Our closer test is the same on every door. Open it wide and let go. Open it a hand's width and let go again. Watch whether the latch catches both times. Plenty of doors manage the first and fail the second.
Adjusting what is already there
Most overhead closers have two valves in the body, one for the sweep and one for the final snap onto the latch. When a tenant's door bangs at night, the latch valve has usually been wound almost shut. We open it back up with a hex key, provided the arm is fixed firmly and the body is not weeping oil.
Replacing one
Oil on the arm or the floor means the closer goes. So does a bent arm, or a bracket held on by two screws out of four. A replacement has to suit the width and weight of the leaf and be made for fire doors, and we fit it with the fixings the door maker specifies where those can still be found.
Closers that went missing
In houses let by the room you often find the screw holes and nothing else. The closer was fiddly, so it came off and ended up in a kitchen drawer. We fit a new one and plug the old holes with hardwood, because empty holes weaken the leaf more than people expect.
When it is set too hard
Some closers are set so hard a resident needs two hands to open the door. We ease them off until the door still shuts firmly but an elderly person can open it alone, since otherwise the door ends up wedged with a shoe or a bin. Where a door really has to stand open, the proper answer is a hold-open device that releases when the fire alarm sounds.
Closers hidden in the door
Concealed closers built into the leaf are uncommon and often old. If one is worn out we explain what it is and quote a surface-mounted replacement.
When a tenant removed the closer, who pays depends on the lease or tenancy. We repair the door, and the argument over the invoice stays with you. A closer that shuts slowly still passes, as long as it latches from both positions in the test above.
Send it over with the postcode and we will price it door by door.
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