The front door does not close tightly. Adjusting metal entrance doors yourself

Even the most good doors Over time, they may begin to creak or sag: no one can cancel the force of gravity and friction. And if you have heavy steel ones, then even the metal will get tired of holding them. After the summer, plastic ones also “sag” - they almost always remain open in the heat, which leads to such results. There is no need to tolerate these “disgraces”, and there is no need to spend money on eliminating them. Adjustment entrance doors Although the matter is delicate, in most cases you can do it on your own. Once you have adjusted the hinges and the rebate with your own hands, you can easily repeat it later.

Adjusting a metal entrance door

creak;
draft - blowing from under the canvas (cracks around the perimeter or from above/bottom);
closes with difficulty.

The solution to all these problems is called “adjusting the front door,” but this includes very different measures - from banal lubrication and replacement of the seal, to actual adjustments and mechanical influences.

Sometimes, to fix a problem, you need to go through all the methods, and sometimes the problem that has arisen can only be eliminated radically - by replacement. Most often, this situation occurs with cheap Chinese products. Adjusting Chinese-made entrance doors is almost impossible. Of course, you can try to do something with your own hands: companies and craftsmen do not undertake them.

Eliminating the squeak

Doors can creak for two reasons: the hinge grease is clogged or the door leaf touches the frame. Although both are called “creaking”, the nature of the sound is different. It’s easier to deal with clogged loops, so they usually start with this procedure.

Hinge lubrication

First, remove the old grease, at the same time removing any dirt stuck to it. The procedure is standard: wipe with a soft cloth wherever marks are visible. If this procedure has not been done for several years, and the hinges are of a standard classic type, and even detachable, the fabric can be removed. It is better to clean it when removed.

If the hinges are rusty and cannot be removed even though they should, do not try to knock them off with a hammer or sledgehammer. You'll do more harm than good. It is better to buy a rust remover. It is usually sold in the form of sprays. Apply to the rusty hinge and wait for the prescribed period. Then remove the fabric from the loops and clean it. But this time it is necessary to remove all the rust. To bare metal, then coat it with a rust converter and only then with lubricant.

After the old lubricant is removed, take “fresh” and apply it to the hinges. If the blade is removed, no problems will arise - lubricate the pin and ring. If there are any other rubbing mechanisms visible on the frame, lubricate them too.

In traditional type hinges, creaking may occur due to the fact that the washer on the rod has worn off. You inspect it after you have removed the door panel. If there are signs of wear, replace them. Install a new carbide washer. You can use an engraver instead. It will also compensate for the load.

If the hinges are permanent, find a liquid lubricant in a can (the most common is WD40) or machine oil, which can be applied using a large syringe. Handle all rubbing parts carefully.

There is another method, but it is destructive. A hole is drilled in the upper part of the loop, which is then filled with lubricant. The trick is to not damage the mechanism inside.

If the hinges are hidden, find all the turning parts and lubricate them. Often these models have holes into which oil is applied.

After applying the lubricant, rock the doors from side to side several times, distributing the lubricant. If this was the reason, the squeak goes away. The final touch is to wipe off excess oil.

How to lubricate front door hinges

You must select a lubricant primarily based on the temperatures at which the loop is operated. If the loops go outside, you need a composition that does not thicken at low temperatures. There's not much choice here:

Litol. Operates reliably at temperatures from -40°C to +120°C.
Solid oil. The temperature range is slightly lower, but also sufficient: from -35°C to +65°C.

For entrance doors facing the entrance and operated at above-zero temperatures, several more items can be added to this list:

Eliminating friction on the box

If the creaking remains after processing the loops, it is most likely caused by friction door leaf about the box. Inspect the door frame for scuffs. If you find any signs of abrasion, look at which loop is closest. It will need to be regulated, if possible.

The difficulty is that there are a lot of types and models of loops and it is impossible to say unambiguously what needs to be done. All that is possible is to list the main points that may exist. Based on them, you may be able to determine how to “treat” your door.

