John Podgorski pulls a Rixson floor closer and a closer case from warehouse shelves
Salt. Slamming. Oxidation. Abuse.
These culprits cause most of the trouble with concealed closers on commercial doors.
“People take their doors for granted,” says John Podgorski. “They neglect them until they fail.”
John, who has 43 years of experience with Rixson Specialty Door Control products, is Anderson Lock’s balanced and revolving door expert. He recommends checking entrance doors on a regular basis to look for noticeable changes– like white, powdery deterioration on metal doors and frames, and loose knuckles, or alignment issues with top and intermediate pivots– to assure the maximum lifespan of the large, heavy, metal-and-glass doors that open into most downtown buildings.
Anderson Lock service techs frequently find hardware that is original to buildings, dating as far back as the 1930’s. Rixson closers and pivots are built to last, but eventually, they will need to be replaced.
While wondering if preventive maintenance is a ‘thing of the past,’ John strongly suggests assessing functionality of exterior doors in the summertime. “To replace a concealed closer, we have to remove the door from the opening. In warm weather it’s not usually a problem, but no one likes to have cold, windy, rainy weather coming into their building for the several hours it takes to replace an often corroded closer.” Even if it’s only weatherstripping that needs replacement, a service call in the summertime is preferable to one when harsh weather is likely.
Because the sources of problems with the mechanical hardware on balanced doors are challenging to identify, John, or one of our other technically trained service techs, will make a site visit to determine the exact hardware required, and extent of the work to be done.
Rixson is the leading provider of concealed closers, pivots and mechanical/electromechanical door holders. Anderson Lock is an authorized distributor for Rixson, as well as for Dorma, Jackson and LCN. We service Ellison Bronze balanced doors, and Crane and International Revolving Doors.
Anderson Lock provides full-service solutions for all types of commercial doors, assuring that security and life safety needs will always be met.