'Low-key' door closer?

[Lobster]

Problem of the day...

We have a detached garage used for routine storage (contains fridge, freezer etc) which means that people are forever going in and out of the back door of the house to fetch and carry stuff; because they are fetching/carrying the back door is always left wide open for the duration (OK - we're talking SWMBO and the kids here, so if it's them, the bloody door is always left open, full stop). Drives me nuts as a cold draft wafts through the house every time.

Trouble is than even with no wind whatsoever, the door falls open rather than closed by default. No doubt the door could be hung better, to make it close by default but reckon that's beyond me. So I'm wondering, is there some form of very mild springy type affair i could attach to the door to achieve the same aim? Note that I'm definitely *not* after a formal door closer - that would definitely not be "allowed"! Just something to help the default door position change from 'fully open' to 'just ajar'...

Thanks David

[Skipweasel]

Rising butt hinges,

a concealed closer

[John]

The problem with the concealed closer is that the spring effect is less as the door closes so it may not resist the wind. Greater as it is fully opened possibly leading to complaints about the door fighting back. A "formal" proper closer usually saves some of the energy to give the door a final firm close (if properly set up - many aren't)

[Lobster]

Yes the 'fighting back' thing is what wouldn't be acceptable unfortunately: TBH anything which makes the door perform 'differently' won't really cut the mustard.

Rising butt hinges, though - intriguing: I though they were just intended to clear floor coverings, though the logic makes sense here: how much of a 'gravity' effect would they impart I wonder?

David

[Mr Pounder]

How about one of those bungee cords? Or a couple of them hooked together. They will pull the door back.>

Just a thought .....

[Donwill]

or

They will just slam the door closed.

A weight, two small plastic pulleys and a length of fishing line, adjust the weight as necessary. Don

[The Medway Handyman]

?

Problem of the day...

We have a detached garage used for routine storage (contains fridge, freezer etc) which means that people are forever going in and out of the back door of the house to fetch and carry stuff; because they are fetching/carrying the back door is always left wide open for the duration (OK - we're talking SWMBO and the kids here, so if it's them, the bloody door is always left open, full stop). Drives me nuts as a cold draft wafts through the house every time.

Trouble is than even with no wind whatsoever, the door falls open rather than closed by default. No doubt the door could be hung better, to make it close by default but reckon that's beyond me. So I'm wondering, is there some form of very mild springy type affair i could attach to the door to achieve the same aim? Note that I'm definitely *not* after a formal door closer - that would definitely not be "allowed"! Just something to help the default door position change from 'fully open' to 'just ajar'...

[Skipweasel]

Probably enough provided the wind isn't up.

Our back gate has a falling log pulling on a rope over a pulley. Constant force at the door, much like a rising butt.

[Ronald Raygun]

You're looking for the wrong solution. The real problem is that you're storing stuff in the garage which you need frequent access to. Would it not be more sensible to move the fridge and freezer back into the house, and instead to move other storage from the house to the garage, which you use less frequently? There's bound to be plenty of it. It's just that because you use it infrequently it's more difficult to think of it.

If the problem is that your door is not well hung, drawing a big willy on it might help. :-)

[Lobster]

> you can adjust the 'close' and 'latch' speeds to suit the application.

But don't even those type, even when set on 'minimum' force offer significant resistance against being opened/closed - as nicely described as 'fighting back' by another poster? Unfortunately that really wouldn't be acceptable here... :(

I really like the idea of that concept - in principle that's just what's needed. Will think about how I could put that into practice but not sure it would be feasible - door is inside a recess, the pulleys/weight would need to be outside in the narrow, pebbledashed walkway between house and garage and can't quite see where it could go.

One idea I was wondering about was attaching some suitably stiff rubber or similar over the hinge gap, which gets bent double as the door opens, and exerts force on the door by trying to straighten itself out again?

David

[Lobster]

Good thought, and actually tried that route during the summer rationalising our storage solutions and its helped a bit; however the garage contains our 'overflow' fridge and freezer (plus storage of sundry bulk-buy consumables) we've already got one of each in the house, and short of completely redesigning the kitchen/utility room there's nowhere to fit them, or (better) bigger versions of the models we already have. Once the three gannets (sorry. teenagers) have flown the nest, the problem should resolve itself...

Good one, I'll take the digital camera upstairs tonight. Fortunately the lens has a wide-angle setting...

David

[JW]

I put something similar to this on our lounge door.

basic, but does the job. As we have house rabbits, I didn't want it to slam the door, in case one of them was in the way at the wrong time - but it was possible to set it so that it neither resists opening significantly, nor closes too hard.

[ARWadsworth]

Would it not be be more sensible to store the wife and kids in the garage?

[The Medway Handyman]

> you can adjust the 'close' and 'latch' speeds to suit the application.

But don't even those type, even when set on 'minimum' force offer significant resistance against being opened/closed - as nicely described as 'fighting back' by another poster? Unfortunately that really wouldn't be acceptable here... :(

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Not really, they are designed not to do that. You can make them 'close' at a really low force, so the effort to open them is reduced. You then adjust the 'latching' pressure to close the door.

-- Dave - The Medway Handyman

[Roger Mills]

>>>>> you can adjust the 'close' and 'latch' speeds to suit the application. >

They don't seem to. There's one on the outer door of the building housing my holiday flat, and that seems to open easily enough.

Rather than that, why not use a conventional gate spring like this:?

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[JW]

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Yes - but that 'some energy' can be 'very little energy'.

[Dave Liquorice]

From what you havs said in other responses rehanging the door might be the better option. Though the cylinder and bar closers do work and can be very gentle in action. The wear in the channel on the door that the bar rests in can be problematical.

The default opening of the door is just the hinges not being vertically aligned both in the direction of the pathway through the door and/or inline with the frame. I would hope the frame is vertical so it should just be a case if realigning the hinges a fraction. To default closed I think the top hinge needs to be slightly further into the frame than the bottom, I do mean slightly as well just a mm or two. If I'm wrong I'm sure some one will come along with the correct information shortly.

[djc]

>>>>> you can adjust the 'close' and 'latch' speeds to suit the application. >

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The one on my front door has adjustments for both spring force and damping on opening as well as damping at latch action on close. If there is no damping on opening then the only 'fighting back' is from the closing spring, that can be set to be just sufficient to send the door back in the close direction. Damping in the close direction stops the door slamming, the latching action takes the damper off for the last few inches to ensure the door closes with enough force to latch. Well that's the theory: in practice no sooner is the thing nicely set up than the weather changes which upsets all the damping action.

[John]

Wire in a switch that cuts out the TV when the door's open. I guarantee it will be kept closed.

John

[Roger Mills]

Nice one! If you're feeling kind, you can build in a delay of a couple of minutes so that the TV doesn't go off *immediately* when you open the door.