Two types of hinges for an entrance metal door with adjustment

Standard hinges do not provide adjustment options. In this case, adjusting the entrance doors consists of replacing the washer. Select them of greater or lesser thickness, adjusting the position of the door leaf. Some hinges with a ball at the top have an adjustment screw. By unscrewing it, we raise the doors a little, and by twisting it, we lower it. You can try to correct the situation with its help.

If standard hinges on a steel door are welded, we can assume that the possibilities have been exhausted. If they are mounted on screws, loosen the fastening screws and move the sash in the desired direction as far as possible. Then the screws are tightened. Check to see if the problem has gone away. If not, try with another loop. Sometimes it is necessary to loosen all the loops and tug the canvas in this position. In general, decide where to press and where to press.

There are hinge models in which the adjustment holes are hidden under protective cap. But you can’t just remove it: it is secured with a bolt that can be unscrewed from inside the room. An example of adjusting such a loop is in the video.

If the hinges on the front door are screwed on, you can use them to eliminate friction between the door leaf and the frame. First, loosen the screws near the area where the wear occurs. Try to move the door leaf a little. To begin with, you can knock with your palm or fist, moving it in the desired direction. Try opening/closing a couple of times. Did it help? Screw the clamping screws back. And try to open/close again.

If it doesn’t help, you can use some kind of leverage, hit it with a rubber mallet or hammer through the board. But don't overdo it. You need to handle Chinese products especially carefully: they are very flimsy.

If these manipulations also do not yield anything, you will have to loosen the screws on all the hinges and try to move the canvas over the entire area. Take the edge of the canvas with your hands and shake it. In this case, the loops should fall into place. You try to open and close. If there is no squeak, tighten the bolts. That's all, adjusting the front door hinges can't do more. The next thing you can try is to change the geometry of the door frame. More on this in the next paragraph.

The photo above (right picture) shows an adjustable hinge. By loosening the screws, you can turn the adjusting screw. It doesn’t help - we try to move the canvas as described above.

Eliminating a leaky door (blowing from under the door)

Sometimes there is a noticeable blow from under the front door. If you examine the perimeter, you will most likely find that in some place the fit of the door leaf to the door frame is loose. There may be a decent sized gap. You can check your suspicions with a piece of paper. Open the doors, insert a piece of paper between the door leaf and the jamb and close the doors. If the rebate is normal, the paper either stretches with very great force, or is clamped so tightly that it is impossible to remove it. Just break it up. If the sheet comes out freely, then the fit is insufficient.

The simplest explanation is that the seal has lost its elasticity. If the doors are several years old, this is possible. And the first thing you do is change the seal. Didn't help or only partially solved the problem? Let's move on.

Replacing the seal is the first step if there is leakage from under the front door

If the door leaf is displaced relative to the door in the horizontal plane, we try to eliminate the draft from under the front door by first moving the door leaf. This is described above: loosen the fastening screws on the hinges, then try to move the blade in the desired direction. Check the result - the gap has disappeared - tighten all the screws to their original position.

Sometimes gaps under the front door occur due to misalignment of the door frame. This is checked using a level. Most likely, it is skewed in the place where the sheet of paper can be easily removed. The second option, on the contrary, the box was pushed out in the place where the sheet is pressed, due to the fact that the “normal” part cannot be pressed. All this is determined using an eye gauge and a level. Having determined what the problem is, we try to return the geometry to normal. The measures depend on how the box is installed:

For an option to correct the gap in the vestibule, see the video. After entrance door installation It turned out that it was blowing strongly from under it. The owner corrected the distortion with a hammer.

Eliminating door sag (shuffles on the threshold)

If, after several years of operation, the doors begin to open with difficulty and rub against the threshold, most likely the problem is that the ball or bearings have worn out. If there are possible adjustments, you won’t even have to remove them. Simply unscrew one of the bolts and lift it slightly up.

If there is no adjustment, there are several options:

replacing hinges;
replacing bearings with new ones;
installation of washers instead of bearings.

All this is determined based on the situation and the design of the loop.

Adjusting plastic entrance doors

The problems may be the same: friction, creaking hinges and loose connection to the frame, which can cause blowing. But the adjustment PVC doors simpler - the hinges and mechanisms are standardized, there are not many types. So there is hope that you can deal with the problems yourself, without calling a specialist.

