How to stop doors slamming

How to stop doors slamming

Slamming doors are a nuisance. Aside from keeping people awake at night, they can cause damage to surrounding plaster, shorten the lifespan of ironmongery, and cause injury. In some instances this can even lead to litigation! Fire doors are often heavy – they can be very noisy and have the potential to do a lot of damage if closing suddenly and at speed. A fire door should always close firmly but in a controlled manner, allowing time for safe passage through the door for the less able. For a more detailed look at closing speeds, read our whitepaper. 

Why do doors slam?

The most obvious and well known cause of door slamming, apart from misuse that is, is air pressure. Open windows, long corridors, tall buildings – they can all affect air pressure and cause a door to slam. A door can also slam if it is not vertically plumb, but for the purpose of this blog, let’s focus on how to stop a door slamming by adjusting the door closer.

Power up, speed down

If a door is slamming shut, simply increase the power of your closer and decrease the speed. On a door closer, more power means more control. Many people make the mistake of turning the power down, thinking this will decrease the slam – not so. Do remember though, that small adjustments make a big difference so we recommend tweaking in small increments to achieve the desired effect.  If the closer power is increased too much it will make it difficult to open the door, making it less accessible to the less able – it is always good practice to bear in mind Approved Document M recommendations, even if the door is not subject to BS 8300. Watch our video on adjusting closers to overcome air pressures.