54 • HARDWARE & SECURITY
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Replacing door closers- What the locksmith needs to know
by Jacky Sinclair, on behalf of the DHF
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THE DHF REPRESENTS THE UK’ S leading manufacturers of locks, door hardware and architectural ironmongery. This is the latest in a series of articles for The Locksmith Journal informing locksmiths and security professionals about the latest developments within the industry.
In a recent issue of The Locksmith Journal, the DHF( Door & Hardware Federation) described the critical life-saving role played by the door closer. They provide a critical defense against the spread of smoke and flames if fire breaks out. Some locksmiths carry replacement door closers on their vans because there’ s good money to be made from offering to replace faulty units, or add a unit where there wasn’ t one previously.
Q. CAN I USE THE OLD FIXING POSITION WHEN REPLACING A CLOSER?
A. There’ s a strong urge to put the new closer in exactly the same position, especially on painted doors, but you must fix the replacement closer according to the manufacturer’ s instructions, even if it means exposing old fixing holes or unpainted timber. There are 3 reasons for this:
• Any other fixing position will instantly invalidate the manufacturer’ s warranty.
• A small change can significantly alter the performance of the closer. The mechanism relies on a precise relationship between its own arm geometry and the related distance to the hinges of the door.
• Certification such as Certifire approval or CE marking will be invalidated by any altered fixing position. On fire doors, this could breach the building’ s documented fire safety provisions.
Q. WHAT IF I CAN’ T FIX IT WHERE IT’ S SUPPOSED TO GO?
A. This is not uncommon! False ceilings cover the head frame; there’ s no room behind the door when it’ s open; or there’ s glazing where you need to fix a screw. Many closers are supplied nowadays with a conversion bracket, allowing the closer to be put on the push face, as well as the pull face of the door. If this doesn’ t solve the problem, reputable manufacturers offer a variety of backplates and drop-plates. The backplate offers a range of fixing holes for the door, then the closer body is fixed with machine screws to the backplate. These accessories can usually be found in the technical literature on the relevant websites. They offer neat and tidy solutions to most fixing problems.
‘ Many closers are supplied nowadays with a conversion bracket, allowing the closer to be put on the push face, as well as the pull face of the door’
Q. WHAT ARE THE MAIN ADJUSTMENTS?
A. Modern hydraulic closers have at least 2 adjustments:
• Overall closing speed
• Latching speed control( governing the last few degrees of closing)
It’ s important to adjust both. For the safety of users, the speed of the door must be under control for the whole closing cycle, and shut the door without
slamming. Where a latch is fitted, a little extra speed( without slamming) over the last few degrees might be needed to ensure full engagement of the bolt in its strike. Ensure the strike is correctly angled and lightly lubricated.
Multi-functional closers have additional controls for backcheck( rapid deceleration as the door approaches 90⁰ opening – this helps to protect against the door being thrown open or caught by wind) and / or delayed action( a dwell time before the door starts its closing cycle, allowing slow-moving people or items to pass through easily). Although some closers have both of these functions, it’ s not always possible to have both operational simultaneously. Full details of these adjustments and the tools needed( usually a screwdriver) are in the fixing instructions.
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL. CO. UK | JAN / FEB 2017 Sponsored by Burg-Wächter