Balcony door adjustment

After summer plastic doors they sag on the balcony: in the summer they often remain open for a long time, which is why such a nuisance happens. Then they touch the threshold, an unpleasant sound is heard, and the plastic is erased. In this case, you need to lift the canvas up. This is done using the adjustment located at the top of the lower hinge.

They do this when open lock, but the door is closed. Take a hex wrench (usually 4 or 5) and insert it into the hole and turn it a few turns. There is no need to lift too much right away, as this may cause other problems. Raise only until the problem is fixed.

Sometimes, when closing, the doors rub from the side, hitting the metal latches. It turns out that you need to move the canvas towards the loop part. For this there is another adjustment on the same hinge. It is located below, visible when the door is open.

This adjustment is also carried out with a couple of turns clockwise or counterclockwise. If you need to keep the doors from rubbing against the counter, turn counterclockwise. Give it a couple of turns and check. Once the problem goes away, stop. Otherwise, you can move it so much that the lock stops “clinging” to the mate.

If the upper left corner “clings”, you need to adjust the loop that is at the top. The principle is the same: one or two turns until the problem is eliminated.

Top Hinge Adjustment - Top Left Corner Pressure

Pressure adjustment (to prevent draught)

Sometimes weak pressure is observed from the side of the locking part. It seems that the canvas adjoins smoothly, but there is a noticeable pull from under the door. In summer this is not a problem, but with the onset of cold weather it significantly reduces the temperature. There are two ways. The first is to adjust the clamping pins. These are metal protrusions on the sash.

They come in two types. as in the photo above - oval and round, but with an eccentric in the middle. The position of this element determines the degree of pressing of the sash to the frame. The method of changing the position depends on the shape of the trunnion. If it is like in the photo, take pliers, clamp it and turn it slightly. The maximum pressure is if the long side is turned horizontally, the minimum is if it is directed vertically upward. There are also all the intermediate options.

If there is an eccentric in the center of the trunnion, then there is also a hole for the hexagon. Insert it and turn it, achieving the desired degree of pressure.

It is not recommended to set the stasis to the maximum value: the seals will quickly lose their elasticity. Also make sure that all eccentrics are rotated the same way. This guarantees normal work accessories.

But sometimes there is a situation where the sash is not pressed tightly balcony door from the hinge side. This can also be eliminated by adjusting the hinges. At the bottom it is located under a protective cap. Remove it (pull it up). Take the key (hexagon) and with a couple of turns adjust the pressure of the lower right corner of the plastic balcony door.

There are also hidden hinges on the frame, which also provide the ability to adjust the pressure. They are located on the frame on the hinge side. Adjustment with the same hex wrench. Turns “clockwise” and “counterclockwise”.

Adjusting plastic entrance doors

The plastic entrance doors have different hinges, and there are no locking and tilting fittings. They have closed loops of the overhead type. They have three adjustments:

the height of the door leaf relative to the frame - at the bottom of the hinge;
the density of pressing the canvas to the frame is on the top on the hinge;
movement of the sash horizontally - sideways

They are sufficient if the doors were initially installed correctly: the limits for changing positions are significant, which makes it possible to compensate for those changes that occurred during operation.

If there is a squeak in the hinges, they need to be lubricated. To do this, remove the top cap and put lubricant into the opened hole. Since plastic doors are installed as entrance doors mainly in private houses and they go out onto the street or into an unheated vestibule, you select a lubricant that does not thicken at low temperatures (Litol and Solidol).

Put lubricant here

In some models of hinges, the lid is simply lifted off, in others, you need to unscrew it and then pull it out. Determined by location.

Sometimes a situation arises when intervention is required: the lock does not lock properly. If the sash pressure is normal, correction of the striker is necessary. She is mobile in such doors. Loosen the mounting screws, use a screwdriver to move the bar slightly in the desired direction and tighten the screws back. Checking. It should help.

The main advantage of most goods produced in China is, of course, their low cost. The above largely applies to such types of products as metal entrance doors. It is obvious that price reductions are often achieved at the expense of the quality of structures. However, in such a situation, there is a fairly simple option to achieve relatively acceptable performance parameters of the product. It presupposes the need to properly regulate Chinese door, which will make its use not only more comfortable, but also durable. Moreover, all work can be easily completed on one’s own, which will also save money for the homeowner.

