A Broken Swinging Door that Will Not Stay Open

chipster_2007

12 years ago

I live in a 2 family house built in 1930 in the northeast. There is a swinging door that separates the dining room from the kitchen. When I open it, it is supposed to stay open but instead, continually closes. Does it have something to do with the spring on the bottom of the door ? How do I go about repairing this problem? Thanks

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Comments (9)

kterlep
12 years ago
well, ours is an "always closed" door and has a hook and eye that was installed to hook the door open (into the dining room chair rail)...I realize this is not "how to fix" but rather a sugggestion for "how to live with it"...
justducky22
12 years ago
Hahaha kterlep...I was just going to say the same thing except someone installed a door stopper on the bottom of ours to hold it open. Works just fine. Sorry chipster...ours is broken as well and we have no idea how to fix it properly so we just...live with it!
tim45z10
12 years ago
Sometimes you can pull a pin out of a hinge and bend it slightly. If after installing it does not work, pull the pin again and turn it 180 and reinstall. Still not working, bend a second pin. Do not over do the bend,
chipster_2007
Original Author
12 years ago
Gee, I would guess the problem would be in the spring at the bottom of the door. Has anyone tried to replace it? That is the only area that, I think, could be causing the problem. It can't be that difficult. Any contractors out there know about this? Would appreciate any additional input. Thanks
brickeyee
12 years ago
The hardware is still available, but parts for the old stuff can be a real problem.
columbusguy1
12 years ago
Chipster, you might try ebay for replacement parts...I found one thing there searching for swinging door hardware, but I don't know if it's the same...
Here is the link:

Here is a link that might be useful: Door Hardware
chipster_2007
Original Author
12 years ago
I really think it is the spring at the base of the door that has weakened over time. I was just wondering if anyone had attempted to fix a problem like this before I would attempt this. It seems pretty straight forward but then again, looking for a particular part could be a problem.
brickeyee
12 years ago
The odds of finding the exact spring you need for old hardware without taking it from another piece of the same hardware is often between small and zero.

Springs are one of those things that are rarely made to any standard beyond what the manufacturer put on his drawing.
geller
12 years ago
I am not sure what kind of hardware you have, but I saved the swinging door hardware from our renovation of a house built in 1928 in the mid-atlantic region, and would be happy to part with it if it fits for you. If you could post images, then I can compare with what we have.