What is Door Swing?
Door swing typically refers to the direction and arc through which a door moves when opened and closed, which plays an important role in design, space planning, and accessibility.
For our 2-Panel Bi-Fold models, because there is no actual swinging door, it will refer to which direction the door panels will fold and stack to (left/right, interior/exterior)
Door Swing Types
This is an example of a Left Hand Out Swing 2-Panel Bi-Fold, where the panels stack to the left side, and to the exterior of your space. All of our exterior 2-Panel Bi-Fold doors are available in 4 different swing options, as described below:
Right Hand In Swing
From the exterior, hinges on the right side, panels push inward (away from you as you enter). Panels accordion and stack the the interior right side.
Facing the door, while standing on the exterior of your space, the panels will have their hinges on the right interior side, and will accordion and stack toward the interior of your space, from left to right.
Left Hand In Swing
From the exterior, hinges on the left side, panels push inward (away from you as you enter). Panels accordion and stack the the interior left side.
Facing the door, while standing on the exterior of your space, the panels will have their hinges on the left interior side, and will accordion and stack toward the interior of your space, from right to left.
Right Hand Out Swing
From the exterior, hinges on the right side, panels pull outward (towards you as you enter). Panels accordion and stack the the exterior right side.
Facing the door, while standing on the exterior of your space, the panels will have their hinges on the right exterior side, and will accordion and stack toward the exterior of your space, from left to right.
Left Hand Out Swing
From the exterior, hinges on the left side, panels pull outward (towards you as you enter). Panels accordion and stack the the exterior left side.
Facing the door, while standing on the exterior of your space, the panels will have their hinges on the left exterior side, and will accordion and stack toward the exterior of your space, from right to left.
Flush Bolt and Folding Operation
All of our standard 2-Panel Bi-Fold doors will have the ability to be locked and unlocked via a keyed cylinder on the exterior side of the door, or a flush bolt handle on the interior side of the door, unlocking the accordion folding mechanism and allowing you to stack the door panels.
To close and lock the folding mechanism, simply unfold the doors back to their closed position and re-engage the flush bolt.
Hinges
Our exterior 2-Panel Bi-Fold doors use steel bullet hinges that come pre-welded to the doors and frames. These can not be removed or adjusted, however, each door comes pre-fit and tested with the exact frame that you receive to ensure seamless operation.
Zerk Fitting
On top of each hinge, you’ll see a Zerk fitting (a brass nipple) that makes greasing your door significantly easier using a standard grease gun. These fittings do not have caps and are meant to be uncovered as an industrial design choice.
Copper Crush Washer
One copper crush washer will need to be placed on each bullet hinge before hanging each door. Since copper is softer than steel, these copper crush washers are made to allow easy operation that stops the steel on one side of the hinge from grinding against the other.
No Glass Swing on Air Doors
Due to their slim profile and minimal frames, our exterior steel Air Series Center Split Bi-Fold doors are not offered with operable glass panels.
How to Grease Hinges
Greasing the hinges is very easy via the included hinge zerk fittings. All you need is a standard grease gun and petroleum grease. Once your grease gun is loaded and primed, place the nozzle directly on top of the brass nipple and press straight down until you hear a click. Once you hear the click, keep the gun pressed down and pump the lever 1 to 2 times. If grease starts to seep out where the hinges meet before you finish the full two pumps, stop, wipe off the excess grease, and move on to the next hinge.
Cleaning your doors
The glass and the metal should be cleaned with our Iron Door Spray on a regular basis to protect it from UV rays. This spray is specially made to leave a protective coating on your door, as well as keep the door clean from dirt and grime.
Spray our Iron Door Spray directly onto a microfiber towel, then wipe evenly along the surface of both the glass and metal. Spraying directly onto the door itself can more easily create streaks along the surface of the glass and door.
FAQs
What does “door swing” mean for 2-Panel Bi-Fold doors?
When referring to our 2-Panel Bi-Fold doors, the swing will dictate which side your doors will stack to (when standing on the exterior of your space), as well as if they will stack to the interior or exterior of your space.
What is door handing, and how is it related to door swing?
Handing determines which side or the door, when facing the door from the exterior, your hinges are on, as well as the direction that the door will open.
Do building codes dictate swing direction?
Yes, building codes indeed dictate door swing in certain situations. The standard requirements depend on your local code, which includes aspects like occupancy type and use case for the room or space.
For example, some commercial locations require doors to swing in the direction of egress if the building hits a certain max occupancy or contains high-hazard contents.
If installing in a hurricane-prone region, code may require your door to swing outwards as to prevent strong winds from blowing the door inwards and causing a safety risk.
Best practice is to always check and follow local codes and ordinances to remain compliant.
Can I reverse the swing of my PINKYS 2-Panel Bi-Fold door?
No. All of our doors are made and tested with the exact frame you receive, with the exterior of the door prepped specifically to withstand exterior elements. You will want to make sure to order the necessary swing for you specific application.
Should my door swing in or out?
Certain applications may require a specific swing in order to be code compliant. For example, some commercial applications may require your door to swing in the direction of egress (typically out swing) for safety purposes. It is always best practice to check and follow local building code and ordinances to remain compliant.
If no local building codes affect your specific application, choosing an in swing vs an out swing door is a matter of design preference. Out swing doors provide more interior space to work with and are often used as back patio doors, while in swing doors provide a bit more privacy in your space, such as most front entry doors.