Let’s talk about the Best Door Closers in the market today.

But first, listen to this:

If you are sitting in an office or any commercial establishment, you know that one of the most annoying things is to repeatedly tell people to close the door behind them, or ask them to close it gently.

What if you had a door that could close on its own?

Door closers are created keeping exactly such needs in mind..

Rather than a person, a simple device does this for you.

This makes us wonder, why would anyone leave the door open?

There could be multiple reasons, such as

• Their hands are occupied carrying stuff.
• They could be holding kids in their arms.
• They might have simply forgotten to shut the door!
• They might not be aware that you need the door closer.
• Or kids might have left it open.

There are situations, however, when it is very important that the doors are shut after every use. For instance

• In rooms, where the air-conditioners are switched on and it is necessary to maintain the temperature
• In hospitals, to maintain patient privacy.
• In places where it is necessary to prevent dirt and dust entering the room.
• To prevent noise and damage created by people slamming the doors while leaving..

Automatic door closers come to our rescue here.

But wait! There are so many types of door closers, of different brands, and of different companies available in the market

How do you know which one to opt for?

Well, after extensive research on the topic we’ve gathered some interesting facts and compiled a list of best door closers for you.

Pressed for time? Well, here is a quick reference table on the specs of the door closers we found most useful.

1. Norton Door Closers

Well, who is better than a locksmith to vouch for this product ?

Norton has received the highest number of up votes from customers, of which a majority are locksmiths.

It comes with an aluminium finish. The product also comes with a 15-year warranty.

Well suited for fitting onto gates, doors, windows,it is ideal for both indoor and outdoor use.

It allows you to open the door up to 180 degrees.

Norton Door Closer Specifics

See Norton On Amazon

Best Door Closers #2. Hager 5300 Series

This product comes with a Standard Tri-Pack consisting of Parallel, Regular, and Top Jamb Arm and thus suits both inswing and outswing doors.
This makes it a truly versatile product.

One thing which we liked about this product is that it comes with adjustment valves which are stacked to prevent accidental removal.

Also, the Top Jamb in the closer mounts on the inside top door jamb and the arm mounts on the inside door face. The door out-swings, but only up to 90 degrees.

With the Parallel Arm Mount, the closer mounts on the exterior door face and the arm mounts on the underside of the top door jamb. The door here has an out-swing of up to 180 degrees.

It is not possible to disable the close action. You need to use a wedge for that.

It does not have a hold-open feature.

See Hager On Amazon

Best Door Closers #3. Dynasty Hardware 1614-DURO Grade

If you ever wished for a strong, robust and sturdy door closer then look no further.Go for the Dynasty door closer.

It has a standard adjustable back-check function to prevent uncontrolled or accidental opening of doors.

It is most suited to commercial establishments.

It is a bit tough to open in cases where small kids are going to open the door.

The instruction manual is not good enough to guide you to DIY. You will need to watch many videos for that.

See Dynasty On Amazon

Best Door Closers #4. Yale Door Closer

If you wish to have a door closer which looks awesome and is reasonably priced, then opt for Yale.

It is tri-packed with regular, top jamb and parallel mounting.

It is designed to meet grade 1 and has an adjustable spring size.
The non-handed feature makes it possible to attach it to the door as per your needs depending on the way it opens.

See Yale On Amazon

Best Door Closers #5. Fortstrong lightweight door closer.

Just as the name indicates, it is a lightweight door closer made from the best aluminium and Duranodic coating that protects against oxidation and offers rust protection.

If DIY seems difficult to you then, let me tell you, this product comes with a detailed guide with videos and write-ups to take you through the complete process. It makes things simple for you isn’t it?

It is suitable for use in places with high traffic such as commercial establishments, schools,and hospitals because it is fire rated to UL10C 3 hours.

Suitable for doors weighing from 143-187 lbs.

If you have tried any other door closers , you might have noticed a little bit of noise when the part gets worn out or is not greased properly.

With Fortstrong, you will never have to face this problem.. This is because it has a rotating control shaft for smooth opening and closing at all times

It has two-speed regulation valves to control the speed of closure.

One valve controls the main closing speed, whereas the second one allows you to control how fast or slow it closes in the final closing stage.

It has a latching regulation value which controls the speed in the final 15 to 0 degrees of operation.

This feature is especially useful in hospitals or schools where there are small children.

It comes in a size 4 / 5 high quality steel and is encased hydraulic tested to endure over 500,000 open/close cycles, to deliver best performance.

It is also salt spray tested for corrosion resistance for 96 hours to ensure perfect results.

It comes with a full refund warranty in case you aren’t satisfied with the product.

Some things are worth taking care of while purchasing the product.

• This closer is not suitable for screen doors or ultra lightweight doors.
• This door close does not include backcheck.

See Fortstrong On Amazon

Best Door Closers #6. Light Commercial Doors by Lawrence Hardware LH303

If you are not looking for a heavy device but have an establishment or place with low traffic then this door closer will suit your requirements.

It allows you to adjust the speed of door closing and is available in three different colors viz., aluminium, dark bronze and painted brass.

The grade 2, power 3 rating is ideally suited for interior doors or lower-traffic commercial spaces.

It supports doors that weigh up to 60 lbs are up to 37 inches wide.This closer is fire-rated.

It comes with an adjustable latch speed and is made up of aluminium.

It also has an adjustable backcheck cushioning and independent regulating valve.

It has a non-handed arm, making it suitable for any type of door openings.

It has a rack & pinion operation.

It is not suitable for large commercial establishments with huge traffic.

See Lawrence On Amazon

Best Door Closers #7. LYNN Door closer

This is a model which suits residential as well as commercial areas with less traffic.

