Door Closer: 10 Expert Guidelines To Guide Your Selection
Here are ten expert guidelines to help you select an appropriate door closer for your home, hotel, office building doors will be mentioned.
Last Updated on May 19, 2023 by Vincent Zhu
The security of a hotel room is always inseparable from several essential hardware: RFID hotel locks, room doors, and door closers.
Door closers play a significant role in hotel room security. You can automatically close the door for hotel guests after they enter the room to ensure the safety of hotel guests.
This article will introduce door closers in detail.
What is a door closer?
A door closer refers to any mechanical device that closes the door in a controlled manner after someone opens it or automatically opens it to prevent it from closing with a bang.
When the door is opened, it can be compressed and released to close it automatically. It acts as a spring-loaded door, ensuring it is accurately closed to the initial position and in time after it is opened.
There are two main types of mechanical door closers: pneumatic and hydraulic. Pneumatic doors are usually used for lighter doors (up to 20kg), while hydraulic ones are used for heavier ones (up to 35kg).
How does door closer work?
Hydraulic door closers include supporting guides, transmission gears, return springs, one-way valves, rack plungers, throttle valve cores and housings, end caps, sealing rings, and connecting rods. The shell and the connecting rod fix the door closer and connect the door leaf and frame.
A door closer is a mechanical device that slowly and firmly closes the door to lock it. It is achieved by using the spring tension adjusted by hydraulic oil. When the user opens the door, hydraulic fluid flows from one reservoir to another.
When the spring pushes the door to close again, the hydraulic oil flows back to the last tank through speed-controlled valves.
What are the advantages of a door closer?
The door closer’s significance is automatically closing and protecting the frame and body (smooth closing). More importantly, the door closer has become an essential part of the intelligent management of modern buildings.
Door closers are mainly used in commercial and public buildings, but they are also used at home. They have many uses, the most important of which is to close the door by limiting fire and ventilation in the building.
- Fireproof
- Convenience
- Privacy
- Safe
- Hygiene
- Maintain room temperature
- Energy-saving and emission reduction
- Sound and noise control
1, Fire protection
Okay, this must be at the top of my list. As a passive fire safety professional, I think the door-closing device is one of the most helpful toolbox devices.
Any door or opening in the firewall can cause damage, allowing fire and smoke to pass through. The fire may pass from one compartment to another and become more intense as the burning progresses.
It may also suffocate the smoke or toxic gases emitted from the fire, choke blind people trying to escape, and damage the building’s internal contents.
2, safety
As hardworking and kind as we humans hope, the reality is that we are not very reliable at all. Insensitive environments such as pharmacies, banks, or anywhere where people hardly need additional security protection, you may find a door closer in a specific place very useful.
3, Keep the room temperature
Door closers also play a role in maintaining the required internal temperature and reducing air in and out of the conditioning space.
4, privacy
Some residents may forget to close the door behind them. This requires a type of closure-it that is light enough to allow a weak person to open it without pushing it hard, but it still needs to close correctly and completely.
5, health
In tropical environments, the door closers on the external screen doors can isolate bacteria that carry bacteria, flies, mosquitoes, and other pests outside the house, thereby improving hygiene.
When the door is closed, the commercial kitchen’s smell will be localized and not spread to other rooms.
6, acoustics
Doors (especially fire doors) are suitable for reducing noise from one room to another. The more times these doors remain closed, the less noise is transmitted through the doors.
Of course, you can also take other measures to improve the acoustic performance of the door, such as installing batwing seals (located at the door frame rebate) or door sill seals (automatically descend from the bottom rail to the sill when the doors and windows are folded back) the door is closed.
What are the types of doors closer?
There are six styles of indoor door closers:
1, hydraulic door closer
Hydraulic door closers generally refer to door closers. The door closer is a spring-like hydraulic device on the door head. When the door is opened, it can be compressed and released to close it automatically. It acts like a spring door and can ensure it is opened accurately and timely to the initial position.
2, overhead door closers
You will usually find these door closers inside the office or front door.
However, if you do not have many visits throughout the day, you can use elevated doors at your business’s front door. This type of door closer is suitable for buildings with heavy traffic.
The most popular types of overhead door closer arms are:
- Regular arm door closer: located on the outside of the door; considered to be the most energy-efficient overhead door closer
- top jamb door closer: usually used for glass storefront doors; a little power saving
- Parallel arm door closer: traditionally used in commercial buildings and schools; low power efficiency
3, chain door closer
This door closer uses a spring installed in the hinge and is an integral part of its design. The spring can be visible or hidden in the tube and is more common in interior doors.
They are called double-acting spring hinges on doors that open in both directions. The self-closing hinge looks like spring but works like a closed door. It solves the gap problem and provides speed control in one component.
