If you want to notice door maintenance issues wherever you go, just come and work at LockNet. You will officially become a door nerd and will never look at doors and locks the same way again.

I always made fun of my parents and brother growing up, because they constantly inspected doors wherever we went. As a teenager, I was mildly mortified.

Now that I’m a part of the family business, I have a message for my daughters: I officially apologize that Mommy and Daddy will subject you to the same embarrassment as you grow up.

Given that I have inherited the door nerd tendencies, here are the top five door maintenance issues that I notice when I’m out and about.
 
 

Top 5 Door Maintenance Issues

Improperly Adjusted Closers

Improperly adjusted door closers are perhaps my biggest pet peeve when it comes to door maintenance.

Have you ever felt like it takes herculean force to open a door, or felt like the door was going to slam you in the back on your way out? If so, you have noticed this issue as well.

It’s simple to adjust a closer. There is a bolt on the closer body that you tighten or loosen to adjust the speed at which the door closes.

Sagging Lever Sets

On my drive home from vacation last week, I came across a few lever sets that irked the inner door nerd in me. While lever sets with sagging handles still function properly, they look unsightly.

Some lever sets can easily be repaired; however, there are certain brands of lever sets that would need to be replaced. Unfortunately, the only way to know which option you require is to have a technician look at the lock.

Dragging Doors

I always cringe a little when I come across dragging doors. Not only does it look unsightly and sound horrible, but it also will lead to a host of other door maintenance problems.

Unfortunately, dragging doors aren’t always an easy fix. While it can be as simple as adjusting the hinges, there could be an issue with the frame.

If you do have a dragging door, it’s very important that you call a technician to repair the issue.  While he/she is there, ask the technician to inspect the hardware once the alignment is corrected to ensure that there are no additional door maintenance issues caused by the improper door alignment..

Code Violations

I have a few pictures on my phone of egregious code violations. One of the worst I came across was a padlocked emergency exit.

Other violations I have seen range from blocked exits, to improper use of delayed egress, to knob sets rather than lever sets.

Wrong Hardware Application

The more time I spend in the industry, the more frequently I notice this type of door maintenance issue. While the hardware is perfectly functional, I may question the use of that specific product, or think of a better product for that application.

For example, I was leaving a store on a windy day, and the door was struggling to close all the way by itself. The force of the wind was catching the door.

I looked at the closer and noticed that it was not a grade 1 closer, and it did not have a dead stop. For exterior doors, we recommend grade one closers with some type of dead stop. This prevents doors from being blown open.

Now that I have shared my inner door nerd observations, I’d love to hear some of yours! What door maintenance issues do you notice?