Adjusting the position of the leaf relative to the door frame

Before you adjust the Chinese metal door, it is necessary to study the features of the type of product in question. The main one is its small weight, which rarely reaches 40-45 kg. However, despite such light weight, often when the sash moves, an unpleasant creak may be heard. The reasons for its appearance are insufficient lubrication of the hinges and incorrect position of the door leaf relative to the frame of the entrance structure.

In such a situation, it is necessary to adjust the Chinese entrance door and then lubricate the hinges. In this case, the work is performed in the following sequence:

Sash opening 80-100 degrees;
Loosening the corner fastener screws door hinges, starting from the lower hinge;
Moving the eccentrics followed by moving the blade in the desired direction;
Returning the control elements to their original state and tightening the fasteners;
Checking the position of the blade and, if necessary, repeating the described operation
Raising the canvas and fixing it in this position using a crowbar or a lever in the form of a wooden beam;
Cleaning door hinges, which becomes possible when the door is raised. To do this, use a regular screwdriver with a small piece of rag at the end;
Applying new lubricant in the form of grease or special compounds;
Removing the support and checking the functionality of the entrance structure.

Proper adjustment of a Chinese iron door in the manner described above will ensure both its comfortable use, which is not accompanied by extraneous noise and creaking, and long-lasting operation, which is also important and economically beneficial. Naturally, this also requires regular lubrication of the moving parts of the entrance structure and other types of maintenance.

Adjusting the Chinese door locking device

The functionality of the locks installed on it is of great importance for the trouble-free operation of any entrance structure. For example, often steel door has lateral play, which is easy to notice when closed. Naturally, this situation negatively affects the operational parameters of the product.

In such a situation, adjusting the Chinese entrance metal door consists of adjusting the position of the locking element of the lock. However, not all types of similar devices produced in China provide this opportunity. In this case, simple and sufficient effective solution The problem is placing a small copper coin or plate bent in half into the inlet hole of the locking mechanism. As a result, backlash is eliminated, which ensures more comfortable use metal structure.

Adjusting the tightness and density of the rebate

Quite often, the methods described above do not effectively solve the problems of loose connections between fabric structures and door frame. In such a situation, it is recommended to replace the seals, which are installed on almost all models of Chinese entrance doors along the perimeter of the door leaf. They are made in the form of rubber profiles and are easily removed using a regular screwdriver or knife. When dismantling the seal, you must act carefully so as not to damage the protective and decorative coating of the metal surfaces of the door.

It is not difficult to purchase new tubular rubber profiles, since their cost is very low, and they are sold in almost every building materials and household goods store. Today, in most cases, they are made in a self-adhesive version, when an adhesive solution is applied to one side. Therefore, installing seals is an extremely simple operation, during which it is necessary to ensure the creation of a closed loop around the entire perimeter. Special attention in this case, it is given to the corners of the entrance structure, where required increased level tightness.

Today, in most cases, a metal door is installed at the entrance to an apartment or house: it looks impressive and at the same time is relatively inexpensive. But over time, shortcomings appear in its operation, the elimination of which requires the participation of the user; he must know how to adjust the metal entrance door so that it, as before, properly performs its function.

Problems that the owner of a metal entrance door has to face after some time:

When turning the blade, a creaking sound is heard.
When closing, the panel rubs against the box.
To close the front door, you have to apply force, or, on the contrary, it does not close tightly, so that it comes through through the cracks between the door leaf and the frame.
Metal fittings, such as a lock or door closer, began to work incorrectly.
The fastening of individual elements has become loose.

In each of the listed methods adjust input iron door you can do it yourself.

Problems with the vestibule

Problems with the porch can arise from the moment the metal door is installed - it is often difficult to close. This causes the owner to suspect that he was sold a defective product, as well as a desire to bring it back to normal condition.

Thick seal

How to adjust metal entrance doors when they move slowly? First you need to inspect the seal. The reason may be its large thickness and hardness inherent in the polymer immediately after its manufacture. Any actions in this case will be unnecessary: over time, the sealant will soften and settle.

