Door Closers Designed With A Door Hold-Open Feature Are Perfect For Churches and Organizations!

If you have a commercial business, church, or other organization that needs to have outside doors that stay opened, look no further than door closers that incorporate a hold-open feature.  It is generally not a good idea to use door kick stops that have the little rubber foot attached. Why? Because most of these cannot hold up to the abuse they will get when people kick them or otherwise impact them when hauling chairs and tables through the doorway. And, if your doors are made of thin metal, the screws will eventually strip out. It is also a bad idea to use any kind of device that anchors into the concrete sidewalk because people will inevitably trip over the device and hurt themselves.

If you need to have your doors in the hold-open position, install a heavy-duty door closer. LCN makes a wonderful product that has these following qualities.

1. Grade 1 industrial durability.
2. Back Check feature. This means the door has a cushion that keeps it from slamming open to the extreme position, thereby saving your door, closer, and jamb from possible damage. The back check function in adjustable.
3. Hold-open feature. Be sure that the model you order has this feature. Do know, however, that interior fire-rated doors cannot have these types of closers installed.
4. Closing and latching speed adjustments. Over time, and with the effects of cold and hot weather, the hydraulic fluids in the closer thicken or thin, thereby affecting the speed of the close.
5. Sizing adjustments. If you need to have your closer shutting against powerful wind, then you can adjust the spring tension in the closer. This is a simple thing to do.  Remember that, if your door is handicap accessible, as are all public access areas, then the pull force must not exceed 5 pounds. The size most often used for handicap entrances are number 3. Closer sizes, even on adjustable size closer, range from 2 to 6.

Replacing a Commercial Glass Door Pivot Doesn't Make Any Sense

If you have a commercial glass door with a pivot on the top and bottom of the door, do know that they wear out! In fact, you can test the integrity of the pivot system by opening the door and pushing against the door from the lock side. You will probably notice the pivots moving. If you see this, there are a few possible reasons.

• The pivots are worn out
• The screws holding the pivots to the jamb and door are loose

Pivots, as compared to after market continuous hinges, are not very strong. I have seen customers have their doors blown off by wind! If the pivots are bad, here are some associated problems.

• Door leans from the top
• Lock bolt does not catch properly in the strike cut out
• Top pivot actually fails and door falls out of the upper portion of the pivot
• Door drags on thresh hold

Here are some things you can do that may help fix your problem.

• Get a ladder and a set of open ended wrenches, tighten the bolts inside the hollow part of the door at the top
• At the top, tighten the three Phillips screws
• Check the bottom pivot. If it has a flat head type screw on the top, you can adjust the door by removing that screw. Down in the hole, there is an Allen wrench screw. If you tighten it, the door will elevate and eliminate dragging and realign the lock and strike. If the door is to high, seldom a problem, lower it by turning the screw counter clockwise

If the pivots will not adjust or tighten, then opt for a continuous hinge. This hinge runs from the top of the door and runs all the way to the ground, distributing the weight of the door equally along the entire door. Most hinge companies guarantee their hinges for the life of the opening, except for vandalism. A-Best Locksmith can install a continuous hinge on your door, if the application is standard, for $395 total. Expensive? Yes. But you will not have to worry about the door again!

Church Lock Issues

Most churches give out keys to just about everyone who wants one. Of course, there is a good reason for this if they are involved in ministry. But a problem surfaces when members begin copying their keys for other members. Over time, because people are copying a copy of a copy, the keys no longer work properly because the copying process distorts the cuts depths and spaces of the key. When the key goes into the lock, the key does not freely operate. Instead, it has to be "jiggled". Because the keys are not working properly, the pin chambers in the lock begin to wear prematurely. Here are some solutions.

• Install a "hard-to-duplicate" key system on the door you would like members to enter. You can use my RX system as other churches have done. It isn't expensive compared to other high-tech brands and is available only to locksmiths who are U.S. Lock dealers. This is the preferred method for dealing with key issues. Email me at abestlocksmith@gmail.com if you have any questions.
• Install a Alarm Lock Trilogy push-button lock on one entrance and have members enter only through that door. A locksmith will pay around $400-$450 for one of these, depending on the type of door. Ideally, and for cost effectiveness, install one on a solid metal or wood door. If you install this lock on a glass door, you will need an interior lever, an Adams-Rite dead latch, and custom installation. This could end up running you $800 to $1,000.