Hinges for metal doors - the nuances of choice

The duration of the service life and the functionality of the entire door unit depends on how correctly selected hinges for metal doors. About what loops happen, and we will tell in this article.

Hinges in the construction of metal doors play an important role, providing a mobile connection between the box and the door frame, making smooth and silent movement of the door. And the loops need not only to choose the right, but also to know how to place and how many loops will be required for this design.

Selection options

When choosing hinges for a metal door should be considered:

• Door block locationits design features (opening to the right or left), as well as the weight of the entire structure, including materials for decoration, locks (see Installing locks in a metal door: easier than you thought), handles, etc.
• How intensively the door will be operated.
• Own aesthetic preferences.

Types of loops

It will help to figure out what loops are GOST 5088-2005.

According to this standard, according to the method of mounting, the hinges are divided into the following types:

1. Screwed
2. Overhead
3. Mortice
4. Hidden (see Hidden door hinges: how to choose and install correctly)
5. Combined

The screw loops are two small cylinders that sit on one another. The cylinder with the pin is welded to the box, and the second, reciprocal, cylinder - to the frame of the door leaf. They are recommended for fairly light metal doors weighing no more than 100 kg.

Overhead and mortise hinges consist of plates in which holes are made to fix them to the box and the canvas. The only difference is in the method of fastening: for mortise hinges, recesses on the door and box are necessary.

The most popular for installation on the entrance door to the residential premises are hidden hinges. When closing the door frame, they become completely invisible, which is their main advantage over other types of hinges.

So:

• First, it is impossible to get to them outside, in order to cut them down and enter the apartment.
• Secondly, the hinges hidden for metal doors allow you to fulfill the aesthetic requirements for the design of the entrance door (see. Finishing of the entrance doors and framing).
• And finally, they make it possible to use without any restrictions any kind of decorative finishes.

Note! If you need the door to open more than 90 degrees, hidden hinges for metal doors will not work for you, since their opening angle is limited.

But this disadvantage is more than compensated for by many positive qualities of such loops, the most important of which is the high reliability of the structure. The door with hidden hinges is almost impossible to crack by knocking or cutting them off. Therefore, such additional protection often becomes the main argument in favor of choosing precisely hidden loops.

In addition, if the hinges are hidden, this allows the installation of doors in the optimal position relative to the door frame. They prevent the drawdown of a heavy door, which the external fastening hinges are not capable of. And bearings or steel balls, placed in the axle, reduce the wear of the door unit and make it very easy to open.

How many loops do you need

By default, metal doors installed in standard doorways are provided with two hinges. But only if the doors weigh no more than 100-150 kg and are operated with normal intensity. Otherwise, it is recommended to hang the metal door on three hinges.

It is very important to optimally arrange the hinges along the height of the door leaf, considering that the main load falls on the lower hinge, and the upper one serves to level the door. Here they adhere to generally accepted standards: they make the distance from the edge of the door leaf to the middle of the lower and upper hinges equal to 25 cm. If necessary, the installation of the third hinge is placed below the upper one not more than 25 cm.

What else to pay attention

According to the already mentioned GOST, the hinges on the opening method are divided into:

• "rights"
• "left"
• universal

The “right” hinges open the door block counterclockwise, the “left” hinges, respectively, in the clockwise direction. Universal adapts to any type of opening, but the design of such loops is integral. That is, if you need to remove the door leaf, universal hinges will have to be dismantled.

Be sure to think about which way it will be more convenient for you to open the door unit before ordering it. And if the metal door is already there, consider the way you open it before buying the hinges.