Storm door closer

showcrop · Feb 21, 2022

This storm door has closers at top and bottom. They came with the door when purchased at Lowe's six years ago. I have never been able to adjust them properly. When it is adjusted to not slam too hard with the inner door open, they will not pull the door hard enough to make it latch when the inner door is closed. Too much air pressure. No where near latching. Is there a closer that will work properly with the inner door either opened or closed?

jal-SD · Feb 21, 2022

IMHO - Nope!

DMartin9N-2N · Feb 21, 2022

Good morning, showcrop: Just a quick idea; we have an aluminum screen/storm door between our kitchen and our garage. It has an added spring beside the closer, looks like a home-rigged item. Still not perfect, but it seems to be in the right place to help.

Dennis M. in W. Tenn.

rustyfarmall · Feb 21, 2022

I have 2 storm doors with the same closers. I cannot get them adjusted to do what you describe. Don't trust those closers. Make sure the door is latched, and teach everybody else to do the same.

flying belgian · Feb 21, 2022

I would think you could add an old
fashioned screen door spring.

tomturkey · Feb 21, 2022

Someone needs to invent a check valve, like a dryer vent with a flappy door. When the inside door is closed the trapped air
escapes through the one way flapper. Yet when the door is closed the flapper is also so no outside air or bugs can get in. Could
be your ticket to becoming a millionaire. Who knows. lol gobble

Loosehandle · Feb 21, 2022

I have a small fishing type magnet on
door jam and a piece of steel on storm
door. Never blows open and I can open
from the inside with my hip.

showcrop · Feb 21, 2022

(quoted from post at 10:15:01 02/21/22) I have a small fishing type magnet on
door jam and a piece of steel on storm
door. Never blows open and I can open
from the inside with my hip.

Loosehandle that sounds like it may be the ticket! How big a cut of my million do you want?

Janicholson · Feb 21, 2022

The closers should be able to latch the door even if it takes a second or two to purge the air out of the between space. Look at the
screen door jamb stops and fit to see if the door or stops can be tweaked to allow the door to latch. if it has fuzzy hair seals all
around, that can create enough force pushing out to prevent latching. With the inner door open, the torm door should latch even if opened
1/2 inch at the latch. If it requires a bit of motion to do that, and the closers are still pulling, it should be adjusted to latch. I
have seen closer jamb brackets installed too close to the hinge such that the angle of applied force is too shallow. even 1/2 inch can
make a serius difference. Jim

Jim in rush co · Feb 21, 2022

I had the same problem, interior door has magnetic seal and the storm door is a full glass, screen away Larson. I ended up
removing the upper cylinder completely and adjusting the lower one to what I wanted. Keep the lower one as it is closer the
storm latch.

Crazy Horse · Feb 21, 2022

No help with your closer but the term 'storm door' I haven't heard in years and years. Not sure if it is still in use much do you think? We also had 'storm windows' at home when I was a kid, they were simply a second window that we put up before winter, held on with those little butterfly clips you's turn into place. Windows were stored in the garage from spring to fall each year.

ss55 · Feb 21, 2022

As already mentioned, the placement of the closer attachments is critical, but it can be done. A tight sealing storm door makes it more difficult, but a tight seal saves a lot of heat loss.

Some storm door closers have two attachment holes at the base end of the cylinders, about one half inch apart. The long one for when lower closing force when the screen door is in place and the short one gives extra closing power for when the storm window is installed. Once I has the closer adjusted right I only had to move the attachment pin between the two holes when changing out the screen and window.

Are you trying to adjust the storm door with the cylinder pivot in the screen door hole? I wasted a lot of time trying to do that too. Try moving the pivot to the shorter storm door position.

Pete in Holland MI · Feb 21, 2022

Closers have a screw to adjust the closing rate, but at the tail end of the stroke, it goes to full closing ability. Unhook
it from the door, pull out the stem, and watch it work. The location on the door itself is often adjustable, along with a
couple pin holes on the door end of the closer. Adjust this location in the cylinder so it hits that non-speed adjust point
about an inch before the door actually closes. This'll give it a stout nudge to make it latch.

showcrop · Feb 21, 2022

Thanks guys, I found out that I have had them in the screen door hole year round and that I need to remount the bracket a little back from the storm door. To Crazy horse: from looking up about storm doors it appears that the term is widely in use everywhere in the world except on your road in your town.

Blackhole49 · Feb 22, 2022

Talk about off the grid? I just googled storm door and got 2.32 billion results.

Crazy Horse · Feb 22, 2022

BH49 .... I guess it's me that's off the grid .... have you encountered that term lately other than your Google?

Rich'sToys · Feb 22, 2022

(quoted from post at 13:19:32 02/22/22) .... I guess it's me that's off the grid ....

Kinda looks that way.
Storm windows, as you mentioned, are pretty much obsolete now. But storm doors are as common as ever-at least around here.

GordoSD · Feb 22, 2022

Adjust your exterior door hinges, and replace the seal every other year. You wont need storm
doors. Ieal up the exterior windows on the inside with vatious size round foam gasket material.
Leave it on year round never open windows. Most windows have been replaced to solid thermo models..

showcrop · Feb 22, 2022

(quoted from post at 15:47:11 02/22/22) Adjust your exterior door hinges, and replace the seal every other year. You wont need storm
doors. Ieal up the exterior windows on the inside with vatious size round foam gasket material.
Leave it on year round never open windows. Most windows have been replaced to solid thermo models..

Gordo, this door faces almost due south and during cold clear winter days we get a lot of heat through that storm door with the inner door open. Then in the summer once the door goes in the shade of the barn we open the inner door and get a lot of air flow through the screen.

Blackhole49 · Feb 23, 2022

All the time. What else would you call the exterior door that protects your entrance door? Heck, that's what they are called at Home Depot. Heck, even Canadian Tire lists Storm Door Hardware and Closers.

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