It is fire-rated for 3 hours and is UL228 Listed, UL/c UL listed.

It is suitable for use on doors weighing up to 150 lbs.

It comes in size 3 with three adjustable valves to adjust speed.

It has a latch, sweep and backcheck facility.

Made with an aluminium body, it comes in tri-packs of regular, Top Jamb and parallel arms.

It is suitable for all kinds of door openings and is non-handed.

It is available in three colors viz.,dark Bronze, Aluminium and painted Brass.

What makes this product unique is that it comes with a plastic coating which makes it suitable for use outdoors.

See LYNN On Amazon

BUYING GUIDE FOR THE BEST DOOR CLOSERS

How does a door closer work?

Now if you put your thumb over the end (where the air comes out) and try and push the pump, it will be very difficult.

If you leave a tiny gap for the air to come out, the pump will move, but very slowly.

This is what happens in a door closer. When you open the door, you are pulling the pump out. A spring on the inside pushes the closer shut and a tiny hole is left so that the air can slowly escape. As the air escapes, the door slowly closes.

This is done because having just a spring to close the door, would make the door slam every time. Sometimes you may even hear a hissing sound with some door closers, this is the air escaping.

By adjusting the size of the hole, the closing speed can be adjusted.

Some door closers will use thick oil instead of air, but the mechanism will be the same. Using oil allows for heavier doors.

TYPES OF DOOR CLOSERS

Depending on the functionality, the automatic door closers can be categorized into three broad categories.

1. Regular arm closers
2. Top Jamb closers
3. Parallel arm closers

Regular/standard arm closers are the most power efficient and generally used widely.

Top jamb closers are often used for glass front and aluminium doors.

Parallel arm closers are most commonly used for schools and commercial properties.

The other classification is based on the way the door closer is built and positioned. These are :;

CONCEALED

They are morticed in the door itself.

OVERHEAD

They are most widely used.

SLIDE ARM

They are widely used where arm closers are not suitable.

TRANSOM

A transom closer is a concealed closer that is fitted to the door frame rather than to the door.

ELECTROMAGNETIC

They are very safe considering the fact that they are connected to company security systems.

FLOOR SPRING

Generally glass doors use this kind of door closers.

Floor springs are set into the floor on the hinge side of a door.

How to choose the best door closers – some useful tips.

Size and weight of the door

Generally, door closers are assigned numbers from 1 to 6. The 6th one being the heaviest one and the most powerful.

Depending on the size and weight of the door you can decide on how sturdy the door closer you need, should be.

If you select the wrong door closer, it might break the door or it might be difficult to open for the visitor.

Also, it is possible that it may close fast leaving very little time for the visitor to leave the room.

Mounting of the door closer device.

Depending on the door closer device you select, it will mount on the frame or the door.

While selecting the door closer pay close attention to the following facts

• Opening of the door – whether it opens outside or inside
• What material the door is made of
• The space available to mount the device

The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) provide extensive standards for door closers.

Aesthetic Considerations

Various types of door closers are available in the market. Depending on the type of material the door is made of, you can choose the closer.

There are different closers for wooden doors, PVC, and glass.

Choose the one which suits your needs and looks good.

Affordability:

Choose the door closer which is affordable, durable and easy to fix. You can view the e-commerce sites and compare prices, read reviews and decide for yourself.

Traffic requirements

Choose the door closer depending on the number of visitors you are going to see per day.

The wrong choice will lead to an additional expense of purchasing a new one or repairing the worn out part. Both can be frustrating and time consuming.

You need to adhere to ANSI standards for safety purposes, otherwise you can be fined too!

Type of visitors

Depending on who your visitors are going to be, you need to choose the door closer.

Is it going to be children? Or young people? Or old people?

Children frequently try to slam the doors whereas old people might find it difficult to pull a very hard door.

Keeping in view your audience, you can choose your door closer.

Fire rating

Look for the fire rating on the door closure in case you are going to use it in a commercial equipment.

Back check

It is a feature which limits the swing on the door.

Generally all closers on exterior doors should have a back check.

The doors may swing into a nearby cabinet or wall and damage the property. So it is necessary to have a door closer with a back check.

Delayed action

It offers a time gap between the times the door is opened to the time when it begins to close.

This is helpful for doors that are used by patients or wheelchair users or people pushing strollers.

It is also required for many entrance doors that are subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) standards.

You can check the ANSI website to determine if delayed action is needed.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What is meant by latch speed?

Latch is used to control the speed at which the door closes. Generally they have 3 adjustment valves.

2. What is sweep speed control?

The sweep speed of a door is the speed taken for the door to move.

If the door is closing too quickly or slowly, the door closers sweep speed can be adjusted to offer a more suitable pace. This can be particularly useful in hospitals or malls where you need to adjust the speed for wheelchairs and trolleys respectively.

3. What is meant by tri-packed automatic door closers?

A door closer with hardware that allows mounting by all means viz, parallel arm, top jamb and regular arm is called tri-packed door closer.

4. What should I do if the installed door is hard to open?

Turn the adjustment screw clockwise to slow down the door closer and, counter-clockwise to speed it up.

5. When should I replace the door closer?

Depending on the type of door closer grade you have selected, it will have a specified working life. Apart from that the way it is used, traffic also determine its usability.

6. How do I choose a door closer?

The size of the door determines the size of spring required to control it.

The wider or heavier the door is, the larger the spring must be, in order to control it.

All closers are rated by spring size and are commonly expressed as Size 1, Size 2, Size 3, all the way up to Size 6.

Depending on where you are going to use it , choose a suitable size.

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You might want to hear this:

Celeste Dault said…

“We bought this closer because of the great price and now that we have it installed, it is such a great value for the price. Much better than i was expecting.”

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