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!

Store Front Glass Door is Hard to Lock and Unlock

If your key is working fine when the door is open but is very hard to turn when locking or unlocking the door, then the problem is not in the lock. There are three things to check for.

1. First, check the threshold and make sure there are not any small rocks or other debris that are being squeezed by the door. When debris is present, you have to push the door in order to get the bolt to lock AND push the door to get it to unlock. What you are doing is relieving the pressure from the bolt enabling it to operate. Remove any debris and repair any screws that may have risen in the the threshold.
2. Second, if your door or door frame has settled, then the bolt receptacle in the jamb and the bolt are not lining up. Specifically, the bolt is too high and is stopping prematurely by hitting the top of the jamb cut out. Yes, it will lock when it is like this, but you will notice by using a flashlight that the bolt is hitting metal before it goes through the complete cycle. Take a small round metal file which you can get at Lowe's and file to top of the cut out and give the bolt another quarter inch within which to move. 
3. Third, if the door is warped, you have to push in on the door in order for the bolt to engage. Using a metal file, file the part of the jamb bolt slot nearest you on the outside enlarging the hole.

House Locks Are Not Locking Into the Jamb Properly

You should always test your doors in order to make sure that your lock latches and bolts are lining up with the strike plates in the door jamb. The reason for this is because 1) houses settle and move over time and 2) the weather will cause wood to shrink and expand. Here is how you check your latches and bolts.

1. Standing on the inside, close you your door and notice where the knob latch hits the plate on the door jamb. It should be dead center. If it hits off center and still locks, then you are still okay for the moment. You may need a flashlight.
2. Throw your deadbolt and verify that it is entering the plate dead center.
3. If everything looks okay, try this next test. Close the door gently. Look and listen to determine that the knob latch has clicked into place. Operate the deadbolt. If you have to close your door with a slam to get the latches to line up properly, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Over time, however, it may become an issue.
4. Check your hinge screws and make sure they are snug. If they are loose, they can cause the door to sag and the locks to lose their alignment. If your screws are stripped, get 3 inch long sheet rock screws and replace two in each hinge on the jamb. This will often pull the door up and realign the latches. If this doesn't help, proceed to the next section. But, by all means, tighten the hinge screws!

How to realign your strike plate. (Tools needed: Phillips screwdriver, wooden golf tees, pencil, hammer, and 1 inch wood chisel from Lowe's).

1. Using the above instructions, determine whether or not you need to raise, lower, set back, or move forward the knob strike plate.
2. Remove the strike plate.
3. Reposition the strike plate where needed and outline the place with a pencil.
4. Using your wood chisel and hammer, chisel out the wood by first outlining the marks you made with the pencil, and then chiseling out the wood itself.
5. Use golf tees to fill in the old screw holes. Just gently hammer them in until they are snug and then snap them off flush with the jamb.
6. Replace the strike plate and fasten with screws.
7. Follow the same procedure with the dead bolt strike plate.

Sagging Commercial Metal Doors

Pemko Hinge

Because employees often use blocks of wood between the door and jamb in order to keep the door open, door hinges are often damaged, as are the door and frame. When the door frame and door supports for the hinges are bent, it is all down hill for the rear door opening. If you have ever priced a commercial door, you will be in for one big surprise.

Before you spend $50 installing three new commercial hinges, be aware that doing so may not solve your problem. If the damage to the door appears to mild, try this money saving trick. Be sure to use a larger Phillips screwdriver, the one that is sized up above the #2. I think it is a #3. Have someone hold the door open, remove the bottom hinge, which is the least likely hinge to be damaged, and replace it in the top hinge location. By doing this, the bent top hinge will push the lower end of the door out and the normal bottom hinge will pull the top of the door in. If the damage is slight, the door may work just fine. Instruct your employees to prop the door open with a garbage can or large brick. Nothing should ever go between the open door and jamb. When you put something in this place, somebody inevitably tries to force the door shut, unaware of the obstruction. The leverage they apply is multiplied and damage easily results.

If the door and jamb supports have been totally bent, consider using a Pemko Continuous hinge. This hinge installs on the outside and runs the entire length of the door. They have a lifetime warranty. My advice would be to forget the standard commercial hinges in favor of this. Install this hinge once and forget it. Your locksmith pays $97 for this hinge, which comes in bronze of silver, and he will install it for $300 to $400, depending on certain factors. If you are handy, you could probably install it yourself. Just read the online literature at Pemko.