Patio doors ripping themselves off

Oct 11, 2005 7 Replies

I'd appreciate a little advice on what must be a common problem but I cannot see a simple solution, if one exists.



Our patio door frame is recessed, adjacent to the cavity of the external wall. The softwood doors open outwards into the garden. There is a softwood weather strip along the bottom which, once the door is open far enough, hits the outer leaf of brickwork reveal. The lever effect of this acts to rip the hinges from the frame and the frame from the cavity. It is only a matter of time before my six yr old wrenches the whole lot free.



Is there anything I can use to avoid this? Nothing too industrial, mind. I was thinking concealed firedoor closers adjusted to stop the door opening before impact with the reveal. Then use hooks and eyes on the outside to hold them open when needed. Having sprung doors is a real pain so I consider this an imperfect solution. Something that automatically "hooks" the door automatically once it reaches ~45 degs from the external wall would be better but I don't see anything suitable out there.



Any ideas?



A door stay such as:

formatting link
to stop the door hittiing the wall, and a cabin hook to keep it open? You can get concealed door staysthat fit to the top edge of the door, but they might not be so robust.

Thanks Chris. Genius. Seems you can get one with a built in stay - no need for a cabin hook!

Trevor

Try parliament hinges. With these, the door should be able to be opened

180 degrees so that it would lay flat against the wall.

Any idea where to get very large parliament hinges like this? They'd need to be 12" or so!

At least to clear a brick's depth - they'd have to be sturdy to say the least!

I spoke to Foss re your earlier suggestion. They recommended

formatting link
your suggestion they regarded as too agricultural for domestic use. Despite it saying they're for internal doors. Either way, SWMBO vetoed the idea on the grounds of aesthetics. She may change her mind when she appreciates the aesthetics of torn hinges.

At least to clear a brick's depth - they'd have to be sturdy to say the least!

I spoke to Foss re your earlier suggestion. They recommended

formatting link
your suggestion they regarded as too agricultural for domestic use. Despite it saying they're for internal doors. Either way, SWMBO vetoed the idea on the grounds of aesthetics. She may change her mind when she appreciates the aesthetics of torn hinges.

Well, you've got the twice the door thickness + the thickness of the weather bar + the thickness of the wall, maybe extra for the cavity, and clearence, say 1 3/4 + 1 3/4 + 2 + 4 +2 +1"...

There's also the question of small body parts getting trapped, as well as the door blowing/slamming in the wind that might be worth mentioning.

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required