Question: Last week I opened the āinsideā garage door to our house and heard a loud pop.Ā It sounded like a balloon burst. Now the door doesnāt close by itself.Ā There are two large cylinder typeĀ hinges on this door.Ā AreĀ these spring-loaded? Did one or both of themĀ snap? How do I go about gettingĀ the doorĀ fixed?
Answer: Self-closing door hinges are required on a door leading to an attached garage to keep a garage fire from spreading to the house. You will see a cylinder on the hinge surrounding the hinge pin usually on two of the hinges. The spring is located inside this cylinder. When this spring breaks the door will no longer close by itself.
If you search āself closing door hingeā on the Internet you will see many different configurations, but most are either three inches or four inches. The ones on my door are four inches. Most hardware and big box stores carry these hinges. The safest way to get the correct hinge is to remove the broken one and bring it to the store and match it up with the ones they stock. Even if only one is broken you should replace both of them. The hinges on my door are Bommer LB4382-400-633.
After you install the hinges you may need to adjust the tension to get the proper closing speed. Look at this Youtube video to see how this is done: www.youtube.com/watch?v=X38Wa9Qv-5U
Question: The weather stripping on the bottom of my door leading from the house to the garage is worn out. I have been to Home Depot and Menards and canāt find the weather stripping I need.
Answer: In order to see exactly what weather stripping you have, take the door off and lay it across two saw horses or something to support it. Note how it is attached to the bottom of the door. Either remove the whole strip or cut off a short piece to take to the store with you. If you canāt match it exactly there will be another weather strip that can be attached to the bottom of the door to eliminate cold air in the winter and hot air in the summer coming into the house from the garage. There are many weather stripping configurations that will work.
If you have suggestions for future tips or have questions about maintenance around your home submit them to ask.the.woodchucks@gmail.com
