Door closers vs door stops - which one is better for your needs?

The functional design of a commercial building is very important in how it operates, and in many ways is much more important than the aesthetic design. As a working environment it is essential that a building encourages a practical flow of people and equipment, as necessary, even though an attractive and appealing workplace is also important for generating good morale and productivity. So the functional design of a commercial building needs to be considered as a priority, and certainly alongside the decorative interior design in terms of importance. And this is where the idea of door closers and door stops comes into the equation. These are important elements of a building’s functional design and how you choose this feature can have a big impact on how you use the building.

What is the difference between a door closer and a door stop?

Although door closers come in various different designs, the most popular type is a two-piece overhead design that has a metal body attached to the door frame and a hinged, steel arm attached to the door itself. This is a hydraulic system whereby the door closer controls the motion of the door and enables it to close securely and safely.

Similarly, there are several different designs of door stops. These can be floor mounted or wall mounted, but essentially a door stop acts to prevent a door swinging open too far, and in some cases acts to hold the door open in a desired position. Therefore, a door stop will prevent a door from banging into a wall or into furniture when opened, and hence can prevent costly damage. A door stop can also be engaged to hold a door open temporarily, for example where you are carrying several items through it. However, fire regulations in commercial buildings do dictate that designated fire doors should not be kept open and should always be closed.

So the major difference between a door closer and a door stop, is that one works to ensure a door is closed, while the other works only when the door is open, and is sometimes used to ensure a door remains open.

The benefits of a door closer

A door closer will take control of the door at a desired point of its movement arc, this can be adjusted by the user in most cases. By doing this, you are ensuring that the door doesn’t slam shut and therefore doesn’t cause noise or damage. By controlling this action you are also ensuring that the door closes properly and securely. This is a benefit for:

• Security – a lock might need to be engaged, but will only do so when a door is firmly shut and so the door closer ensures the door is shut. Otherwise, you might think the door is closed and the lock is engaged, but in fact the door isn’t securely closed and therefore you don’t have the security measure you thought you did.
• Fire safety – fire doors are required to be closed at all times, to prevent the spread of fire, and a door closer ensures this happens.
• Energy efficiency – by ensuring doors are closed, you are preventing thermal transfer, ie. cold air entering a space and warm air escaping from a space. This means you can better control the temperature of a space and are not heating it using more energy than is needed.

Door closers are used most commonly for exterior doors, fire doors and doors in high traffic areas. Essentially, a door closer is ideal where you need consistent closure of a door. This is the case in most commercial buildings where safety, security and energy efficiency needs are high. Door closers act to control the closing action of the door, which means they help the movement of people and allow traffic to move through the door without it slamming shut. Many models of door closer also include a ‘back check’ function. This effectively acts like a door stop and prevents a door being slammed open, and hence damaging a wall or furniture. For this reason, it is not necessary to have both a door closer and a door stop.

Order your door closer online at MB Direct

At MB Direct we can help you decide which design of door closer is right for you, and how you will benefit from having a door closer rather than the more simple design of a door stop. So contact our team at MB Direct and order you door closer online today.