Expert: Jamie Yocono - 11/15/2008

Question
Hi, I was wondering if you could clarify how to hang double-acting spring
hinges on a door. My mother bought the hinges to hang on a door that goes
between two rooms we frequently use, but want to keep separate. She chose
the double-acting spring hinge so that the door would swing 180 degrees
both way. The problem lies with the directions on how to hang the hinges on
the door. The directions aren't clear to say the least. I was wondering if you
could clarify it.

Answer
Hi Jared,

There are two types of two way hinges that I've worked with - one is really simple to use, so I'm guessing that's not the one you're asking about. If you're using the type of two way hinge I think you're using, it has two barrels on each side of the hinge. They're actually easier to install than they look.

Here's how I install them:

I install the hinges on the door first. I forget the general rule of thumb, it's something like nine inches from the bottom and top of the door. In order to install the hinge, you have to remove the pins that put tension on the spring. The hinge manufacturer might have included a small device for doing this, it mostly looks like a small brass rod.  Around the barrel of the hinge, there are small holes, and you'll see one short pin, keeping it in place. Use the device they give you - stick in one of the holes and rotate the barrel a bit, so that you take the tension off the spring. While you're holding it, remove the small pin, thus freeing the hinge of all of it's tension. You may have to do this in two steps, if there is a lot of tension on the spring.

Do that for all the barrels of the hinges. (Take the tension off of them by removing the pins.)

The hinges pretty much center themselves on the door. Screw them into place. No mortising is necessary.

Once you get the hinges mounted on the door, prop the door into the jamb and mark where the hinges should sit within the jamb. If the hinges are mounted 9" off the door bottom, then the hinge (in the jamb) would be mounted, say - 9 1/2" off the floor. That would give you a 1/2" gap at the bottom.  Center the hinge in the jamb and mark it.

I like to remove one hinge and screw it into the jamb, usually the bottom one. For some reason, it just makes it easier to do it this way. After it's attached to the jamb, open the hinge up and screw the appropriate side back into the door. Now you've gotten the door almost mounted. Open the top hinge all the way, and screw the top hinge into the jamb.

The door is probably just flopping right now, attached to the jamb, but floppy. That's because you'll need to put tension back into the spring

It's easy.

Grab that device (sorry, I don't know what else to call it!) and put some tension into the spring by rotating the barrel. You may need to temporarily put in one of the removable pins to hold the barrel while you move the device. Once you get a good deal of tension into back into the barrel spring, put that little pin back in place. That will keep the tension in the spring.

If it's a set of double doors, you'll need to do this twice. (Duh!)

OK, I hope this helps. The key to everything is taking the tension off the barrel springs. When you do that, the hinge sort of works like every other hinge out there - just swinging freely. Like I said, these look harder to install than they really are.

Good luck! Write back if you need more help.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com