Deactivate and Replace  

Architects love sleek lines. One way they do this is by hiding things, like door closers. If you have gotten a call to service a concealed or internal door closer, you know they can be a pain, especially if the call is to replace it. It can be a two-man job and the door must be removed. If it’s double-acting, then some need to be preloaded before the door is reinstalled. 

All these problems are just money to an experienced locksmith, but they are beyond the capabilities of the average maintenance man. I often offer a solution that allows the internal or concealed door closer to be deactivated and an external closer be installed. This allows easy replacement and service.

There are many types of concealed closers; some are in the header, and some are in the threshold. Also, there are many brands, including some that are no longer manufactured. For this article, the pictures are of some common header types, but I have done this procedure on floor mounts too.

The header types can be divided again into two types, with an arm and without. The ones with an arm are easy to deactivate because you simply remove the arm. This type of setup will have pivots or hinges. Most times it’s best to remove the closer as well. It’s still an easy, one-man job and the door doesn’t need to come down. But this article is not about easy. Read on.

Door closers without an arm combine both the pivot and the closer into one part. Now it’s time for the door to come down and to add a deactivation kit to the pivot. It’s quite simple. The pivot is square beforehand and we will turn it into a circle. Then it pivots without loading the closer.

You will need to order a NDC-102 Swing-Free End-Load Arm for Center-Hung Overhead Concealed Closers from CRL. I don’t know if there are alternatives. Also, order your external door closer of choice and drop plates if needed.

On the job, the first step is to remove the door. The top bracket that must be removed can be in two different places. Some are located on the face of the door at top, opposite the opening side. Others are on the backside of the stile and door must be opened to allow access. Some have a screw that, once removed, will allow a panel to be removed.

Now you should see the bracket that must be removed. Usually, two Allen socket screws will be all that’s needed. Some of these doors are heavy, some light, but you need two people. One mistake and there’s no profit for you. You want someone holding that door when you remove the bracket. Most times it won’t fall because the bottom screw still needs to be removed but you never know.

After the top bracket is removed, you will find another panel at bottom of door with one screw holding it on. Remove that and you should see an Allen socket screw that needs to come out. These are low to ground and often rusted, so some penetration lube would be advised. We broke this screw on our last job and had to fabricate another, which was wasted time.

Now the door should be free. Pull towards you to remove it and set it up on sawhorses so you can access the top of door. You will find another part that has two functions. One is the other half of the bracket that you previously removed and the other is a set of adjustment bolts. It’s held in place by a couple of screws. Remove it completely and install part from your kit. This kit has a couple of names, “internal closer neutralization kit” and “swing free end load arm force.”  I included a picture of the package for ordering purposes.

The screw holes that are on the door may be reused for the bracket. For one or both, you may need to drill and tap new holes. The bracket has two pieces. Put the part that makes the square hub round on first, then slide the door into place, install the two hex socket screws and reinstall bottom set screw. Your door should be free swinging now.

The last thing to do is install your external door closer. You will need to be careful because the old closer is still inside the frame. If you run a screw in too far, you will be cleaning up oil for days. Don’t ask how I know this. I shorten the screws that are close to the old closer.

There’s great money in door closers. When I started working on them back in the 1980s in Atlanta, we would take them in for repair to a local rebuild shop. Atlanta is much older with closers that date back to when they were first invented. We don’t see them that old here in Sarasota, Florida. I hope this gives you some alternatives. Stay safe out there.

Bryan Kruysman, CML, is the president of Suncoast Safe and Lock in Sarasota, Florida.