There are 5 different surface mounting options for door closers. Each installation option can only be used if certain conditions are met at the opening. Not every door closer installation option is available for every opening. One of the main determinants of the installation options is the type of closing arm that comes with the door closer. Other considerations include the position of the opening, the size frame of the upper magnetic head, the door with the size of the top guide rail, the display, the door with the size used, and aesthetics. Some of the installation options are more commonly used than others. In this article, we will focus on surface mounted door closers, as they are more common than hidden door closers.
1. Conventional arm installation
The door closer with a conventional arm will be installed on the pull side of the opening, the closer body will be installed on the top of the door, and the closer arm will be installed on the surface of the frame head. The near main body will require the top guide rail of the door to be wide enough for installation, otherwise the mounting plate will be required for correct installation.
2. Parallel arm installation
The parallel arm door closer is installed on the pushing side of the opening, the adjacent main body is installed on the top of the door, and the parallel arm is fixed in the arch web of the frame head. If the top rail of the door is narrow, the closure requires a mounting plate. When the door is closed, the parallel closing arm folds so that it is parallel to the surface of the door to make it less obvious, and is preferred when considering aesthetics. The parallel arms also travel in such a way as to allow for the addition of built-in closing arm stops, thereby allowing more control at the opening.
3. Top arm installation
The door closer installed on the top side column is used for the narrow top guide rail of the door and needs to be installed on the pushing side of the opening. Since the close main body is installed on the surface of the frame head and the arm is attached to the surface of the door, it is more beautiful to some extent than to use the mounting plate to install the closed main body on the surface of the door. The length of the arm is based on the exposure dimension considerations.
4. Crawler arm installation
The crawler door closer has a roller. When the door is opened and closed, the roller travels along the metal channel track, and the crawler arm can be installed on the pushing or pulling side of the opening. In both cases, the nearest body is mounted on the surface of the door. For push side installations, the rails are attached to the soffit of the frame head. When installed on the pull side, the rail is installed on the surface of the frame head. However, the closing force on the track arm is not always as strong as the traditional closing arm.
5. Angle bracket
Corner bracket mounted door closers are the least common of the surface mounted door closer options. In fact, it is only required when the door has inclined or arched top guide rails. A bracket is attached to the pull side of the opening at the top corner of the frame, and the shutter body is installed on the bracket when the arm is attached to the surface of the door. When the door is open, the corner bracket will protrude into the clear width opening of the frame, which may cause clearance problems.