Key takeaways
- Hold-open is an added function, usually in the arm or track. A non-hold-open closer shuts the door from any angle.
- Sort hold-open by what lets the door go. Mechanical hold-open waits for a person. Electric hold-open lets go when its power is cut, and a pull normally frees it too.
- A fire door that stands open is normally held by a magnetic holder or closer/holder that releases on alarm.
- You can usually tell what you have by opening the door wide, letting go, and looking at the arm joints, the track, and the wall or floor behind the door.
- If several magnet-held doors close at once, look to the fire alarm panel or the holder power supply before the doors.
First distinction
The door stays where you leave it, or it closes when you let go
Most commercial closers do the same basic job: a spring shuts the door and hydraulic fluid slows it down. Hold-open is an added function that catches the door near the open position and keeps it there.
With mechanical hold-open, the catch is in the arm or the track. You open the door past a set point, it stays, and a firm push or pull toward closed frees it. It waits for a person.
With electric hold-open, a magnet or a holder built into the closer keeps the door open only while it has power. Cut the power and the closer shuts the door.
A non-hold-open closer has neither. Let go at any angle and the door comes back to the latch.
Sorting table
The ways a door is held open
Know the maker? See LCN hold-open closers for that maker's arms, tracks and holders.
A powered door operator can also keep a door open on a timer or a switch. That is a different product, covered in low-energy door operators.
| How the door is held | What lets it go | Where it usually fits |
|---|---|---|
| Hold-open arm or track on the closer: a friction joint or catch in the arm, or a catch inside the slide track | A person pushing or pulling the door toward closed | Non-rated doors that people prop for carts, deliveries or airflow |
| Selectable hold-open: a handle, lever or switch on the arm turns the hold on and off | A person. With the hold switched off, the door closes every time | Doors held open by day and left self-closing after hours |
| Magnetic holder on the wall or floor, with an ordinary closer on the door | Loss of power to the magnet from a fire alarm signal, a power failure or a release switch. A firm pull normally frees the door too | Fire and smoke doors that stand open, and other doors that should close on a signal |
| Closer/holder: the electric holder is built into the closer or its track | The same loss of power. Some units have their own smoke detector. Swing-free versions don't hold the door open; they let it swing freely until the signal comes | The same doors, where no wall or floor point sits behind the open door |
| Wedge, kick-down holder, hook and chain, or a tied-back arm | A person who remembers to | Kick-down holders and hooks are ordinary hardware on doors allowed to stand open. None of these lets a door close by itself, so none belongs on a fire door |
Fire doors
Fire-rated doors: self-closing or automatic-closing
Fire door codes use two terms for a swinging door that has to end up closed and latched, and that is why hold-open is treated differently on these doors.
A mechanical hold-open arm waits for a person, so it generally isn't used on a fire-rated door. Some arms release the door when a link melts in the heat of a fire. Heat-sensitive (fusible) links are not usually considered acceptable for this, because they respond more slowly.
NFPA 80 is the standard for fire doors. Its inspection checklist has the inspector confirm that a door allowed to stand open becomes self-closing when the hold-open is signalled to release or loses power.
A fire-rated door normally carries a label on its hinge edge or top edge, and the frame carries its own. Labels get painted over, so a label you can't find doesn't settle the question. Stair and corridor doors are often rated.
For labels, ratings and inspections, see fire-rated door requirements.
Self-closing
The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) describes self-closing as code language for a door that returns to the closed position whenever opened. In practice this is a plain non-hold-open closer.
Automatic-closing
The door is allowed to stand open, provided it closes upon detection. Detection generally has to come from particles of combustion, which is what smoke detectors sense, and any listed closer can be paired with an electromagnetic holder and a smoke detector. These arrangements are fail safe: on power failure, the door closes.
Identify it
How to tell which you have
You can usually sort this from the floor in a minute. Open the door as far as it goes, let go, then look at the arm, the track, and the wall or floor behind the door.
The label on the closer body, or under its cover, names the maker and the series.
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| The door closes from any angle. The arm joints are slim and plain, and there is no magnet | A non-hold-open closer |
| The door stays when opened wide, and a push toward closed frees it. No magnet behind the door | Mechanical hold-open in the arm or track |
| A thick joint with a large nut where the two arm pieces meet or where the arm meets its bracket, or a small handle on the arm | A hold-open arm. The handle, where there is one, usually switches the hold on and off |
| A single arm sliding in a track, and the door stays at the end of its travel | A hold-open track. The catch sits inside the track and may not be visible |
| A metal plate on a short stem on the door face, and a matching magnet on the wall or floor | A magnetic holder. The closer on that door is normally a plain one |
| A closer body or track that is larger than usual, with a wire or conduit running to it | Possibly a closer/holder. A wire can also mean a power operator or a door sensor, so check the label |
Choosing
Choosing between hold-open and non-hold-open
Settle the fire rating first. After that, daily use decides.
