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What Is A Concealed Door Closer?

What Is A Concealed Door Closer?

A concealed door closer is a spring and hydraulic closing device that is mounted overhead in the frame's transom or under the floor. Many people new to the door hardware industry often call these closers, "hidden door closers". In this guide we explain what exactly a concealed door closer is and how to identify one.

Types Of Concealed Door Closers

Concealed door closers come in two main types: overhead concealed and under the floor concealed.

Overhead Concealed Doors Closers


OHC Door Closer Application

Overhead concealed closers are often used in aluminum storefront glass doors where preserving the original look of the building storefront and glass is important. Unlike a conventional surface mount door closer which remains visible to the interior side of the door or frame, overhead concealed door closers are completely hidden from the public eye and tucked away inside of the door's frame.



OHC Door Closer - How It Works

An overhead concealed door closer is commonly referred to by the trade as an "OHC closer". The overhead concealed closer mounts to two end brackets that are fastened inside of the storefront door's transom frame, directly above the door. Overhead concealed door closers are center hung, meaning the pivot on the closer body is centered with the heel stile of the aluminum door. The door closer arm mounts directly to the top of the aluminum door web. The overhead concealed door closer utilizes the same technology as a surface mount door closer, which is comprised of an internal spring and hydraulics. As the door swings open, the internal spring of the door closer compresses. When the pedestrian passes through the door way, the internal spring decompresses back to it's original length causing the door to close. As the door closes hydraulic fluid passes through small channels inside of the door closer body. Standard overhead concealed door closers have two main channels which hydraulic fluid flows and are controlled by valves. The valves can be adjusted to control the rate of hydraulic fluid flow in the channel. The two valves that are standard on overhead concealed door closers include a main closing speed and a latch speed. These adjustment valves are important because it allows the overhead concealed door closer to be adjusted to meet ADA standards.



Concealed Floor Closers


In Ground Closer Application

Another type of concealed door closer mentioned is the under floor door closer which is mounted in the ground, flush with the floor. Floor closers are primarily used in historical building applications where preserving the original vintage look of the door is a priority. Many historical doors are often arched at the top making it impossible for a surface mount door closer to mount. A concealed floor closer is the only solution for an arched door. In this guide we explain what a concealed door closer is.



Floor Closer - How It Works

In floor closers essentially work in the same manner as overhead concealed door closers or surface mount door closers. Floor closers utilize spring and hydraulics in order to close the door. The main difference between floor closers and other closer types is the shape of the door closer body. Floor closer bodies are often much larger and are installed inside of a special plastic housing that is placed in the floor. Floor closers are designed to sit inside of the plastic housing flush in the ground. Cement is poured into the plastic housing to secure the floor closer in place. The floor closers are often mounted center hung or offset hung. Center hung floor closers have an arm spindle which is centered with the heel side of the door. While offset hung floor closers have an arm spindle which is offset from the heel side of the door.



Conclusion

Although concealed closers are not as popular as surface mount door closers, they do serve specific purposes like maintaining the building's look or closing specific doors that are unable to use surface mount door closers. If you are in need of concealed door closers we recommend Liberty Door Closers. Liberty door closers offers high quality overhead concealed door closers that are trusted by commercial building owners across the USA. Liberty overhead concealed closers are fully adjustable and meet ADA standards and guidelines.



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