"How to install and adjust a storm door closer" is a video on Wright Products.
Storm door closers keep storm doors and screen doors from swinging recklessly.The article and video will show you how to install them in 15 minutes or less.
Storm door closers help protect your home.Without them, storm doors and screen doors will inevitably fly open, potentially damaging porches, siding, exterior trim, and the storm door themselves.
I believe that every storm door and screen door should have at least one door closer installed.Closers have become more affordable recently.
Light-to-medium duty door closers can be had for $20 or less.The closers can be used in pairs for heavier doors.
Andersen and Emco have higher quality closers that come with step-on locking mechanisms that replace the old tab-style lock.
Installation is much the same as the colors are variable.Pick a closer that suits your budget and a color that will match or blend in with your door, and you are ready to install!
The door can be mounted at either the top or bottom of the door.
The door should be mounted at the bottom of the door if you use a step switch closer.If you use a single closer with a manual locking tab, you should mount it at the top of the door.
If your storm door is heavy, or you live in a windy area, you might want to put a door closer to it.
Extra security is added by the fact that the door will never open wildly or close too hard.If you frequently feel the wind pulling your door open, or you hear it rattling and banging during storms, consider doubling up on closers.
The door closer is anchored by a triangular metal component.
The door jamb is the flat face of the door itself.It's important to get it set in the right place because it determines the location and function of the door closer.
The center of the door rail is the piece of wood that runs horizontally.
The storm door is the closest to the front edge of the jamb and the rounded bulb at the end points towards it.
If you want to draw circles in the screw holes, hold the brackets up and use a pencil.You can easily drill pilot holes at these pencil marks if you set the brackets aside.
When the holes are drilled, just hold the bracket back in place and mount it by driving screws through the pilot holes.Pre-drilling and pre-marking make this much simpler.
The door should be shut when you step inside the house.Put the door closer arm into the slot.
Put the short pin that came with the assembly through the holes on the door closer rod.If the door is firm, it will dangle there.
Some door closers have rubber bands that fit over the pin to keep it from popping out.In most cases, gravity holds the pin in place.
The longer pin can be used to pin the door brackets to the other end of the arm.The rail of the door should be touched by the flat face of this bracket.
The door closer arm should be moved upward until it is parallel with the brackets.When it looks level, have someone look at it from a distance.
Draw pencil marks on the screw holes when the door is in the best position.Pre-drill at these pencil marks if you swing the door closer out of the way.Attach the brackets to the door using two supplied screws after moving it closer back into place.
Some door closers come with a temporary plastic tab that locks onto the rod to keep it from moving during installation.At this point, these tabs can be popped off.
The close rate is the speed at which the door closes without human interference.It's important to get the close rate right for your storm door.
The little screw at the end of the door closer arm can be turned with aPhillips screwdriver.Counter-clockwise turns it off.
Push the door open all the way and let it go.You want the door to swing to within several inches of shutting, pause there, then finish shutting gently on its own, fully latched into place.For a real-time example, watch the video above.
When the main door is closed, storm doors will often shut differently.Try to find a tension that works for both situations because air pressure trapped between the two will affect the close rate.
Storm door closers will disappear into your door assembly.Their smooth functioning lets you forget about them, and they sit out of the way at head level or foot level.
Adding a door closer is recommended if you have storm doors or screen doors in your home.It will save you money in the long run.
Storm doors save energy.There are some good PDF's on energy efficiency here.
I work as a carpenter in Raleigh, North Carolina.I started The Honest Carpenter to answer questions for my clients.