If the user is in a hurry and cuts the elastic, then after further shrinkage the metal entrance door will not close tightly. As a result, there will be blowing from the cracks between the canvas and the box.

Sometimes the entrance structure closes poorly not because of problems with the seal: the product is actively used, but the situation does not improve. In this case, you need to look for other violations.

Required Tools

In all other cases, appropriate measures will be required to restore the functionality of the metal structure. If the warranty period has not yet expired, you need to invite a technician, since otherwise, if you try to fix the problem yourself, the product may be removed from the warranty. If the warranty has expired and you plan to adjust the metal entrance door yourself, then you need to prepare the following:

a set of metal keys with a hexagonal profile;
socket wrenches (most often a 17mm wrench is required);
spark plug key;
file;
oiler with machine oil;
pliers;
screwdriver.

Types of problems and their elimination

Let's analyze how the metal entrance door is adjusted if any malfunctions are detected.

Closes tightly or too loosely: how to get rid of the problem?

How to adjust the front door if it doesn't close well? You need to take a closer look at the plate attached to the box, into which the lock tongue fits. The long edges of the hole in this plate are concave inward. The ease of closing a metal door depends on their position. If it fits tightly or does not fit at all to the box, these elements must be adjusted by bending it in one direction or another.

The door lets in cold and drafts

The opposite situation: when closed, there is a gap between the canvas and the seal, through which it blows into the apartment. If manipulating the plate does not help, you will have to resort to replacing the sealing tape. You can purchase it at any specialized or hardware store. It is self-adhesive, so nothing is needed for installation. The old seal simply comes off.

Before replacing the seal, it is important to check how different the gap between the sheet and the frame is around the perimeter of the opening. This is done using a sheet of paper:

insert the sheet between the canvas and the box;
then close the entrance structure and pull the sheet towards you.

In places where the pressure is weakened, the sheet will be removed easily. Here you need to place a thin plastic gasket under the seal.

Misalignment of lock tongue and plate

This problem occurs in budget class products. At the same time, the front door closes with difficulty.

Solution: in such a situation, you need to slightly enlarge the hole with a file, removing the metal from the side where the tongue clings to it.

Sometimes the discrepancies are so great that even filing does not help. In this case, you will have to return the purchase to the store as defective.

Makes a creaking sound

Creaking when opening a metal leaf can be explained by several reasons:

The amount of lubricant in the hinges is insufficient: from time to time they must be lubricated by applying oil using an oiler. The use of special products with a penetrating effect, for example WD-40, is not required - ordinary machine oil, after several swings of the panel, will easily penetrate to all rubbing parts metal surfaces.
The reason may be that the hinges are clogged: this often happens if the apartment is major renovation accompanied by the formation of large amounts of dust. The canopies are thoroughly ventilated. The operation is conveniently performed using a car pump through a narrow nozzle, which is included in the kit.
The metallic grinding noise is caused by the friction of the door leaf against the frame. A similar phenomenon is revealed by inspection: abrasions will be found at the place of their contact. In this case, resort to adjusting the loops.

General steps

Adjustment of metal entrance doors in case of friction between the door leaf and the frame is carried out in the following order:

Key with suitable profile(most often the end one is required) weaken the fastening of the middle hinges.
In a similar way, slightly release the loop at the level of which friction is detected (upper or lower).
Move the canvas slightly away from the box or towards it, depending on which direction it is skewed. Then tighten the end nut.
By gently rocking the metal panel, you need to ensure that the loops return to their place, after which their fastening is tightened.
Having opened and closed the canvas several times, check how effective the above-described manipulations were. If friction on the metal entrance door is still observed, the procedure is repeated.

If there is significant wear on the canopies, adjustment may be useless. In such a situation, the only thing left to do is replace them.

Along with traditional hinges, hidden ones are used, which are equipped with metal fillings of more expensive entrance openings. Adjustment of such loops is carried out using a special tool. Hidden canopies are reliable, so the likelihood that they are the reason for the incorrect operation of the product is small.

