door closer that WORKS?

[Nate Nagel]

please help my storm door...

I've replaced my door closer (old one didn't do the do) with a new "Wright" brand "medium duty" closer (beefiest looking one I've found) and the door closed with a satisfying slam. Then I went to leave, and I discovered that with the wood door behind it closed, it won't latch - apparently the main door is airtight enough that it causes air pressure to build up between the two doors when the storm door tries to close, and it stops just short of latching. Can anyone recommend a closer that actually has a positive closing action that really works? I thought I remembered sometime in my past having played with a closer that would slowly close the door and then when it got within a few inches of the latch would really suck it closed.

As a sidebar, the sheetmetal screws provided to mount the bracket to the door stripped before tightening down (aluminum frame) anything for it but to get some rivet nuts in, say, 10-32 or thereabouts?

nate

[Pete C.]

Sounds like an adjustment issue. It's closing with the wood door open because of the momentum of the door causing enough over travel to latch. With the wood door closed and the air resistance the door decelerates on the cushion of air when it gets close and then because the closer isn't positioned or adjusted properly that's where it stops since the closer is no longer pulling.

You need to set the closer so that there is tension on it when the door is fully closed and latched. you should have to pull the closer rod out a bit with pliers and hold it there with it's lock plate in order to connect it to the bracket on the door. when not connected to the bracket on the door the closer rod should rest about an inch back from it's connecting point. This insures that when closing against the air cushion the closer continues to pull as the air vents until the door latches properly.

On the stripped holes, some options are:

Rivet nuts Pop rivets Larger screws Epoxy putty TIG weld to fill and then re-drill holes

Pete C.

[jim menning]

brand

It's probably working fine, but you haven't adjusted it for your installation. Go here for the instructions, if they didn't come with your closer.

[N8N]

I adjusted the closer exactly per the directions on the package... and then adjusted it shorter to provide more "slam" - no difference.

nate

[Pete C.]

Then I suspect that the mount for the base of the closer is mounted too close to the door it's closing, providing too little angle for the amount of pull the closer can generate. I'm pretty sure your door is not fully airtight so the air cushion will leak away and the door will latch as long as there is sufficient force still being applied. Also you don't want "slam" i.e. speed, you want "pull" i.e. force. You want sufficient force applied to insure proper closing, but you want it applied at a nice controlled speed to prevent slamming.