Installation and troubleshooting guide for standard steel doors and frames

SDI Installation and Troubleshooting Guide for Standard Steel Doors and Frames: This document covers field installation problems most commonly experienced with standard steel door and frame installations. SDI Maintenance of Standard Steel Doors and Frames: This document is intended to serve as a general outline of maintenance activities needed for hollow metal doors and frames.

It should be noted that the door and frame are virtually maintenance free. Maintenance will be, for the most part, associated with accessories and hardware attached to the door and frame.

SDI Guidelines for Acoustical Performance of Standard Steel Doors and Frames: This document shall provide guidelines for the specifying, designing, installing, and adjusting of standard steel doors and frames in Sound Control applications. SDI Hinge and Strike Spacing: A reference of standard locations used in the manufacture of steel door and frames by SDI member companies for a variety of door sizes. This document will allow frame manufacturers to provide frames prior to having knowledge of the specific electric hinge being used.

SDI Recommended Specifications for Standard Steel Doors and Frames: This specification for swinging steel doors and frames offers a number of choices in both regular and fire rated door and frame constructions. The user must select from the specification the specific grades of doors and frames that best apply to the project.

They are intended to be standard items not subject to variations. Redesignated as A We can also put you in contact with our specification writing specialists for any additional assistance. Substitution Request Form. G-6 Handing Mar Metric Conversion Mar These types of field installation problems are not intended to be covered in this document and should not be made without first consulting the manufacturer.

Modifications made to fire-rated-labeled doors and frames shall be made in compliance with NFPA To ensure proper door and frame function, the clearance between the door and frame must be properly maintained. If this clearance is not maintained, interference and hardware misalignment may occur.

Proper installation is extremely important in establishing clearances and preventing a multitude of potential problems. The Steel Door Institute has many publications which were developed to establish industry standards and assist in specifying as well as installing standard steel doors and frames. Are hinges loose? If hinge screw does not remain tight, the screw can be held in place by the use of a Loctite-type product which prevents the screw from loosening. Are hinges worn? If excessive wear has occurred on hinge knuckles, the door will not be held tightly.

Replace hinges. Are hinges properly swaged? Swaging is a slight offset of the hinge leaf at the barrel which permits the leaves to come together. Standard-weight to heavy-weight hinge modifications. Although styles and types vary, many manufacturers offer built-in features that allow hinge pockets on doors and frames to be modified from standard-weight to heavy-weight.

Examples of the different methods are: grinding or flattening down raised embossments in shim plates or reinforcements; removing or breaking off hinge filler shim plates; adjusting set screws; and removing wire shims. These options all involve removing material from the pocket to allow for heavy-weight depth to be achieved.

As always, check with individual manufacturers to determine the type of modifications offered. As shown, the hinge leaf knuckles on the door move to a new location once the clearance at the strike jamb is set. The hinge leaf knuckles on the frame must now be reswaged bent to align with the new location of the hinge leaf knuckles on the door.

Simply slip the tube wrench down around the 1st knuckle and align it with the new location. Once the first knuckle has been aligned, the wrench will now slip down to the 2nd knuckle for alignment. Repeat the process on the third knuckle. NOTE : As always, caution should be exercised when the hinge leaves are not removed. As an alternate reswaging method, the hinge can be removed and clamped in a vise for reswaging. Is the door binding? Frames which are out of plumb will likely cause improper operation of locksets and binding of bolts in the strike.

Check carefully the installation of the frame prior to making hardware adjustments. Normally, hinge bind is found between the door and rabbet. There are several ways of shimming which will move the door in different directions. The following guidelines should be used in shim applications. Hinge bind against the frame stops is possible field condition. Again, there are several ways of shimming which will move the door in the desired direction.

The following guideline should be used in shim application. Normal installation results in the plane of the door face being parallel with the plane of the frame face. If the frame is square and plumb, all face surfaces of the frame will be in the same plane. If it is not, the problem is probably with the frame installation and NOT the door. This can usually be done with the door remaining in the frame.

A piece of wood blocking must be placed between the door and frame. However, caution should be exercised on drywall installations since the frame could possibly work lose from the wall, particularly with slip-on drywall type frames. An alternate method can also be used which will allow the door to remain in the opening. This method might be appropriate in drywall installations as previously mentioned. Although the example shown deflects the top half of the door, this method could be used on the bottom half of the door as well.

The two jamb hinge and strike faces are not in the same plane as discussed in the twisted door section. The frame jamb faces are prevented from being set in the same plane because the walls are out of plane to begin with. The options available to correct this problem depend, to a large extent, on the wall construction. Proper frame installation cannot be overemphasized. Improperly set frames that are drastically out of square will cause severe door and hardware problems.

These types of situations would require extensive field repair and may result in having to remove frames from walls. Also, most jambs have corner clips that have a hole to accept a screw.