The metal entrance structure can be equipped with hinges with an adjusting screw, through which the entrance door leaf can be raised and lowered. A sign of such canopies is the presence of a steel ball in the structure. To rotate the adjusting screw, you need to prepare a hex key.

DIY ways to adjust the door closer

There is a cylinder with oil inside the closer - it ensures smooth closing of the panel, while the closing force is created by the existing spring.

The opening angle can be changed by turning the nut:

clockwise - to increase it;
against - to reduce.

The speed of movement of the metal blade is regulated by rotation of the valve.

The tension of the spring in the closer can also be adjusted. To do this, there is a nut on it that can be tightened or loosened wrench.

Classic design

Everyone's home modern man needs reliable protection. The main bastion of protection for our homes is the entrance doors. When choosing products, it is their ability to stop intruders that is the main criterion for selection.

They must cope with a serious task - they must provide reliable protection residential premises, office, cafe and so on.

They should protect not only from robbers, but also from aggressive influences environment. They should not allow wind, cold, rain and street noise to pass through. To do this, it must not only be of high quality. it must be installed correctly.

Currently, there are enough offers on the domestic market. There is such a variety of them that each owner will be able to choose for himself not only according to financial capabilities, but also based on the degree of its safety and appearance. Since competition in the market is quite high, manufacturers try to make their products as high quality as possible.

Advice! Beware of fakes and low-quality doors! You should be wary of overly cheap copies. At first glance, they are no different from ordinary doors from reliable manufacturers. But they are made of thin metal, which is very easy to open.

Do not hesitate to ask the seller about the origin and quality of the door. Request a certificate. If the seller refuses to cooperate, feel free to pass by. Even if this is a very good offer, it is not suitable for you!

So, you have purchased a door for your house or apartment. You are satisfied with the purchase. It meets your aesthetic taste, it is massive and is able to protect property from intruders. But, you don’t know that your door needs systematic care.

Incorrect actions or normal operation may interfere with the operation of the door or lead to its breakage. Let's try to solve this problem. In order to extend its service life, you need to perform periodic preventive actions.

it must be lubricated regularly;
it is necessary to pay attention to its appearance;
you must periodically tighten the working elements, as they quickly become loose (this includes fittings and hinges);
it is necessary to clean the crossbars from dust at certain intervals;
If necessary, it is worth changing insulation and seals.

By observing these simple and not complex operations, you can significantly extend the life of your door and avoid financial costs for troubleshooting. The main cause of failure is incorrect adjustment.

If it is adjusted incorrectly, this can lead to the following consequences:

if it is adjusted incorrectly, the mechanical parts of the hinges wear out faster;
improper adjustment can lead to sagging;
also possible various types breakdowns, such as lock jamming (see), etc.

Adjustment steps

If, over time, you find that your door begins to creak or is difficult to close and open, do not panic and grab your phone in search of a repairman. By following our advice, you will be able to handle it yourself and understand how to adjust the structures.

Preparing for adjustment

In order to begin adjustment, you will need the following materials and tools:

17 mm socket wrench;
spark plug car key;
regular lubricant;

Before you begin, carefully inspect the structure of your door. You need to clearly find out what is the source of the squeak. Usually these are either hidden hinges (see), which need adjustment, or it is the friction of the canvas against the opening.

Adjustment

We can divide this stage into two conditional processes:

Firstly, everything may turn out to be very simple and prosaic. Perhaps dust got into the creaking hinges. And you need to adjust the hinges. To eliminate this problem, you need to blow out the hinges and lubricate them.
If you have hinges with an opening angle of 180 degrees, then you should perform this operation with the internal elements.

Sometimes, you can get rid of the problem with the help. If someone shows up at your door extraneous noise, or you feel that it is leaking, use rubber seals.

Adjusted design closes tightly

Advice! To adjust, buy a thin seal. In this case, it will not interfere with free opening/closing.

The seal must be glued to the inside of the door, on the contours. Do not stick the seal along the entire length. It is advisable to do this only in the areas where the door touches.

The second case is more labor-intensive. Check to see if there are any visible abrasions on the door. After this, listen to different places on the canvas for squeaks. After locating the creaking area, proceed with adjustment.

