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Spring set – finding the
sweet spot on a door closer
Tackling a door that’s hard to open? Simon Gibbs from
ASSA ABLOY has a good tip to try with the door closer…
» » HERE’S A GOOD TIP FOR ANYONE
confronted by a door that is proving
difficult to use. It’s quite a common
complaint from users who have find a
newly installed fire door is not opening
easily – or perhaps closing a bit sharpish.
The issue is quite commonly down to
the spring inside the door closer. When
first installed a spring can be quite
unyielding, and it can take up to about
5,000 cycles before it assumes what is
known as ‘spring set’. When it does settle
however, the spring has shaped itself
to work as set up and will then operate
accordingly.
For variable door closers it is possible
to short-cut this settling period and get
the unit working better – and the door
opening and closing more easily for
users.
HERE’S HOW:
First, increase the power of the door
closer to its maximum and, carefully, open
the door to its maximum opening angle
before allowing the door to close.
Repeat this process 10 times.
After 10 cycles, back the power off
within the door closer. Then re-set the
closer power, latch and door speed to the
correct force for the doorset.
When this is done you will find the door
is easier to open.
How did this happ en? Well, let’s look
again at each step.
When you wind up the spring, you
put the maximum amount of tension on
it available through adjustment. Then,
when the door closer is used, the spring
goes beyond that level to the maximum
amount is can compress.
After ten cycles, the spring will have
set itself.
This basically gives you a shorter spring
with less travel – so the energy required
to compress the spring when the door is
opened is reduced. But as the closing force
hasn’t been reduced, the door closer will
still shut safely and seal the door into the
frame.
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LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | MAR/APR 2018
Sponsored by Lockex 2018 - Security & Fire Safety