I apologize in advance if this is off topic. I did a number of searches
this is the closest I could find to what I am looking for. (Please
recommend another ng if it is. Thanks!)

This is my problem. We have a door that goes from the house into a cold,
non-heated breezeway. We have to open and shut the door whenever we go to
the cellar to do the laundary. Unfortunately, the door does not stay shut
as the gap between the door and sides are a bit too wide. I would imagine
the door is not alligned right either.

To compansate for this problem we stick a dish towel in between the door and
the sides to give it enough friction to hold. Then, when we come back
upstairs we lock the door with a bolt and don't need the towel any longer.

Over the years the people at Home Depot and others have recommended putting
a strip of insulation type stripping between the door and side. I have had
some success, but the gap is too narrow and eventually the strip comes off
because of excess friction due the narrowness of gap. This is an old door
so the gap is probably not equal everywhere.
My question, is there any other materials I could put between the door to
increase the friction besides these weather type strippings? They are
generally about 1/8-1/4 inch I presume. And, they always come undone. If I
had any woodworking ability I would work on setting the hinges right, but to
be honest I wouldn't have a clue on how to do that.
Thanks for any feedback and sorry if I offend anyone if I posted in the
wrong ng.
Charlie

"Charlie S." writes:


[...]

This is my problem. We have a door that goes from the house into a cold,
non-heated breezeway. We have to open and shut the door whenever we go to
the cellar to do the laundary. Unfortunately, the door does not stay shut
as the gap between the door and sides are a bit too wide. I would imagine
the door is not alligned right either.

Either install a door closing mechanism, so that the door will close
by itself or maybe add a magnet to the frame and a piece of iron to
the door so that it's kept closed.

[...]

generally about 1/8-1/4 inch I presume. And, they always come undone. If I
had any woodworking ability I would work on setting the hinges right, but to
be honest I wouldn't have a clue on how to do that.

Without you telling what kind of hinges the door has it's imposible to
help you there...

--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23

This is my problem. We have a door that goes from the house into a cold,
non-heated breezeway. We have to open and shut the door whenever we go
to
the cellar to do the laundary. Unfortunately, the door does not stay
shut
as the gap between the door and sides are a bit too wide. I would imagine
the door is not alligned right either.

Either install a door closing mechanism, so that the door will close
by itself or maybe add a magnet to the frame and a piece of iron to
the door so that it's kept closed.

Closing mechanism. as like those found on a swinging screen door ? Or, are
you referring to something else?

Would they sell this magnet/metal piece at Home Depot?

[...]

generally about 1/8-1/4 inch I presume. And, they always come undone.
If I
had any woodworking ability I would work on setting the hinges right, but
to
be honest I wouldn't have a clue on how to do that.

Without you telling what kind of hinges the door has it's imposible to
help you there...

The door has two hinges with layers of paint caked over them. There is a
large pin with a ball shaped top holding the door in place. The door swings
inward toward the kitchen. One flat part of the hinge lies flat against the
frame. While the other part is on the side of the door. The the pin and
casing is on the kitchen side. Removing the screws may prove to be a chore.
But, the pin seems freely movable. As though someone had moved it recently.

--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23

Charlie S. asks:

Either install a door closing mechanism, so that the door will close
by itself or maybe add a magnet to the frame and a piece of iron to
the door so that it's kept closed.

Closing mechanism. as like those found on a swinging screen door ? Or, are
you referring to something else?

A pneumatic closer, I'd guess. They are easy to install, not super expensive,
and will solve your problem. You'll see counterparts on many commercial doors,
restrooms, etc. You'd probably need one of the ligest duty models available.

Screen door springs *might* work if your door weighs about what a screen door
does.

Charlie Self
"One of the common denominators I have found is that expectations rise above
that which is expected." George W. Bush

otforme (Charlie Self) writes:

Charlie S. asks:

Either install a door closing mechanism, so that the door will close
by itself or maybe add a magnet to the frame and a piece of iron to
the door so that it's kept closed.

Closing mechanism. as like those found on a swinging screen door ? Or, are
you referring to something else?

A pneumatic closer, I'd guess. They are easy to install, not super expensive,

I thought of someting much simpler, which works however only for doors
that open only to one side: It consits of two metal blocks, one is
screwed to the door frame and one to the door itself, and a metal rod
that sits between the two blocks. If you open the door the rod will
now push the door upwards, so the weight of the door will now try to
push it closed again. Another advantage of this is that the door may
be lifted above carpets. How is this device called?

--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23

On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 18:25:27 GMT, "Charlie S."
wrote:



This is my problem. We have a door that goes from the house into a cold,
non-heated breezeway. We have to open and shut the door whenever we go
to
the cellar to do the laundary. Unfortunately, the door does not stay
shut
as the gap between the door and sides are a bit too wide. I would imagine
the door is not alligned right either.

Either install a door closing mechanism, so that the door will close
by itself or maybe add a magnet to the frame and a piece of iron to
the door so that it's kept closed.

