own circuit breaker. I throw the breaker when I need to lock out the door.

 

[abachman]

The lock-out only disables the remotes... not the hard wired switch.

 

[Tucko]

That's easy, I am my own garage door opener....

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Pull the cord instead. Disabling is exactly why it is there.

On my Genies, the cord is there so you can open the door if the opener fails or the power is off. Simply cycling the opener from open to close will allow the latch to re-engage and the opener to move the door again.

 

[EOC_Jason]

The lock-out only disables the remotes... not the hard wired switch.

That's how mine operates and how the manual states it. The "lock" is meant to disable just remotes from opening the door, say if you happen to go on vacation, as an extra security measure.

Mine are plugged into the ceiling right next to the opener. If I want to be safe I just unplug it.

Glad nobody got hurt though.

 

[Buckgnarly]

On my Genies, the cord is there so you can open the door if the opener fails or the power is off. Simply cycling the opener from open to close will allow the latch to re-engage and the opener to move the door again.

Really? All I have seen you must push the tab back to get it to reengage the opener arm.

 

[ducksface]

Really? All I have seen you must push the tab back to get it to reengage the opener arm.

Likely on his also. I'm remembering, vaguely, a federal law as to the universal safety features of garage door openers.
If you disengaged with a hearty pull as you and I do, it sticks in a detent. If you pull and do not hit the detent, it'll reengage because it's just riding there looking for a notch... Or all I've seen do.

Mine are seldom the end all answers and are designed to get you to try it and find your own nuance. So if you all are not an experimental type or think that all items function identically you might not even try,or try only my scenario with no adjustment, and fail, thinking me stupid.
I experimented to realization, you experimented to realization, some don't.
I try not to make my specifics negate generalities.

 

[BPSTravis]

Really? All I have seen you must push the tab back to get it to reengage the opener arm.

Mine is the same way, cycling my garage door does not re-engage the slider. you have to physically pull the handle back to get it to snap in, maybe that's an adjustment issue? I like it the way it is as if I disconnect it it will not reconnect without me physically reconnecting them.

 

[mmb617]

If I absolutely don't want the door to operate I unplug it or turn off the breaker. No use taking chances.

 

[langss]

I had new doors installed last year with the 8500's and I wanted to unplug the openers when I plan on being away from home. I do not need the Garage Doors to enter the house. From what I read, if the batteries are allowed to go dead, it kills them. Is this true and how long can they be unplugged without damaging them. ???????? Does anybody know.

 

[cajunfirehawk]

YES, and I can check anytime, liftmaster 8500 via the inter-webs 24/7, also open or close too, best **** ever!

 

[MikeF2316]

Really? All I have seen you must push the tab back to get it to reengage the opener arm.

Mine can do either. If you just give the cord a little pull, it disengages but will reengage the next time the slot goes by. A harder pull with turn a bracket 90° moving the pin away from the slot.

 

[rburke65]

My garage door opener is powered from a wall switch inside the house.

 

[bczygan]

My garage door is powered by my right arm.