How to Adjust Self-Closing Hinges

Self-closing hinges also known as Spring Hinges are a must for the doors leading into your garage these days. These hinges help close the door behind you and prevent any fumes from getting into your house. Most states require these by law now to be installed on those doors. Self Closing Hinges come with adjustable tension and are very easy to adjust if you know what you are doing.

However, if your door does not close or latch properly, the spring tension on the self-closing hinge might have loosened or tightened. You will need to loosen or tighten it by yourself using a couple simple tools.

Hinges that come with screws on top can be adjusted using a hex wrench. If there is a slot on the side of the hinge with holes and a small pin, you will have to use a tension rod to lighten or loosen the hinges. This tension rod comes with hinges. And just like that, you will have adjusted the hinge tension to allow your door to close at a steady pace.

Not sure how exactly it works? Don’t worry! In this step-by-step guide, we will share how to adjust self-closing hinges on your own.

How many Spring Hinges Per Door?

Before we show you how to adjust your self closing hinges, you should know how many spring hinges are recommended per door. We always recommend installing 2 Self Closing Spring Hinges per door. If you are using 2, install 1 at the top and 1 at the bottom. The middle hinge can be a standard butt hinge or ball bearing hinge. For taller Commercial Doors, we recommend using up to 4 Commercial Spring Hinges. Springs do where out in the hinges so installing the correct amount will make your self closing spring hinges last much longer.

How to Adjust Self-Closing Hinges – Step-by-Step Guide

Before we get into explaining how you can adjust your hinges, first, make sure that the door is closed. Stand by the hinges of the door and make sure it is closed. If it is a door to a room, make sure the door is locked so that no one opens it while you are adjusting it. Otherwise, you will end up breaking the hinges. Avoid adjusting your hinges when the door is open as it may damage them.

Step 1: Unscrew the Screws from the Top of the Hinge

If the top of your hinge has a screw to keep the spring protected, you will have to unscrew it. Use a screwdriver to unscrew and loosen this screw. Make sure you keep the screw in a safe place where you can find it later.

Note: You can skip this step if your self-closing hinge does not have a locking screw.

Step 2: Insert the Hex Wrench on Top of the Hinge

Whether your hinge came with a locking screw or not, it will have a hole on top. Insert a hex wrench into that hole and force it inside. If you notice that the wrench is loose, move it around so that it fits into the designated hex-like hole and locks into place. Make sure that the longer end of the hex wrench is at 45-degrees to the door so you can easily make the adjustments. Note: It is okay if the hole is at the bottom if you need to reverse it. The spring hinge will still work. However, we do recommend if the hole is on top. Most hinges will come with the following tension pins and hex wrench. If you can't find those, we do have them available for purchase.

Step 3: Rotate the Wrench Clockwise if the Door Does Not Shut Down Quickly or Counterclockwise if the Door Slams

Press the hex wrench down into the mechanism and rotate it clockwise slowly until you hear it lock into a new position. Make sure you do this slowly, one click at a time, so you don’t damage the hinge. If your door slams closed quickly, you would need to do the same, but only in a counterclockwise direction.

Step 4: Insert the Small Tension Pin into the Hole

Once you have adjusted the hinge to the new position, you will need to insert the tension pin into the hole. It is a very small pin that came with your Spring Hinges and looks like this:

Step 5: Adjust the Other Hinge (if Any) to the Same Tension

Adjust the bottom (or top) hinge at the same tension as your other hinge so that both of the hinges are balanced. You will need to make sure that both the hinges have the same tension and none of them are tightened or loose.

Step 5: Test the Door

Once you have adjusted the hinges, make sure you test them by opening the door and checking if it’s closing properly. Notice how fast or slow the door closes. If it’s perfectly fine, you are done adjusting. If it’s still slamming or latching shut, you will have to tighten or loosen the hinges again accordingly.