Thread: Self Closing Door

How many of you are writing as a defect if the door into the garage does not have a self closing device? I'm still doing it, although it is no longer required. I have nothing to back it up other than that I think it's a good idea. I've been considering deleting that portion, but so far I'm still keeping it in the report.

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Originally Posted by Jim Robinson

How many of you are writing as a defect if the door into the garage does not have a self closing device? I'm still doing it, although it is no longer required. I have nothing to back it up other than that I think it's a good idea. I've been considering deleting that portion, but so far I'm still keeping it in the report.

I stopped writing it up. If you think of it, how many folks were relying on that door closing by itself. Then one day it doesn't and that one in a million time the closer hangs up and it just happens to be that day the car is left running by a deaf person or who knows a drunk or it is the day a fire starts in the garage. All those things are greater than lottery odds but it could happen. Like I said. I do not write it up. Maybe it would be that day when the Florida alligator creeps on into the garage and then the house or that snake you see out in Arizona getting into things. To many reasons to get rid of it.

I never write them up and I never see them......

Ted,

Its not the alligators or the snakes I'm concerned with getting in, its my neighbors kids.

rick

Originally Posted by Jim Robinson

How many of you are writing as a defect if the door into the garage does not have a self closing device? I'm still doing it, although it is no longer required. I have nothing to back it up other than that I think it's a good idea. I've been considering deleting that portion, but so far I'm still keeping it in the report.

"Good idea" items should be listed as such, not as "defects" (which is what you said you write them up as).

That is not a "defect" ... unless ... that wall is required to be a fire-resistance rated wall in your area instead of just a separation wall, and/or a 20 minute fire rated door is installed instead of the other options for the door.

Originally Posted by Scott Patterson

I never write them up and I never see them......

Ditto.

I list door closers as present or absent, FYI. If the spring tension is weak, I mention they can be adjusted during the walkthrough. First home buyers, young parents, seem to care about the safety items. For old know-it-all geezers, it's a waste of breath.

If the door has deactivated spring hinges or a hydraulic closer that isn't working I write them up. Not reporting an item that is not functioning as intended is poor practice.

I see 'deactivated' spring hinges on about 10% of new homes I inspect. Some builder don't know they have been eliminated from the code yet.

But I do have one inspector in my area who still calls a lack of 4 inch step-up from the garage a defect...