jhjones75

Hinges

I was hoping someone out there could help me identify this hinge - or better yet how to adjust the spring on it.

We recently moved into our house and the door into the garage doesn't auto close at all. Went to adjust the hinge and realized I've never seen anything like this before.

There's one of these on the top and bottom hinge of the door, and the cover removes and it's just a big spring.

Any help? Thanks!

joecaption

Remove the cover and take another picture.
Not sure why they bothered with a self closing hinge with a non fire rated door.

jhjones75

Spring

Here you go.

It's our exterior door to garage so it's supposed to be a fire door. The inspector didn't note that it wasn't anyway.

chandler

Not sure if the spring is broken or not. There is a special spanner wrench that will charge the spring, then you replace that L shaped pin to hold it in. DO it in increments until the door closes by itself. There are better closers, but you may opt to wait until you get a fire rated door and closer at one time. This is an example of the wrench you need. Look in the drawers in the kitchen. Maybe they left it not knowing what it is for.

Furd

I have a spring hinge on my garage door but I have the spring relaxed. Even with it adjusted to the tightest it would not close the door to the point of latching due to the weatherstripping and so it was more of a hindrance than any kind of help. Of course it has probably been ten years since my car was in the garage.

BTW, just because a door looks like any ordinary solid core door does not necessarily mean it is not fire rated. My door looks pretty ordinary but it does have a fire rating label. It is either on the top edge or the hinge edge.

Gunguy45

Depends on local code. When I was selling doors and windows, I checked with a local inspector. The way it was written was that the door had to be either solid wood/or solid particle core wood at least 1 1/4" thick (which eliminated paneled wood doors and really means 1 3/8" min) or steel. No fire rated sticker required.

jhjones75

Fire-rated

Thanks.. my next question was to ask how to tell if it was fire-rated or not. My inspector noted a few things that aren't code (like the spring hinges not closing the door), but didn't say anything about the door itself.

Sounds like the easy answer to the springs/hinges is to probably buy new ones that fit and just replace them with something made in the last 30 years. One of the existing ones is missing the pin and of course there's no tool anywhere.

XSleeper

My inspector noted a few things that aren't code

Its clearly an old house... plaster walls... old style wood trim...

The door is almost certainly not a fire rated door. You can't expect a house that is 80 years old to meet all the current codes. No one in his right mind would. An inspector points those things out because it's on his list for current homes. It doesn't mean anything, other than the fact that codes have changed since the house was built. No one requires homeowners to bring houses up to current codes unless some sort of work is being done that makes upgrading to current codes feasible. (such as when you go to replace the door... it should be replaced with one that meets current codes) Otherwise, all those things that don't meet code are grandfathered in.

jhjones75

Yeah, the house is 35 years old

No plaster walls. Just drywall. That's a faux finish on there. Wood trim doesn't make a house old, either.

Course, at 35 years old we're arguing semantics as to whether it's "old" or not. But it's younger than me, and that's all that counts.

XSleeper

ohhhh, the faux finish fooled me! LOL And I was referring to the style of the trim, (the profile) not that its wood.

At any rate, codes change in 35 years. If its a fire door it will usually have a permanent plate on the hinge side that gives the fire rating data.

Furd

If its a fire door it will usually have a permanent plate on the hinge side that gives the fire rating data.

Mine is definitely on the top edge of the door.

marksr

Many of the fire rated doors [new construction] that I've painted just had a sticker signifying the fire rating, usually on the heel edge [hinge side]