4, concealed door closer
Concealed fire door closers provide overhead door closers’ function but are installed in the door leaf and frame. This installation is aesthetically pleasing and helps reduce vandalism, as most door closers are invisible.
They are available in spring or hydraulic versions on the market, and due to their lightweight, they are usually used for interior doors.
If installed on heavy commercial doors, they will not appropriately work floor spring doors.
Consider using a floor spring door closer if you want to buy a more durable door closer. They are ideal for a busy business. Therefore, if your business attracts traffic throughout the day, you must buy it.
Floor spring door closers are usually used for glass doors installed on the floor to keep them hidden. A rod in the closure is installed on the underside of the door to control the closing action.
They have the most attractive appearance and are mainly used in high-end commercial properties. They also have an open setting so that they can remain open.
5, surface-mounted door closers
Surface-mounted door closers are manufactured to be installed in the door frame, and a crossbar can be installed on the back of the door. They are small and can match the color of the door.
They are installed in the frame of the door and the bar on the back of the door.
Surface-mounted door closers are a cost-effective choice for other types of door closers. Another benefit is that they are easy to install.
6, electric door closer
Electric door closers are also called automatic door closures, electric releases, etc. It is a mechanism that realizes the automatic closing of the door leaf through electric control. Electric door closers are different from hydraulic fire door closers.
They combine the functions of electromagnetic release and non-positioning door closers. There are solenoid valves and powerful springs inside. The springs are compressed when the door is pushed and locked by the solenoid valve to keep the door in a normally open state.
When power is supplied, the solenoid valve is released and closed by the spring’s rebound impact without a buffer function.
How to choose a door closer?
When choosing a door closer, the factors that should be considered are the door’s width, the frequency of opening, the user requirements and the use environment, etc. The door width is an essential factor in choosing the door closer model.
Standard doors include fireproof, wooden, aluminum alloy, Glass, and steel. Usually, the door’s weight is small, so choose the model with less power and vice versa.
The frequency of door opening is a factor closely related to product quality. For frequent use occasions, the product should be required to have good sealing performance and long life.
The following is a list of information you need to know before ordering door closers:
- Inner door or outer door?
- Did Swing leave or right?
- What is the size of the door and door closer?
- Frequency of use
- Fire safety rating
- Delayed action
- Door closing speed and locking speed.
- Pivot hinge or butt hinge?
- What is the door made of? Wood? Hollow metal? Glass and aluminum?
- If there is Glass, what is the size of the piece of material to close the door? floor spring door closer
1, Where is the door?
Is the door internal or external? These issues are significant because some door closers can only be installed on the opening door. A sharp angle bracket must be purchased separately to install on the outward opening door.
Please ensure that the door you choose can be installed where the door is.
Inside door
Look for door closers with doors; the side-pull installation is still the standard in Figure 1. It is usually installed on office doors, attic renovations, or kitchen doors, and a door closer should be installed on the door.
Open the door outward.
Find a door closer with a push-in side installation. Examples that require this kind of cooperation are:
-On the outer door that opens outward (to make the door in the building closer and not affected by the weather)
A door opens to an area where all other entries are spread differently (if the sliding door is installed on the pull-out surface, it will be the only door showing the sliding door, which looks strange).
The shutter must be placed in a safe area for safety doors that open outwards to prevent tampering or disassembly.
2, What are the dimensions of the door and door frame?
Check the door and door frame’s width and height because heavier doors require a more robust entry closer. If the door frame is narrow, you may consider installing a hidden door closer or checking the door’s position closer. For example, you might need to install it on the beam.
3, What size door closer do you need?
The size of the door closer is required on the size and weight of the door. Door closers usually have variable heights to suit the weight and size of various entries. When the door is installed near the fire, its minimum power must be EN3 to comply with the EN1154 standard.
The power is related to the foot and weight, as shown below;
4, How often do you use the door?
It would be best to consider how often you use the gate to determine your desired performance category. The performance categories are divided into the following three categories.
Locations such as hospitals, schools, shopping centers, and the like will be high usage.
5, Fire Safety
Door closers are an essential part of controlling fire and smoke:
- Door closers marked with CE indicate that the product suits a specific purpose and meets all legal fire protection requirements.
- They must be installed correctly and well maintained.
- They should not include mechanical opening devices. Connecting the electromagnetic door closer to the building’s fire alarm system would best maintain the open function.
- All the above factors can help save lives in a fire.
6, Delayed action
This option allows the door to remain open for a specified time.
The door should then be closed at an adjustable speed to allow wheelchair users or people with large objects to pass safely.
7, closing speed and locking speed
The adjustable closing speed determines the speed of closing the door after opening it. This function allows a longer closing time, enabling the disabled, the elderly, or the young to pass safely.
