A mechanic in Detroit told me my door hanger alignment was off

I was working on a Schindler 3300 last month and a old timer I was jobbing with just looked at my work and said 'those hangers are gonna drift in 6 months.' He showed me I was setting them too tight against the rail. I always thought tighter was better for leveling. Turns out leaving a 1/16 inch gap on the roller side stops the sway over time. I went back and re-did three doors I had finished the week before. Has anyone else had to unlearn something they thought was standard?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_tessa24d ago

Oh man, I feel this in my bones. I spent a whole summer once setting door hangers so tight you couldn't slide a piece of paper between them and the rail. Thought I was a perfectionist. Then the building super called me back after three months because every single door was grinding on the threshold. Had to shim them all over again with my tail between my legs. The worst part was the old timer just nodded and said 'told ya' like he knew it was coming the whole time. Now I leave that gap and swear by it, even though it feels wrong every time.

willow40724d ago

Learned that lesson the hard way too. Now I leave a 1/16 gap on every door no matter how much it bugs me. That tiny space saves you a return trip and a bunch of shims later. Also learned to check the humidity in the room before hanging anything.

claire_wells8724d ago

Why would you want a gap that lets drafts and bugs in?