Overhead garage-door-opener mechanisms are another one of those items that homeowners and weekend warriors think they can install themselves. I suppose if the installation instructions are followed very carefully they might be able to.
Very often I find the door’s manual locking mechanism still functional—-sometimes locked when I am about to test it. These opener motors are very strong and if the opener is operated with the manual lock engaged the whole mechanism can tear itself off the ceiling causing injury to persons and property.
Some people feel they want the “extra” security provided by the manual lock, unaware of the potential safety hazard of leaving it in place. Licensed garage door installation companies will either remove these devices or disable them in some way. Please make sure that if your garage door has a manual locking device that it has been properly disabled.
Has your garage door manual locking device been properly disabled?
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Then why is there no warnings about this in the user manuals? I’ve searched and searched online too. I’ve manually locked my garage door and accidentally hit the opener button. There’s no safety feature on newer garage doors?
All the major opener mfg’s I have checked require removal of the manual locking devise
Can you please expand this article to discuss HOW to properly disable a manual locking device?
Removal should not be recommended, because we all know that occasionally openers fail or the power goes out, and we need to disengage the opener in order to open/close the door manually. In this case, we need the manual lock to be available.
I have one that is easily disabled by placing a screw through it (while in the unlocked position) into the thicker part of my door, which is wooden. The one you have pictured is different from mine, and I can’t readily see how it might be temporarily disabled.