Manufacturing / Industrial • Inspections

Quarterly Door Closer Adjustment

A closer with backcheck ensures the opening motion of a door is hydraulically dampened from an opening angle of approximately 75o. Backcheck essentially stops a door from being thrown open.

Kenco Maintenance

05/20/2024

Quarterly Door Closer Adjustment

A closer with backcheck ensures the opening motion of a door is hydraulically dampened from an opening angle of approximately 75o. Backcheck essentially stops a door from being thrown open.

Refer to the attached photo for reference.

1.) REMOVE THE COVER. (If you can’t see the adjustment valves, then the closer has a cover that needs to be removed. If there are fasteners, loosen them and slide the cover off. If there are no fasteners, the cover is held on by tension and you can just pull it off. You should now be able to see the adjustment valves.)

2.) CLOSE ALL OF THE VALVES. (Close the three hydraulic valves by turning them clockwise until they stop.)

3.) ADJUST THE BACKCHECK. (Make 1.25-1.5 turns counterclockwise and open the door to make sure it comes to a steady, hard stop. At about 75 degrees, the door should start to slow down so that it does not slam into the surface behind or get caught by the wind. Turning the valve counterclockwise will make the door open wider.)

4.) ADJUST THE SWEEP/MAIN SPEED. (Make 1.5-2 turns counterclockwise to adjust the closing speed of the door. Turning the valve clockwise will slow down the closing speed.)

5.) ADJUST THE LATCHING SPEED. (Make 1.5-2 turns counterclockwise to achieve your desired latching speed. The correct latch speed depends on the situation. If it is an outside door, you may want to increase the latch speed (counterclockwise) so it snaps closed a little faster. If it is an office door, you may want to slow it down (clockwise) so it does not slam.)

6.) TEST THE DOOR. (Open and close the door a few times to test the adjustments and modify as needed. Remember to make small adjustments at a time; even an eighth of a turn can make a big difference! Rotate the valves clockwise to decrease the speed of the closer and counterclockwise to increase the speed. To see this process in action, check out the video below.)

Source: Kenco Maintenance (Community Member)