- Traffic: carts, deliveries, move-ins and class changes are the usual reasons for hold-open. A door that is wedged most days may be better served by a proper holder, if the opening allows one.
- Security: a held-open door is an unlocked door. On an exterior or access-controlled door, hold-open defeats the lock and can set off a propped-door alarm. Selectable hold-open, or none, usually suits these doors.
- Who uses the door: mechanical hold-open needs someone to push the door wide to set it and tug it free again. Where people can't or won't, a magnetic holder with a release switch or a power operator may fit better. If people only need more time, ask about delayed action, which pauses the door near open before it closes. On a pair of doors, the inactive leaf is often held open by a separate holder.
- Accessibility: hold-open doesn't change how the closer works while the door is closing. If the door is hard to open or closes too fast, that is a closer adjustment for a technician.
- Wind: on an exterior door, wind can catch a held-open door and load the arm, the closer and the hinges. Exposed doors usually do better with a separate stop and no mechanical hold.
- Stop: a hold-open arm holds the door but isn't a stop. If the door can swing past the hold point and hit the wall, plan a separate stop.
- What is behind the door: a magnetic holder needs a wall or floor point where the open door lands, plus power. Where the door opens into clear space, a closer/holder is the usual answer.
Troubleshooting
Common problems and what they can point to
Each symptom has more than one possible cause. The table shows where to look first.
What to leave alone
Don't tighten or loosen a hold-open joint you can't identify, and don't turn the closer's valves to cure a slam. Settings differ from one closer to the next, and a valve backed out too far can leak. Don't open a magnet's wiring, bypass a release, or add a wedge to a door that has an electric holder. On a fire or smoke door, repairs belong to a qualified technician.
For slamming, leaking and slow closing, see commercial door closer repair, adjustment or replacement.
| What happens | What it can mean | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A door that used to stay open now drifts shut | The hold-open joint has loosened or worn, the hold has been switched off, the door isn't reaching the catch, or the arm was replaced with a regular one | Look for a selector handle on the arm and open the door fully. Past that, it is an adjustment or an arm replacement for a technician |
| A magnet-held door won't stay | No power at the magnet, a plate that isn't landing flat on it, a loose or dirty plate, or a fire alarm system that is keeping the doors released | Check whether other held-open doors nearby are also shut. If they are, start at the alarm panel or holder power, not the door. Don't reset, silence or disable the alarm system yourself; the fire alarm contractor handles it |
| The door won't come out of hold-open without a hard yank | A friction hold set too tight, a bent arm or a damaged catch | Don't keep forcing it. Call for service |
| A magnet-held door doesn't let go during an alarm or a test | A wiring, power-supply or alarm-connection fault, or something else propping the door | Treat it as a life-safety problem. Remove any prop, report it the same day, and leave the wiring to the fire alarm and door contractors |
| The door slams once it is released | Usually the closer, not the holder: closing speed set too fast, lost fluid, or a closer that doesn't suit the door | Look for oil on the closer body or the door below it, then call for service |
A quicker visit
What to tell the service company
- Which door, whether it is interior or exterior, and whether it is a single door or a pair
- Whether the door or frame has a fire label, or whether you couldn't find one
- What holds the door now: the arm, a track, a wall or floor magnet, or a wedge
- What it does: won't stay, won't let go, slams after release, or closes when it shouldn't
- Whether other held-open doors changed at the same moment, and whether there was an alarm, a test or a power outage
- A photo of the closer label, the arm and anything mounted behind the door
If the door still won't behave
Elwin Security installs, repairs and replaces commercial door closers and hold-open hardware for commercial and multifamily properties in the San Francisco Bay Area. Calls are answered 8:00 AM-8:00 PM daily at (408) 539-0535.
Common questions
Hold-open door closer questions
What is a hold-open door closer?
It is a closer that can also hold the door open instead of shutting it every time. The hold usually comes from the arm or track. Electric versions hold only while they have power.
Can a fire door have a hold-open closer?
A mechanical hold-open generally isn't used on a fire-rated door. A fire door that stands open is normally held by a magnetic holder or a closer/holder that releases on alarm or loss of power, which codes call automatic-closing.
Can I add hold-open to the closer I already have?
Often, but it depends on the closer. Many closers accept a hold-open arm or track in place of the regular one, and some don't. Check first whether the door is fire-rated, then have a technician match the arm to the closer.
Why won't my door stay open anymore?
On a mechanical hold-open, a loosened or worn joint, a hold that has been switched off or a replaced arm are the first things to look at. On a magnet, look at power and at whether the plate lands flat. If several doors stopped holding together, start with the fire alarm panel or the holder power supply.
Sources and further reading
These sources back up the general guidance. Your building and the people who approve the work decide the details for your doors.