The corner clip and hole align with a hole in the header. The adjustment of slip-on drywall frames can be made using these anchors or corner clips.

Both hinge and strike jambs are plumb and level. The following examples illustrate how a frame can be set out of square. Loosen the corner clip screws if the frame is so equipped before making adjustments; retighten when finished. The compression anchors must be adjusted turned in opposite directions to allow the jambs to move. For the illustration shown, the strike jamb compression anchor screw must be turned counterclockwise to retract the compression anchor and give room for the frame to be adjusted back into position using the hinge jamb compression anchor.

The hinge jamb compression anchor screw is then turned clockwise to advance the anchor and push the frame towards the room made at the strike jamb. The frame should be brought into square with the header and the hinge jamb compression anchor. Once this is done, the strike jamb compression anchor screw can be turned clockwise, advancing the anchor snug against the stud. The corner slip screws should then be retightened.

The miters do not properly align with one another. In the case of the snap-in type sill anchor, the baseboard trim might have to be removed to gain access to the anchors. This type of anchor is generally used because it can be hidden by covering it with the baseboard trim. If the jambs are toed in at the sills, the compression anchors might have to be retracted slightly so the sill base of the jambs can be pushed out.

The jambs should be plumbed, squared with the header and leveled as they are pushed out into their proper position.

The sill anchors should be reset, the compression anchors adjusted and retightened. The baseboard trim should be reattached to the wall if it had been removed. A similar procedure should be used if the jambs are toed out at the sills. The sill base of the jambs should be pushed in towards the opening. The jambs should be plumbed, squared with the header and leveled as they are pushed into their proper position.

The sill anchors should be reset, the compression anchors adjusted extended and retightened. To correct this condition, the sill anchor must be loosened to allow the bottom of the jamb to be moved in or out as required. In the case of the snap-in type sill anchor, the baseboard trim may have to be removed to gain access to the anchor. If the jamb is toed in at the sill, the compression anchor may have to be retracted slightly so the sill base of the jamb can be pushed out.

The jamb should be plumbed, squared with the header and leveled as it is being pushed out into its proper position. The sill anchor should be reset, the compression anchor adjusted and retightened. A similar procedure should be used when the jamb is toed out at the sill.

The sill base of the jamb should be pushed in towards the opening. The jamb should be plumbed, squared with the header and leveled as it is pushed into its proper position. The sill anchor should be reset, the compression anchor adjusted fastened and retightened.

The importance of proper initial frame installation is evident in this condition. Improperly set frames which have the rabbets drastically toed in or out would require extensive field repair and in most cases require that the wall be entered to gain access to frame anchoring.

The toed in or out condition is worse near the floor. The header prevents the upper portion of the jambs from toeing in or out but as you move away from the header towards the floor, the jambs have greater potential to be toed in our out during installation. This can be checked by placing a straight edge across the face of both jambs. The straight edge should set flat across both faces at the same time.

To gain access to this anchor the baseboard trim must first be removed. Next, the nails or screws holding the anchors to the wall must be removed. This will loosen the jamb and allow it to be squared in the opening.

This holds the sill of the frame in position. This screw is exposed and is readily accessible. However, the frame jambs must be plumb, level, and square with the head of the frame. The below figure shows a condition which can give the impression that the frame is properly installed.

Both jambs can be twisted to create a parallelogram. This can be checked by placing a straight edge across the face of both jambs the straight edge is represented by the dotted line shown below.

The gaps could also be to opposite sides as shown in the Typical Toed In or Out Condition figure on the previous page. Some manufacturers provide a silencer hole in the frame stop to accept a push-in silencer. If the door is held off of the stop rather than being allowed to move slightly towards the stop, the latch tube will fit tighter into the strike.

Three silencers are placed on the strike jamb, one toward the top of the jamb nearer the header and one toward the bottom of the jamb nearer the sill and the third near the strike preparation. If the lockset on the door was not properly aligned with the strike on the frame, interference would occur or the latch bolt would bind in the strike. Since this is not the case; the cause is something other than improper installation. Is the proper strike plate attached to the frame?

An adjustable strike plate is provided. Is the strike plate properly adjusted to prove positive and secure latching? Proper installation of the door and frame are essential. If the door and frame are not properly aligned, the latch bolt could bind in the strike. The following items should be checked:. The previously mentioned items should be checked and any problems corrected.

If the latch continues to tightly engage the strike, additional clearance can be created by filing the strike or bending the latch bolt lip as shown. However, this should only be done as a final option. Minor location adjustments usually can be accomplished by altering the strike plate.

These general steps should be followed for modifying the strike plate. This condition could also be caused by conditions as explained in the Frame Loose on Drywall Section. The available options for correcting this problem are limited. Frames which are permanently anchored to the wall construction such as masonry or steel stud leave few alternatives.