The door closer has an adjustable latch speed, and the closing speed can be adjusted at the last few closing angles. This is separate from the primary closing speed adjustment. They can be set to accelerate or decelerate in the last few inches.
Door closer installation
Although many work in similar ways, there is no universal door closer. Therefore, follow the instructions that come with your door closer. If you can’t find them, you can also get many of these manuals online by searching for the brand and model.
Below are some general guidelines to help you prepare for the job. Improper installation may cause property damage and personal injury.
1. Gather your tools
The necessary tools may include a tape measure, hole punch, pencil, screwdriver, monkey wrench, and drill bit. To
2. Choose a location
Carefully determine where you plan to install the shutter. When closing the door, ensure enough space for your arm to rest on the opposite wall. Mark the hole you plan to drill with a pencil
3. Close to installation
With holes marked, use a drill to create holes for the screws. Reposition the shutter and tighten it.
4. Put on the arm
Install the separate components, then connect the two parts and the preloaded spring. Tighten the included screws. To
5. Adjust the dial screw
This is only necessary when trying to open the door holding device. Adjust the adjusting screw to the desired fixed position.
6. Test and adjust
After finishing the installation, let’s test if the door is closed.
Open the door, and then release the washing machine. Remember, we have preloaded it. If your door closer includes a spring-loaded quick-release washer, it will
automatically remove when you open the door.
Close your door. It should close smoothly and safely.
7. Adjust the tension
If your door does not close, or the speed is too fast or too slow, you can adjust the tension on the door closer.
There is a tension screw on the front of the door closer. Turn the screw counterclockwise about the door faster or harder. Turn the screw clock wisely; the slower it turns off.
Seasonal adjustment
Some door closers also have seasonal adjustment functions.
The door closer is set with glass windows in the standard installation position.
If you remove the window in summer, the door will be lighter. You can solve this problem by fixing it to the door bracket using the second pinhole on the tube.
door closer dimensions (no content)
How much does it cost to install a door closer?
The price of door closers fluctuates from company to company; each company’s operating expenses and expenses differ.
Try to get the price in the early winter and late fall-you should wait for the contractor’s off-season to get a substantial discount.
Try to budget and add 7-15% of the cost to install the door closer to the maximum price provided by our calculator.
Installing a door closer is not easy and will cause back pain. You may find it more cost-effective to hire a general contractor to perform the work for you.
The general contractor is always better than novices in installing door closers. So, without the extra cost of door closer materials, shop around and ask neighbors if they can recommend someone.
Door closer installation video
Door closer troubleshooting
1. If there is a hinge problem, the warped door or the door must be rotated uphill to close. The closer door can only solve the problem. Sometimes, the door must be repaired before being automatically closed and locked.
2. If the door closer stops closing the door before it is entirely closed or rebounds when trying to close the door manually, it may be that the arm is incorrectly mounted on the shaft. Download the instructions from the door closer manufacturer’s website and check that it is installed correctly.
3. If the arm makes a sound and bounces up and down when the door moves, please tighten the tightener that brings the arm close, the header, and the steering knuckle that fix the two parts of the arm together.
The door was closed, not closing all the way.
- Open the door and slide out the stopper to keep the cylinder open
- Loosen the screws securing the bracket to the door, then move the frame further out (toward the door handle).
- Or remove the pin that secures the cylinder to the bracket and move it to a different hole.
How to adjust the door closer?
If you are opening the door or opening too fast or too slowly, it may be time to adjust the door’s distance. Just the proper steps and a little time.
Tools: screwdriver, hex key, or small wrench.
1. Strength adjustment method
There are many ways to adjust the door closer, and different models differ. Some are simple and complex. When revising, we must perform specific operations according to the purpose of the adjustment.
For example, we need to adjust the door’s power closer because improper power may cause a lot of noise when closing the door. The specific method is this: first, find the screw corresponding to the adjustment force and then adjust it with a screwdriver.
Generally, tighten it to reduce the closing force, and relax it to increase the closing pressure. So, choose according to the size of your own home. If the size is small, you must tighten it. If the door is too heavy or oversized, it should be loose. Try a few more times to find the feeling.
2. Speed adjustment method
The purpose of the second type of adjustment is speed. The adjustment of the rate is similar to that of strength. If the force is greater, the speed will be faster; if the power is small, the speed will be slow.
However, some door closers have special speed-adjusting screws. In this case, they must be adjusted with screws controlling the force. You must first change the door’s power closer, then find the screw to adjust the speed and rotate it according to the instructions.
Make sure to see which side is fast and which side is slow. If you are not very familiar, it is recommended to be small. Adjust and confirm after a few more attempts.
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