How to fix a skewed metal door

Recommendation points

• Determination of deformations
• Hanging system type
• Porch and gaps from the door frame
• Replacement of awnings
• Correction of the geometry of the installation box
• Straightening the web
• When do you need to reinstall the door unit

Due to installation errors and simply due to dilapidation, a metal door can significantly surrender in stability. Depending on the type of awnings and door design, various methods of eliminating skewing can be used, including those requiring serious surgical intervention. Let’s talk more about how to eliminate the skew of a metal door.

Determination of deformations

Curved door leaf, wear on awnings or deformation of the installation frame? Damage to a metal door block can have a number of reasons, each of which is manifested by a number of characteristic signs. Therefore, you should start with an accurate diagnosis..

For heavy safe doors, sagging of the leaf is most typical due to deformation of the hinges or their attachment points. In this case, an uneven gap is observed along the contour of the porch between the frame of the canvas and the inner edges of the box. The end result of such a defect will be the appearance of pastes, usually at the top of the hinge side and the bottom of the lock..

Deformation of the leaf of a metal door is also a very common phenomenon. The problem is that a thin steel sheet is reinforced with stiffening ribs, the connection is made by electric arc welding. With this manufacturing method, the manufacturing process should include a low tempering procedure to eliminate residual stresses near the welds. If the steel structure does not undergo heat treatment, lenticular and helical twisting of the leaf is only a matter of time, especially when making a door from a thin (0.75-1 mm) metal. Twisting is most intense during dynamic temperature operation. The most obvious consequence of such a defect will be problems with locking the locks, as well as the uneven formation of through slots along the contour of the vestibule.

If, when opening the door, over time, it begins to touch the floor, and when trying to lift the canvas, a noticeable backlash is observed, most likely the reason lies in a violation of the installation technology. At the same time, it is possible to note the accumulation of construction dust on the floor at the edges of the door frame, as well as the formation of cracks in the adjacent sections of the wall and the loose fit of the platbands. The essence of the problem is simple – the fastening of the door in the wall is weakened, a complete reinstallation is required.

Hanging system type

Worn and deformed hinges are the most common cause of door distortion. Usually, damage to canopies is clearly visible with the naked eye: the hollow cylinder of the hinge has an uneven offset from the surface of the box. The problem is compounded when the door is hung on hidden hinges, as well as when the supporting rubbing surfaces are worn. In the latter case, the door sags evenly, that is, in the upper part the mock gap is much wider than in the lower one. In some cases, the situation can be corrected by adjusting the hinges, but for this the pin must have a threaded fit in the glass.

Hinges, which are mechanically attached to the canvas and the box, are easier and more difficult to fix at the same time. The ease of repair lies in the fact that there is no need for welding. Problems arise when it is not the pivoting mechanism itself that is deformed, but the bending of the door body or frame takes place. Such defects are typical for cheap hollow sheet doors. Manufacturers of heavier products often rely on awnings to be consumable and structurally provide for a simple replacement procedure..

Porch and gaps from the door frame

In the production of metal doors, there is a system of tolerances for compliance with dimensions and geometry. The most stringent requirements are imposed on maintaining the common plane in two places: the projections of the door leaf behind the frame and on the front edges of the door frame. For safe doors, alignment of the common plane of the door leaf and platbands, as well as parallelism of the ends of the leaf and the inner edges of the frame, is required. In other words, in the closed position, the adjacent parts should converge as tightly as possible..

It should be understood that the deviation of the clearances from the norm is not always a consequence of operational wear. Quite often, the door block initially has an incorrect geometry, which is simply not paid attention to when accepting the door. You can check the coincidence of the key planes using a laser level, it is enough to build a vertical axis and align it, taking one of the vertical edges of the door frame as a base. By beating off all the corners and sides of the false part at the target, you can find out which part of the door frame is bent. It is even easier to check the door; for this, a correct ruler with an accuracy class of 0.5 mm / m is used. The dimensions of the leaf and doorway are checked both along parallel sides and diagonally.

The factor of violation of the shape and size during manufacture must be excluded without fail, because if it is present, attempts to correct the position of the door will not lead to a positive result. The discrepancy between the basic geometry is a direct reason to contact the door manufacturer about replacing a substandard product. However, remember that for every metal door there is also a tolerance for reversible deformation, which appears due to the temperature difference on both sides of the leaf. Therefore, a control check of the geometry should be carried out at least twice a year..