Loosen the front hinges first. Next, based on the creaking location, loosen the hinges and move the canvas relative to the box.

Having completed all the above operations, you can tighten one nut at a time, simultaneously shaking them in order to install the hinges in their places. Then check to see if the squeak remains.

This is done by opening and closing. If the squeak is still present, repeat the steps described above. If there is no creaking proper operation is not observed, congratulations - you have learned how to adjust the door and have learned how to do it yourself!

The main thing you should remember now is that any door requires careful preventive maintenance. Don’t be lazy to lubricate the hinges and blow out dust at least once every six months.

Types of adjustment

Adjustments may include:

Lubrication and adjustment of hinges.
Tightening loose fittings.
Replacing the seal.
Adjustment of door closers.
Removing dust from working parts of the structure.

If you periodically carry out preventive maintenance that does not take much time and does not require large investments, your door will retain its decorative and functional properties for a long time.

We will talk about how to adjust metal doors with your own hands, and in what cases this is necessary.

How to adjust hinges

Poor operation of hinges can be caused by their mechanical wear, accumulation of dust, sagging of the door under its own weight, etc. As a result, problems such as creaking, tight closing, friction of the door leaf against the frame, jamming of the lock, and the appearance of drafts arise.

If you don’t want to call a specialist, but don’t know how to carry out the work yourself, we will tell you about it. If repair and construction work continued after installation, most likely a lot of dust and dirt had accumulated on the hinges.

Therefore, before you start adjusting, thoroughly blow out the hinges and lubricate them. WD-40 automotive lubricant is excellent for this purpose. If visible abrasions appear at the ends, and the creaking does not stop even after lubrication, This means you need to tighten the hinges.

What to do in this case:

First, loosen the screws on the middle hinge and, while rocking the door, listen to whether the creaking is coming from above or below.
Depending on this, loosen the corresponding loop, move the canvas towards the box or move it away from it, depending on where it rubs against the jamb.
Retighten the screws and wiggle the door until the hinges settle into place.
Open and close the structure several times to check how successful the adjustment is. Repeat all steps if necessary.Some hinges with a steel ball inside have an adjustment screw at the bottom. It allows you to adjust the door position vertically. To do this you will need a hex wrench.

Cleaning and adjusting locks

How to adjust metal doors if there are no visible signs of subsidence, the hinges work normally, but the lock has started to jam? Most likely, the problem is in the castle itself (see). It also needs to be periodically cleaned and lubricated.

This is easy to do if the lock is overhead or can be removed from the door without disturbing its structure. Otherwise, this work should be done by a specialist.

Adjusting door closers

In the past, springs were often installed to ensure that the door would close even if you forgot to do so. But now their place has been taken by those who are able to treat products more carefully.

They also contain a spring, but it is placed in an oil-filled housing and equipped with a special mechanism that makes the door move smoothly.

The ease of use of the door also largely depends on the correct operation of the door closer. Therefore, we will tell you how to adjust metal doors with a closer.

In general, its adjustment should be made by a technician during installation (see), but during long-term operation, as a result of fluctuations in ambient temperature, the oil in the closer may thicken.

So:

If the door begins to close too slowly or, conversely, quickly, turn one control valve clockwise or counterclockwise.
When it is necessary to change the slam speed, the second valve is also turned clockwise or counterclockwise.
The tension force of the spring is adjusted by turning the nut in the desired direction.
If it is necessary to adjust the valve to prevent the door from swinging open sharply. Its adjusting nut is turned counterclockwise to reduce the opening angle.
If the door needs to be left for some time open position, it needs to be opened 90 degrees and the lock tightened. The lock will be released automatically when the door is closed.

Attention! The control valves should be turned no more than two turns, otherwise oil may leak from the closer and will have to be replaced.

What to do if drafts appear

The reason for the appearance of drafts from the front door (see), the penetration of noise and odors into the apartment is not always its distortion. More often than not, this is due to a worn-out seal, which is always installed on metal doors - how to adjust them in this case?

You just need to tear off the old seal and replace it with a new one. Rubber tape of the required thickness with an adhesive backing can be purchased at construction market, and glue it along the entire contour of the vestibule.

