Alright, let’s talk about my little adventure with a Corbin door closer. I’m not a professional, just a regular guy who likes to tinker around the house.
So, I had this door, see? It’s a pretty standard one, nothing fancy. But it wouldn’t stay shut properly. Always creeping open, letting in drafts and just being a nuisance. I figured, “Hey, I can fix that!” and decided to install a door closer. I’d seen these things in offices and stores, those metal arms that make doors close automatically. Figured it couldn’t be that hard, right?
I picked up a Corbin DC6000 Series door closer. Why Corbin? Well, I saw it mentioned somewhere that they’re good for doors that get used a lot, and this door is definitely one of those. Plus, it said something about meeting “ADA requirements”, which I guessed meant it was suitable for people with disabilities. Sounded good to me.
First thing I did was read the instructions. Yeah, yeah, I know, who reads instructions? But trust me, with these things, you kinda need to. It came with a bunch of screws and brackets, and some diagrams that looked like they were drawn by an engineer. I’m more of a “figure it out as you go” kind of guy, but I made an effort to follow along.
Getting Started
- Gathered my tools: A drill, some screwdrivers, a level, and a pencil.
- Marked the spots: The instructions had a template, which is basically a big piece of paper you tape to the door to show you where to drill. I did that, and made my little pencil marks.
Next up, drilling. This is where things got a little tricky. You gotta make sure you drill straight, and not too deep. I took it slow, double-checking everything. I managed to get the holes drilled without messing up the door, which was a relief.
Then came the fun part – attaching the closer itself. This thing has two main parts: the body, which goes on the door, and the arm, which connects to the door frame. I started with the body, screwing it into the door. It was a bit heavy, but I managed to hold it in place while I got the screws in.
The arm was a little more complicated. It has a couple of joints and needs to be adjusted just right so the door closes smoothly. I had to fiddle around with it for a while, opening and closing the door, making little tweaks here and there. The instructions talked about “spring power” and “closing force”. The DC6000 has spring inside, I could feel it, it’s what makes the door close. I followed a few instructions and it worked.
Finally, after a bit of trial and error, I got it working! The door now closes on its own, nice and slow, just like I wanted. No more drafts, no more door creeping open. Success!
It wasn’t the easiest project I’ve ever done, but it was definitely satisfying. I learned a bit about how these door closers work, and I got to use my drill, which is always fun. Plus, now I have a door that closes like it’s supposed to. Not bad for a regular guy with a toolbox, huh?
