Well last night I missed a BIG BIG opportunity! We lost power from about 8AM to about 3AM and so it was my first opportunity to actually use my new LED flashlights! (I've only been a flashaholic since about last Fall and we don't experience many power outages.) So I get all excited because it's my time to shine (pun intended) and prove to my wife that flashlights are not silly toys and then realize - oh crap! I can't get into my garage because the electricity is out and I can only get into the garage by using one of two garage door openers! Crap! The garage is detached from the house and doesn't have a regular door (been on my mind to add one in the future because I saw this coming - although I was picturing not being able to get our cars out to get to work).
So the only flashlights I had on hand was a Lowes Task Force 2C modded to XM-L (with 2 cheap C alkalines in it) and a bunch of those 9 LED 3AAA lights. I took the Task Force and propped it up over a picture frame to aim it at the ceiling (it won't tailstand - now I understand the importance of tailstanding!) and left it there to light up our living room which it did fabulously for the 3.5+ hours that I left it on (think 40watt incandescent bulb in center of 15' x 15' room level of output).
Oh well, learned my lesson! Get that door on the garage soon! And keep some better flashlights and batteries in the house!
I was lucky in the huge storm last year. We had three-day blackout. My Fenix LD20, Sipik 68 and Ultrafire kf-T60 was used extensively with great satisfaction. I wish I had DRY at that time….
same with me, since Oct 2011 (easily to be seen by my bank account movements ;) ). i somehow had in mind that you were a board senior but i guess i was wrong! :p
Yeah, if I could figure a way to do that. Of course it can be manually opened from the inside if you can get into the garage! I tried forcing it open to no avail (believe me, I wanted those lights!). There are two windows up at the upper loft of the garage, but I can't get those to open without breaking the glass!
So now the wifey thinks they really are a bunch of totally useless toys. Hell, just tell her it’s either flashlights or girlfriends. Let her choose. Ummmmm, on second thought, not a good idea.
Sorry you didn’t get to play with your lights.
I would have busted the window and said it was random vandalism.
Yeah, it was pretty impressive actually! It gave me a good reason to test it's runtime! The cells were not that fresh (I pull that light and use it for a few mins here or there), they were only cheap alkalines, and yet it went 3.5 hours and is still going. I didn't really notice it dimming either.
I’ve seen the emergency release extended to a locked box or handle at the outside of the door or frame. If you can get that working you wouldn’t have to put a door in unless you wanted it anyway.
Hmm . . . That could be handy! How could you extend it? A pull cord with a system of pulleys to route it? I've never actually used mine's emergency release handle.
It would depend on the direction of pull, I’ve had a couple different release systems, but i think both worked with a pull toward the front of the garage. If that works for yours, I’d think a longer piece of rope with a handle or lockbox above the door and just off to the side of the rail mount might work without any pulley.
Be careful with those emergency release cords with a handle at the end. A very common way that burglars break into houses is to slide a “slim jim” type tool through the top seam of the door, snag the release rope, pull the tool which releases the door. The easy solution to this is to remove any handle from the release rope. That way, the tool can’t pull on the rope and free the door.
I would have busted the window and said it was random vandalism.