Does My Commercial Building Need Automatic Door Closers: Four Determining Criteria For Your Own Business

With the plethora of commercial door closers on the market, it can be difficult to determine what to type to install. Styles and costs range from a few hundred dollars to over one thousand per unit. Careful consideration must be given to the needs of your business and your commercial building. After all, the investment that you'll make is significant.

Commercial door closers are found on almost every commercial building in North America. Often they are a requisite of local building codes. Door closers are installed not just as a matter of convenience. Their main purpose, especially with exterior and utility doors, is to prevent the spread of flames and smoke during a fire emergency. A secondary benefit to installing door closers is to maintain building heating/cooling efficiency and indoor air quality. On interior doors, door closers help contain noise and maintain temperature zones.

Commercial door closers come in both manual and automatic styles. Manual closers don't use electricity. Instead, they rely upon stored energy from applied force to close a door. Automatic door closers (which are often referred to as automatic door openers) use electricity to open and close a door. When deciding which style to use for your own business, consider these criteria:

1) Type of clientele. Automatic door closers are ideal for handicapped persons and people with mobility limitations. They require very little effort to activate. Most models, such as those manufactured by LCN, have adjustable opening and closing speeds for customization according to your needs and those of your clients. Since most buildings in North America must be handicap-accessible, automatic door closers are one easy solution.

2) The number of doors you need to outfit. If your business has several public entrances, or one major entrance with several doorways, then cost will play a major factor in your decision. Automatic door closers are more expensive than manual ones. Outfitting every single door with an automatic model could test your budget. Instead, you may choose to install them on only one or two of your doors and choose manual door closers for the rest to maximize your budget. However, if you have only one door for public use, an automatic door closer is probably your best choice.

3) Power usage. Naturally, automatic door closers will add to your monthly electric bill.
Again, it's recommended that at least one door be outfitted with an automatic model. This probably won't make a significant dent in your power usage. Two or more will, so install them wisely, and choose efficient models. Of course, power failures will affect the performance of automatic door closers. However, most are made with the capability to allow doors to be opened manually as well, meaning that you won't lose an entrance during a power outage.

4) Interior mobility. You may need to install automatic door closers on one or more interior doors as well. Again, it depends on your clientele, staff and how your building is used and navigated.

Automatic door closers are extremely convenient and installing them on at least one exterior entry door shows your clients and staff that you care. It also makes good economic sense, since building accessibility is a contributing factor to your profit margin. A careful assessment of your commercial building can help you decide the best doors on which to install automatic door closers. Community organizations and committees that deal with accessibility issues often have resources that can help you in your assessment.

Jenny Schweyer is a freelance writer from the Pacific Northwest.

Popular Hardware: Best selection of popular Commercial Hardware, proven for long term durability. Dozens of styles of door closers in stock.

Steiner Doors: Manufacturer of Architectural and Custom Aluminum doors.