Leaking Door Closer

Why Does the Door Not Close Properly? It Might Be A Leaking Door Closer

The question of why your door doesn’t close properly may have many reasons and result from a variety of malfunctions.

Our company encounters numerous instances like this on a daily basis, and our first response is that doors move a lot—especially commercial entry doors and storefront doors. What this essentially means is that there is constant wear-and-tear on the parts that hold the door together and that allow it to function properly.

As such, doors that consistently undergo heavy usage require regular maintenance and care. Imprecise door alignment, a leaky door closer, or general faulty hardware could be preventing your door from closing properly. In the following section, we outline a few possible issues in greater detail.

Possible Causes for Door Malfunctions

A Leaking Door Closer

Leaking closers are a maintenance problem that often goes unnoticed. When a door closer leaks, it presents a potential hazard to those entering and exiting a doorway.

Door Is Swings Freely

Sometimes, the oil inside the closer drips onto the floor, which becomes extremely slippery as a result. In addition, such oil drips may stain the clothing and personal belongings of those passing through the door. In terms of door function, the closer’s ability to control the door is lost as well. When oil drains from the cylinder, the door swings freely and may slam shut, which could not only result in injuries but also induce costly damages to the door frame.

One of our clients had a problem with their storefront glass door. We noticed that their door was slamming shut way too fast. This is a problem for the business because the door is very heavy, and could easily shatter an adjacent window, or in a worse case not be safe. In order to close the door’s concealed floor closer, we must first unhinge and remove the door from its aluminum frame.

Rixon manufactures some of the most durable, long-lasting door closures on the market. Unfortunately, this hardware is a rare gem and is very hard to come by. You would be pressed hard on your luck to find this in anybody’s inventory. Fortunately, we strive to maintain a stock of hardware old and new. So, we were able to repair the storefront door to customer satisfaction.

Floor Mounted Closers

It may often be more difficult to spot if a floor mounted closer is leaking compared to concealed transom closers, which are mounted in the head of the frame. Both these units are usually fitted to doors that open in both direction and—if you have a glass door at the entrance of your building—you will most likely have one of these two door closers fitted to the frame.

If the door begins to slam shut, we highly recommend that you call for an inspection/repair as soon as possible. Failing to do so may result in severe consequences, such as the door breaking entirely (and these doors are expensive to replace).

Does Your Door “Drop”?

Doors often “drop” after extended periods of time. When this occurs, the top of the handle side of the doors hits the top of the frame—which prevents the door from closing. Moreover, the consistent friction between the handle side of the door and the frame (or the floor) leaves an unappealing mark in most cases.

More often than not this is because the screws, which are normally located within the top hinge) have become loose with the constant weight of the door opening and closing over the years.

Attempting to tighten these hinge screws causes the screws to simply spin/turn in the hole without gripping interior. This is because, over time, the threads have pulled through the timber, leaving very little to hold the screws in place.

Here at Door Repair NYC, we strongly believe that preventive maintenance is a good solution—especially when the primary focus is safety. If your door is not closing properly, please do not hesitate to contact us for consultation and repair.