How to Fix Household Doors that Open and Close on Their Own

Most of us have lived in home that on occasion seems to be haunted by friendly ghosts who enjoy spending their day by slowly opening and closing doors. I have seen this in just about every home in which I have lived. For example, as I leave open a bedroom door to allow air circulation and to provide more openness I look back to see the door slowly closing on its own. Blaming a slight draft I reopen the door and this time ensure it is fully opened and no longer moving before I turn to walk away to leave, but after only a few steps I look back to see the door slowly returning to its' closed position.

This is not unique to open doors. Frequently a door that has been closed, but not securely latched will open itself, returning the door to a full open position.

Many homeowners have experienced this phenomenon. Homebuilders tell us that this is the result of the room on a foundation that is not perfectly level or on a foundation that over time has sunk a fraction of an inch causing the room to be off level.

Many homeowners have attempted to fix this problem by removing hinges and adjusting them in a 'trial and error' attempt to level the door. Others have loosened hinge plates and placed wooden shims between the hinge plate and the wall in an alternate attempt to level the door.

While the above solutions may solve the problem if exactly the right adjustment necessary to balance the door and compensate for off-level tilt of the door frame, the probability of this is not very high. Chances are finding just the right adjustment would talk many attempts and adjustments. most of which would not solve the problem.

There is a much simpler way of addressing this problem that with little homeowner time and effort effectively compensates for the swinging door and ensures that open doors remain open and closed doors remain closed.

This method is as follows:

Step 1 - Close the door and latch it in place

Step 2 - Using a hammer and a flat-head screwdriver remove the middle hinge pin. Wedge the head of the screwdriver under the head of the hinge pin and in turn gently tap the handle of the screwdriver to gradually raise the hinge pin from the hinge plate.

Step 3 - Lay a scrap piece of a 1inch by 4-inch board on a concrete surface and rest the head of the hinge pin on the board and the opposite end of the pin on the concrete surface.

Step 4 - Holding the hinge pin in place with one hand use the hammer to firmly strike the hinge pin at the mid-point of its' length. The objective is to create a slight bend (2-3 degrees) in the hinge pin. Care must be taken to not bend the pin so severely it cannot be placed back in the hinge plate.

Step 5 - Once the pin has been bent 2-3 degrees reinsert it back into the hinge plate. As the pin now is a much tighter fit it may require gentle tapping with the hammer to seat it fully in the hinge plate.

Step 6 - Lubricate the hinge pin with 3-4 drops of lubricating oil.

As a result of increased pressure on the middle hinge pin the door will now remain in any position the homeowner wishes.

This is a simple a permanent solution to this problem.