Selecting the right pivot hinge can seem a bit daunting, but it's not difficult at all. In this article, we show you the options that you should take into account when choosing the pivot hinge that best suits your pivot door.
(FritsJurgens System M+ Pivot Hinge)
FritsJurgens offers you four types of bottom hinges . The bottom hinge mounts to the bottom of the door and the top hinge mounts to the top of the door. In this article we will talk about bottom hinges – FritsJurgens also offers several top hinges, which you can choose depending on your pivot door and its functionalities. However, the bottom hinge is the first option you should go for. Read on to learn about the options we have for your bottom hinge.
(FritsJurgens System M+ Pivot Hinge)
General considerations
Choosing the right pivot hinge is a step-by-step process based on your door. Think about the type of material your door is made of, whether it will be an interior or exterior door, its measurements – especially the width and weight of your door – the location of the pivot point, and the functionality you want your door to have. door have. Think, for example, about the degree of control you want over the movement of the door, if you want a door that needs to close properly, or if you want a 360° rotating wall or panel.
Can any door be pivoted?
The answer is simple: yes, almost all doors can, in fact, be pivoted. Before finding the right hinge, you may be wondering if your door design is suitable for pivoting. As FritsJurgens hinges are embedded inside the door and not in the floor or ceiling, it is very easy to install such a pivot door. Different top and bottom hinges offer solutions for narrow, wide, heavy and light doors alike.
The right hinge in three steps
You can find the right pivot hinge for your door in three steps.
- Lateral or central placement
- door functionalities
- Door width and weight
Lateral or central placement
The position of the pivot point is the first decision you have to make. Center placement will lead you to System One or System 3, while side placement leads you to System M or System M+.
door functionalities
FritsJurgens pivot hinges offer different types of functionality. You can opt for various pivot hinges depending on which way you want your door to swing, or pivot.
System One
- A single pivot point with 360° free rotation.
System 3
- 360° rotation
- Holds positions at every 90° angle
- Automatic closing from 45° angles to a 90° locked position
SystemM
- Locking positions at every 90° angle
- Damper Control: The hydraulic damper control protects the door from hitting the wall or objects behind it when it is thrown open. A soft close ensures a smooth and fluid closing motion every time
System M+
- Locking positions at every 90° angle
- damper control
- 30° Speed Control: Adjustment of the last 30° of the door closing movement to perfectly coordinate the speed of the door. Ideal for double doors
- Latch Control: Gives the door extra closing speed in the last few degrees of the closing motion to ensure proper closing, even when moisture repellent devices and drafts slow the door
Depending on the functionalities you want your door to have, you may already be able to cross off a specific hinge from your list.
Door width and weight
At this point, you will have found a hinge that suits your pivot door and your desires. Depending on the width and weight of your door, you can now select the appropriate weight class for this type of hinge.
FritsJurgens hinges have different weight classes to adapt to each type of door depending on its width and weight. In this way, the hinge will fully guarantee that fluid and controlled door movement that characterizes FritsJurgens.
What are the proper dimensions for a pivot door?
A pivot door with FritsJurgens hinges can be of unlimited height, depending on the width and weight of the door. The right size for your pivot door depends on the impact you want your door to have, the environment in which it is located, its materials and design, etc. The size of your door does influence which pivot hinge is best suited for your door and what features your door can or should have.
Let's walk through the steps to selecting the right hinge with two examples of pivot doors: a large exterior door and a pivot wall or panel.
Example 1: Large exterior door
Suppose we have designed a beautiful exterior door. It is 3 meters high and 1.5 meters wide. It weighs 350 kg.
(Design by Hyndman Taylor, RBJ Builders Fabrication + Tinsmith, Photo by Simon Devitt)
First step: Do we want this door to have a lateral or central placement? Where should the pivot point be? In this case, we will opt for lateral placement. Center placement would leave very little room to comfortably fit through the door, and makes no sense in our design.
Second step: What functionalities do we want this door to have?
Since our door is also a large exterior door, we want full control over the movement of the door, and we want to make sure that the door closes properly. So we want all the motion features: Damper Control, 30° Speed Control, and Latch Control.
This leaves us with a possible pivot hinge: System M+.
Now we will check if this hinge adapts to the measurements and weight of our door:
System M+
- Door weight: 20 - 500 kg
- Door width: 400 - 5000 mm
The combination of pivot point, door width, and door weight determine what weight class the hinge you select should be in.
In this case, we should opt for the System M+ class G: 330 - 399 kg. And that's it: we've found our perfect pivot hinge.
Let's go back a step and then we're going to decide that we don't want our door to have any functionality. We want our door to have a single pivot point without allowing us to do anything other than how we move the door. This leaves us again with an option: the System One.
System One
- Door weight: 20 - 500 kg
- Door width: 400 – mm Unlimited
The System One does not have different weight classes. Our weight and width match up, so this would be the perfect hinge for our new situation.
Example 2: Wall or pivot panel
Now let's take our new example, a pivot wall or panel. It is 3 meters high and 4 meters wide. It weighs 250 kg.
Step One: This pivot wall or wall needs a pivot point in the center of the wall or panel. This leaves us with only the System One and System 3 to choose from.
If we do not opt for any functionality, the System One is our best option. If we want this wall or panel to have blocking positions, we can opt for System 3.
However, if we select System 3, we will soon discover that this system and the design of our wall or panel do not match:
System 3:
- Door weight: 40 - 350 kg
- Door width: 1000 - 3800 mm
The limit door width for a pivot wall or panel with System 3 is 3800mm. Our wall or panel already measures 4000 mm. This means that System One is the right choice for this wall or panel design.
Do not hesitate to contact us if you need advice to make the right decision for your door.