Since the weight of the steel sheet is significant, even after professional installation structures over time, problems arise due to the weakening (deformation) of canopies. As a result, the door does not fit tightly, it becomes loose, locks and bolts jam, and a number of other shortcomings. In most cases, defects that arise can be eliminated by simply adjusting the metal door.

Once you understand the cause of the problem, you can fix it yourself. And depending on what caused the problem, the necessary techniques, tools and materials are selected.

Formation of a gap

Simply put, gaps appear between the block and the canvas. The main symptom of this malfunction is drafts in the room even with the sash tightly closed, although the cracks are easy to detect visually. There are several probable reasons.

Seal wear. Adjusting the front door alone does not solve the problem: the rubber rubber should be replaced. This is easy to do - deleted old material, the place where it is fixed is thoroughly cleaned, degreased and a new tape or tube is glued. The nuance is that you first need to check the position of the canvas. Perhaps the increased wear of the rubber is precisely caused by its misalignment.

The canvas sagged. To eliminate this defect, it is necessary to adjust the hinges of the front door. To do this, the fastening parts of the canopies (lower and upper) are slightly screwed in/unscrewed. Since the limit of their movement along the axis is limited, it is advisable to place a washer or locker under the screws or bolts in case of increased wear of the hinges.

It will become clear at the location what exactly needs to be done, since the loops are different design features. It may be advisable to replace one of them (or both), and only then think about how to adjust the front door.

tight narthex

And in this case, the reasons for the door not closing well may be different.

New seal. This occurs if the block structure has just been installed. The rubber rubber has not yet been “dispersed”, and therefore some effort has to be made when closing/opening the canvas. There is no need to do anything here; literally after a few days this defect disappears on its own.
Large thickness of tape (cord). As a rule, the result of incorrect selection of material in size. If the fabric is not distorted, then it is hardly worth waiting for the rubber rubber to wear out. If the parameters (thickness, cross-section) are significantly exceeded, the error must be corrected and the seal replaced.
The tongue touching the plate. As a rule, with such a defect, adjustment of the metal entrance door is done using a file. But on condition correct position, without distortions. The plate only needs to be sharpened a little, and there will be no difficulties in the process of closing/opening. If it has antennae, then it is enough to bend them slightly, and the position of the part will change.

The appearance of a creak

Adjustment is unlikely to help here. Most likely, this is the result of neglecting maintenance issues. Like any device that has moving parts, it also needs regular inspection and maintenance. What needs to be done?

Clean the canopies from old grease, dirt, and metal dust.
Wash the hinges with gasoline or blow with compressed air.
If signs of rust are detected, treat with WD-40, more commonly referred to as “liquid key.”

Attention! WD-40 is not a lubricant, as many people mistakenly believe. This composition used only to soften solid fractions (salt deposits, rust, etc.).

Remove any remaining metal oxides and rinse the canopies again.
Apply to rubbing parts special composition– rust converter.
Thoroughly lubricate all hinge parts. The manufacturer's instructions indicate recommended products. If the door is made independently, then it is quite enough to treat it with machine oil.

Before working on the hinges, you need to carefully inspect the frame. The creaking can also be caused by the door being skewed. This is easy to determine by the characteristic shine of the metal in a separate area. If this is the case, then you should first adjust the position of the canvas, and only then service the awnings.
The hinges differ in design, and some models are collapsible. In this case, it is advisable to dismantle both the sash and the canopy. It will take more time, but cleaning it components will be of the highest quality.
In old-style hinges, creaking may be caused by extreme wear of the sealing washer. The recommendation is clear - replace it.

It remains to add that if a cheap door “made in China” is installed at the entrance to the home, then the adjustment may not help. Soft metal is often deformed, which causes squeaks, snags on the frame, and similar malfunctions. Even professionals do not undertake to eliminate them and recommend changing the canvas. And although this is an extreme case, you need to know.

In order to be less likely to encounter problems with the door’s incorrect functioning, you should systematically monitor its condition. If necessary, make adjustments. But at least twice every six months, during the so-called off-season, lubricate both the hinges (with oil) and rubber rubber (technical petroleum jelly). This significantly extends their service life and service life.