Closing mechanism. as like those found on a swinging screen door ? Or, are
you referring to something else?

there are about a billion ways to do it.

one way you might look into is a self closing hinge as used on fire
doors. it's a pretty inexpensive piece of hardware and readily
available.

another is a mechanism made by ryobi called "doorman"

another might involve pulleys and rope with a weight.





Would they sell this magnet/metal piece at Home Depot?

you'll probably do better at a hardware store. magnetic catches are
usually used for cabinet doors- you might have a hard time finding one
strong enough to hold an entry door.





[...]

generally about 1/8-1/4 inch I presume. And, they always come undone.
If I
had any woodworking ability I would work on setting the hinges right, but
to
be honest I wouldn't have a clue on how to do that.

Without you telling what kind of hinges the door has it's imposible to
help you there...

The door has two hinges with layers of paint caked over them. There is a
large pin with a ball shaped top holding the door in place. The door swings
inward toward the kitchen. One flat part of the hinge lies flat against the
frame. While the other part is on the side of the door. The the pin and
casing is on the kitchen side. Removing the screws may prove to be a chore.


But, the pin seems freely movable. As though someone had moved it recently.

yep. every time the door gets opened/ closed....

Sat, Jan 15, 2005, 1:23pm (EST-2) s says:
snip another might involve pulleys and rope with a weight. snip

Don't even need pulleys. Couple of screw eyes will work, if you
want to be elegent. Couple of nails, if not.



JOAT
Success is getting what you want.
Happiness is wanting what you get.
- =A0Dale Carnegie

Charlie S. wrote:
This is my problem. We have a door that goes from the house into a cold,
non-heated breezeway. We have to open and shut the door whenever we go
to
the cellar to do the laundary. Unfortunately, the door does not stay
shut
as the gap between the door and sides are a bit too wide. I would imagine
the door is not alligned right either.

Either install a door closing mechanism, so that the door will close
by itself or maybe add a magnet to the frame and a piece of iron to
the door so that it's kept closed.


Closing mechanism. as like those found on a swinging screen door ? Or, are
you referring to something else?

Would they sell this magnet/metal piece at Home Depot?

[...]


generally about 1/8-1/4 inch I presume. And, they always come undone.
If I
had any woodworking ability I would work on setting the hinges right, but
to
be honest I wouldn't have a clue on how to do that.

Without you telling what kind of hinges the door has it's imposible to
help you there...


The door has two hinges with layers of paint caked over them. There is a
large pin with a ball shaped top holding the door in place. The door swings
inward toward the kitchen. One flat part of the hinge lies flat against the
frame. While the other part is on the side of the door. The the pin and
casing is on the kitchen side. Removing the screws may prove to be a chore.
But, the pin seems freely movable. As though someone had moved it recently.

--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23




Forget the hinges, that has nothing to do with holding the
door closed. I don't really understand. Doesn't the door
have a knob and a latch? If it has a latch,do you mean the
door frame is so far away from the door edge that the latch
won't catch. If it has no latch just install one. All
kinds including regular door ones (difficult if you don't
know anything about wood working or the kinds that go on
gates (simple). If you don't want a latch, then why don't
you just install a spring from the frame to opening side of
door, just like old fashioned screen doors? A screen door
spring would take about 5 minutes to install.

Charlie S. wrote:
This is my problem. We have a door that goes from the house into a
cold,
non-heated breezeway. We have to open and shut the door whenever we go
to
the cellar to do the laundary. Unfortunately, the door does not stay
shut
as the gap between the door and sides are a bit too wide. I would
imagine
the door is not alligned right either.

Either install a door closing mechanism, so that the door will close
by itself or maybe add a magnet to the frame and a piece of iron to
the door so that it's kept closed.


Closing mechanism. as like those found on a swinging screen door ? Or,
are you referring to something else?

Would they sell this magnet/metal piece at Home Depot?

[...]


generally about 1/8-1/4 inch I presume. And, they always come undone.
If I
had any woodworking ability I would work on setting the hinges right,
but to
be honest I wouldn't have a clue on how to do that.

Without you telling what kind of hinges the door has it's imposible to
help you there...


The door has two hinges with layers of paint caked over them. There is a
large pin with a ball shaped top holding the door in place. The door
swings inward toward the kitchen. One flat part of the hinge lies flat
against the frame. While the other part is on the side of the door. The
the pin and casing is on the kitchen side. Removing the screws may prove
to be a chore. But, the pin seems freely movable. As though someone had
moved it recently.

--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23




Forget the hinges, that has nothing to do with holding the door closed. I
don't really understand. Doesn't the door have a knob and a latch? If it
has a latch,do you mean the door frame is so far away from the door edge
that the latch won't catch. If it has no latch just install one. All
kinds including regular door ones (difficult if you don't know anything
about wood working or the kinds that go on gates (simple). If you don't
want a latch, then why don't you just install a spring from the frame to
opening side of door, just like old fashioned screen doors? A screen door
spring would take about 5 minutes to install.

