Crazy hard to open store/office doors.

[beaujolais]

Crazy hard to open store/office doors, anyone? What is going on out there with these ! ? ! You know, the ones that take a zillion pounds of pull to open. Anyone else have problems with them?

Unfortunately, my body is shot. I just can’t do these kinds of doors. I either wait for someone to come in or out, knock or even call into the business. They now have the nice, lever type, ergonomic door knobs instead of the round ones but it seems that the doors being used have gotten crazy heavy.

(I also have taken up spraying my difficult windows & dresser draws with dry silicone spray. Some of them it’s helped, some not so much. If you have any other good advice on these, though, please say.)

Thanks so much.

[Bicoastal]

Ironically, my back doc’s office has two crazy heavy doors. So I go in, get injections, and to leave have to open a really heavy door to the reception then the really heavy door out of the reception into the lobby then finally a third door to get outside. Good grief.

I don’t have any suggestions. I suck at asking for help (I’m working on it!), so I often try to brace my core then go. Once I crack handle open a smidge, I use my leg/butt/foot to push the door open. Pushing is easier than pulling, for me. Pulling heavy doors sucks.

[charismaryllis]

yes! i’m able bodied, but it’s still ridiculous how many doors i have to throw my entire weight against to get open. it’s all a matter of hanging; if the door is hung properly, it should swing open with a gentle push. very annoying. :mad:

[beaujolais]

OMG, Bicoastal, you poor thing. You sound just like me. Please, please, please don’t hurt yourself further with those doors. How crazy that is to have at the back doctor’s office, no less ! (The door at my physical therapists office is like that. I have them open it for me when ever I come and go. I have no choice. I just Can’t do it. It would basically undo my P.T. session and then some.) And, please consider telling them they have to fix their doors (and until then have them open it for you). If people start telling the business owners about it, then change can occur. Some interesting things at this link on how to measure door opening pressure and allowable door pressure.

https://adata.org/adjustingdoors

Charis: Yes, it is ridiculous. Do you know if it’s usually because of how it’s hung or the tension they select for it? Do be careful & don’t get hurt.

[charismaryllis]

I think some of it’s probably misadjusted tensioners. :mad:

[DancingArabian]

You could check for a wheelchair access button and use that to open the door.

[beaujolais]

Thanks, DA. Great idea, will do.

In fact, I just did that. The handicapped ramp at the office I was just at led up to a brutally hard to open door with no automatic button ! ? ! But, the practitioner at the office took a walk with me and we did find a door that was much easier to open.

[sk_pacer]

I’m semi-able bodied and have a horrible time with doors on newer buildings. Can go into the old farm store and no problem, they even have a button to open the door for disabled and customers with unwieldy purchases. The drugstore I go to is in a building 100 years old and the door opens beautifully even if it is the 5th replacement in the last 20 years, but go to the new DQ or any other new place without electric eye doors and you are in for the fight of your life. Yes. commercial doors are heavy but most are hung so poorly that they catch on something in the frame and it becomes a fight with one inside pushing to get out and one outside pulling to get in. I’m not sure builders know how to square up door and window frames anymore. There is no excuse for not having a button at a handicapped door.