Spring Good Time to Adjust Screen Closer

The days of the old-fashioned coil-spring screen door closer are gone forever. And with good reason. Sure, those old springs were simple, and they kept the door closed. But they also gave rise to the perennial parental warning: “Don’t let the screen door slam!” And they also transformed the simple act of entering or leaving the house with an armful of packages into a test of quickness and agility.

The modern pneumatic door closer has put an end to those problems. That is, if you installed and adjusted the closer properly. If not, a pneumatic closer can be worse than the old-fashioned spring it was designed to replace.

Installation

This is fairly simple. Normally, closers come complete with instructions, but on the off chance that your closer is already installed incorrectly and the instructions are long gone, here are the basics:

First, install the jamb bracket. This screws to the door jamb about one-eighth inch in from the door. Most people install the closer down, about four inches from the top of the door.

If you are particularly short, however, you can put it down low, about 4 inches up from the bottom of the door. This makes it easier to install, to adjust and to reach the hold-open washer whenever you want to prop the door open.

Once the jamb bracket is up, slip the end of the closer into the bracket and secure it with the pin provided. Now slip the door bracket onto the free end of the closer and swing the closer up against the door. This will position the door bracket in its proper place. Secure it with screws. Most door brackets have multi-position screw holes so the closing power of the door can be adjusted (more about this later). If yours does, install your screws in the center of the adjustment range.

That’s it. The closer is installed, and now you have to see if it needs any final adjustments.

Tuning the Closer

Open the door a bit and slide the hold-open washer back out of the way. Then open the door all the way and let it close. If it performs as you expect it to, fine. If not, it will need some adjustments. Here are the common closer problems and their cures:

* Door closes too slowly.

Open the door all the way and release it. If the door moves at a snail’s pace, turn the adjusting screw in the end of the closer counterclockwise. This will increase the opening in the pneumatic valve inside the cylinder and allow the door to close more quickly. Turn the screw one full revolution and try the door again. If it still closes too slowly, twist the screw another turn. Through trial and error you will get the action right.

* Door closes too fast.

If the door closes so quickly you can’t get through it without getting hit, turn that same screw clockwise, again using trial and error until you find the best closing speed.

* Door won’t close at all.

Most pneumatic closers have a bypass feature near the end of the stroke that eliminates the braking ability of the closer so the door can accelerate for the last few inches of travel and latch securely. If your door doesn’t do this, loosen the screws holding the door bracket and slide the bracket a notch or two away from the closer. This is hard to do with the closer under tension so try this trick:

Open the door a few inches and slide the hold-open washer against the end of the cylinder. Now loosen the screws and reposition the door bracket. Once it’s secure, back off on the hold-open washer and test the door.

* Too much closing power.

If the acceleration of the door at the end of its closing cycle is too fast for your liking, do the opposite of the procedure above. Loosen the screws and slide the door bracket close to the cylinder.

Final note: The procedures above work for most common closers, but not all. With some, for example, you don’t adjust closing speed by turning a screw. Instead, you turn the whole closer cylinder. With others, you adjust closing power by putting the bracket pin through different holes. If in doubt, experiment.

Los Angeles Times Syndicate