I should have mentioned it earlier. The door does have a knob and latch (I
presume by latch you mean the thing that goes in and out when you turn the
door knob.) It's a very old door the door knob doesn't work. It rotates,
but doesn't turn the 'latch'. I think I could install a latch. I've
installed locks in doors. This couldn't be any more difficult. Although,
don't be surprised if I am back here trying to find out how take the old
knob off:-)

The spring idea seems rather simple. And, that would do the trick too.

To be honest all the ideas suggested are very good. I am going to copy and
post them to a Word document and make my decision. The good news is I am
confident all of these ideas will work. I thank all of you for your help.
No more towels in the door. What a relief!!!

Installing new door knob mechanism may be a good place to start. It would
cut down on the drafts too. I am a bit worried that this being an old door,
it might look funny with a new door handle. It's an old door with a large
square window on top with three panel-like 7" x 22" cut outs beneath. It's
not the most attractive door, but it fits with the decor of the house.

Just went into the kitchen to look at the door again. It looks better than
I thought. It just needs a little paint and for me to remove and replace
some of the old tattered insulation strips I put up in the past. Looking at
some of the detailing around these insets I realize it would cost big bucks
to have one of these doors custom made.

These house doors are keeping me busy. Last week I spent a half hour
adjusting the bolt receptor so it would align perfectly with the lock bolt.
I also have an old wooden door that coming off it's hinges. The hinge
attaches to the frame and side of the door. The door swings inward. The pin
mechanism is also inside. It has a large pin with a roundish ball at the
top and bottom of it. The screws are coming out of the where the hinge
meets the frame. Especially at the top and bottom of the hinges. We have to
lift the door to open and close/lock it. It rest on carpet so it takes some
effort. This is another thing we've lived with for years. What should I
do? Just install longer screws? Or, should I prep the frame somehow so
that it will hold the screws more securely?

"Charlie S." wrote in message
news:L8lGd.1213$cx2.386@trndny03...

I should have mentioned it earlier. The door does have a knob and latch
(I
presume by latch you mean the thing that goes in and out when you turn the
door knob.) It's a very old door the door knob doesn't work. It rotates,
but doesn't turn the 'latch'. I think I could install a latch. I've
installed locks in doors. This couldn't be any more difficult. Although,
don't be surprised if I am back here trying to find out how take the old
knob off:-)

OK I am a locksmith, Iam here to help. If it a really old door (pre war)
then you probably have a mortise lock. These have a metal box set into a
pocket in the edge of the door. To remove these you need to unscrew the set
screw on the knob spindle. Once this is loose the knob unthreads from the
spindle. The spindle then will slide out.
you can then remove two screws from the edge of the door. the box can then
slide out. It might be stuck. If so use a utility knife to cut throughteh
paint film around the edge of the box, and reinsert the spindle holding both
sides of the spindle.

With the box out of the door you can bring it to your local locksmith to
replace the spring.

If the knob is the newer style there is probably a couple of screws in the
inside rose. If there is no exposed screws look on the edge of the door.
There should be a brand name. Tell me what that is.


I also have an old wooden door that coming off it's hinges. The hinge
attaches to the frame and side of the door. The door swings inward. The
pin
mechanism is also inside. It has a large pin with a roundish ball at the
top and bottom of it. The screws are coming out of the where the hinge
meets the frame. Especially at the top and bottom of the hinges. We have
to
lift the door to open and close/lock it. It rest on carpet so it takes
some
effort. This is another thing we've lived with for years. What should I
do? Just install longer screws? Or, should I prep the frame somehow so
that it will hold the screws more securely?


This is usually an easy fix. Remove the screw and drive in a wood dowel.
then replace the screw. This should snug the hinge up. If the wood is
really chewed up I will drill a clean hole and glue in a bigger dowel. The
problem with using larger screws is that the screws have larger heads and
that prevents the hinge from closing fully. this then rips out the screws
when the door is forced closed.

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

You might want to look at the alt.home.repair newsgroup.

"Tom O'Connor" wrote in message
...
You might want to look at the alt.home.repair newsgroup.

Thanks! After I get these door questions straightened out I'll got there for
house repairs. I have a broken chair taht needs repairing. I may be back
soon. Too much to take on now.

How about taking the door pin out, lay it on a hard flat surface, hit
the center of the pin with a hammer. Now you have a bowed pin. Put the
pin back in. The door should should stay closed now. If not, do the
other pin. If that don't suit ya, then straighten the pins.. You are now
back where you started
I do that in order to keep the door from closing by it's self.

Tom.

"Tom M" wrote in message
...
How about taking the door pin out, lay it on a hard flat surface, hit
the center of the pin with a hammer. Now you have a bowed pin. Put the
pin back in. The door should should stay closed now. If not, do the
other pin. If that don't suit ya, then straighten the pins.. You are now
back where you started
I do that in order to keep the door from closing by it's self.

What a creative solution. I don't plan to use it, but I bet it would work.