Replacement of awnings

The installation of new hinges with mechanical fastening can be done independently with only one hex key. First, you need to support and fix the door in a half-open position with a dawn width sufficient for comfortable work. The loops are changed sequentially so there is no significant drawdown. Upon completion of work, it is necessary to make an adjustment, the process of which is carefully described in the instructions for a particular type of hinge. Additional difficulties can arise when the metal is deformed in the frame of the leaf or the racks of the door frame. In such situations, it is required to cut out repair windows, straighten the deformed section and reinforce it with a steel plate applied from the inside with an approach to intact parts of at least one third of the total length in both directions..

Heavy outer hinges are more difficult to replace. The first problems are observed already at the stage of choosing spare parts for replacement. If the hinges are made to order, take the trouble to ensure they are hardened at the end of production, because the pins tend to bend back precisely because of the dampness of the metal. The manufacture of hinges with the expectation of installing a support ball bearing is also encouraged..

When replacing hinges, it makes sense to install more of them, which will help compensate for the heaviness of the door leaf. The procedure is as follows: the door is removed from the hinges, the canopies are cut off with a cutting wheel on both sides, and the welding marks are carefully cleaned. Further, the door is tightly pressed against the frame, while from the inside with the help of mounting wedges, an equal gap is set on all sides of the porch. You need to weld the hinges first on the tacks at four points, then make sure that the installation is correct and remove the doors from the hinges. You can even weld canopies with an ordinary coated electrode, the main thing is to do this in the lower position with a seam with frequent separation. The hinges are welded to the door frame in the vertical position of the seam from the bottom up. In order not to damage the rolling body, it is first removed from the glass together with the grease packed inside.

Correction of the geometry of the installation box

While the leaf of a metal door cannot bend in its own plane due to its high rigidity, the installation frame can deform noticeably. The reason for this can be both pressure from the unreinforced opening, and simply deflection under the weight of the hinged door. Usually, to eliminate this effect, the door block is equipped with a distributed anchor fastening, which remains entirely on the conscience of the installers..

It is quite easy to fix the geometry of the steel frame. To do this, you need to determine the base – the flattest side of the box, located as close as possible to any of the normals. Using the method described above using a laser axis builder, you need to draw a deformation map in order to know exactly in which direction and how much the remaining edges should be shifted..

The curved sides of the door frame are partially cut: you need to clean out the foam or cement joint and provide a gap sufficient for alignment. Next, you need to drill into the ends of the opening and place a row of anchors directed along the axes to counter the forces directed to align the frame. It is recommended to use expansion anchors for concrete walls, chemical anchors for loose and cellular ones. The thickness of the studs in both cases should be comparable to the overall cross-section of the box profile. Further actions are obvious: using levers and spacers, the frame is given the correct shape, after which the entire block is attached to the anchors by welding.

Straightening the web

The door leaf itself can be bent in directions parallel to its own plane, that is, with a propeller, twisting and swelling. Usually, the thickness of the steel sheet in the web is small enough to carry out leveling, albeit with the preservation of residual stresses.

This will require the removal and disassembly of the door, removal of the inner lining, insulation, locks and locking system of the crossbars. The essence of straightening is to install additional stiffeners located in the direction of bending. That is, if the central part of the door is curved outward, and the upper and lower edges are wrapped inward, the stiffener is installed vertically. Accordingly, when bending along the vertical axis, one or more horizontal ribs must be installed, and when screw-like twisting, diagonal.

Straightening the canvas in this way does not just require subsequent painting and replacing the filler, this work must be done with feeling and understanding of the matter. Previously, it may be necessary to completely or fragmentarily remove all stiffening edges, except for the edging. Before installing new reinforcing elements, the door must be laid on a flat plane, and then, using lining and oppression, bend the canvas in the direction opposite to the direction of curvature. In this case, reverse deformation should be performed with a certain margin that compensates for the elasticity of the metal.

When do you need to reinstall the door unit

Summarizing the above, it can be argued that even a very strong skew and deformation of the door must be corrected. However, there are situations in which half measures cannot be dispensed with..

We are talking about such installation defects in which the door is jammed or has insufficiently strong fastening in the opening. So, in the design of the frame of a heavy safe door, external kerchiefs must be provided in the corners, which perceive the compression and tension loads from the massive door leaf. The side of the frame with hinges must be reinforced with multidirectional crossbars or anchors that go into the body of the wall at least 25-30 cm.

If these and similar requirements for the installation of metal doors have not been met, then even a very careful alignment work will eventually be useless. The correct solution would be to carry out a complete dismantling with a temporary installation of the cheapest door, and then correct the geometry of the removed door block and mount it back, observing all the rules and requirements.