How to choose a door bolt latch?

Ever since the times of primitive society, man has tried to preserve not only his life, but also the inviolability of his own home. Today, you will not meet anyone who would leave their apartment or house with an open door. In order to preserve all your belongings, and also not to let cold air from the street into the house, various locks are installed on the entrance and interior doors. One of the varieties of such locking devices is the latch, which is often called an ordinary valve.

The overhead bolt is one of the simplest door locks. Most often they are used on interior doors, for example, into an office or a bathroom. If desired, such a constipation can be knocked out even by one person, therefore they are used as a safety device against accidental opening or against opening the door with a draft. In order to securely lock an apartment, house or any industrial premises, such a lock is combined with a more reliable mortise or padlock.

Espagnolettes can be divided into three main types:

• built-in;
• mortise;
• waybills.

The main difference between the overhead latch is the way it is attached to the door. Unlike other types, the entire design of the overhead bolt remains in plain sight. Because of this, it is necessary to more carefully select its appearance so that it either merges with the color of the canvas, or acts as a bright decorative element. The bolt itself consists of three parts:

• a body attached to the door leaf;
• hinge attached to the door frame or to the wall;
• constipation with a handle that goes into the loop.

The body and the hinge are attached with special screws, which makes the valve easy to mount and dismantle. However, the ease of mounting and dismounting are not the only advantages of the overhead latch.

• Cheapness. Simple locks cost much less than complex mortise devices.
• Durability. The design is so elementary that there is practically nothing to break in it, therefore such a constipation can serve for decades without replacement.
• Large selection of models and sizes. Since the overhead latch is attached not inside the door itself, but on top of its leaf, you can install a fairly large lock. This cannot be done with a mortise lock. In addition, modern models of latches can be made so skillfully that even a few decades ago they would have been considered real jewelry. A high-quality selection of design and color of the constipation will make it an excellent addition to the interior of the room.

With all these advantages, the overhead latch has significant disadvantages.

• Will not protect the front door from burglary without a more complex lock. Even the thickest latch is fastened with ordinary screws, and sometimes with nails, so even one person, with an effort, can knock out such a constipation.
• A door closed with a latch does not fit too tightly against the frame. Because of this, strong drafts can "walk" around the apartment or house, and cold night air can seep through cracks. To avoid this, overhead latches are best installed on interior doors or in non-residential premises.

In addition to the fact that all latches differ among themselves in the method of installation, the overhead locks themselves can also be divided into several types, depending on various characteristics. By the type of locking, such locks are divided into:

• latches, the locking element of which fits into a hole made in the thickness of the wall or in the jamb fabric;
• latches, the locking element of which is included in a special loop screwed to the wall or jamb with screws.

By the openness of the internal structure, constipation can be divided into:

• closed, the pin of which is hidden in the body of the product, and only a small part of it comes out;
• open, the pin of which is visible along its entire length.

By the number of pins (or, as they are also called, rods), constipation can be divided into a device with one, two or more rods.

In addition, all overhead locks can be divided according to the materials from which they are made. They can be conditionally divided into two large groups.

• Metal constipation. They can be made from aluminum, iron, stainless steel, regular steel, or brass. The highest quality, but also the most expensive, are brass latches.
• Plastic constipation. They are less reliable and are often only used as a temporary option until a stronger metallic constipation is acquired. At the same time, of course, a plastic product is much cheaper than a metal one.

Various metals are used for the production of entrance and interior doors. It can be steel or iron, but most often aluminum doors are installed in both residential and non-residential premises. This is due to the fact that the material is lighter and at the same time is much cheaper than iron or steel. The type and number of locking devices most often depend on the type of metal door.

"Warm" doors are made of a special profile with insulation and thermostats. They have a large threshold and to close them requires not only a latch, but also a more durable lock. Most often, such doors can be found at the entrance to a private house or apartment.

"Cold" doors are made of a single-chamber profile and are installed in unheated rooms. These can be various industrial buildings, warehouses, garages and cellars. Most often, they also require an additional lock, but it can be of the simplest design, even a hinged one. The threshold of such a door is much smaller, since it does not require tightness of the closing.

Most often, one bolt is installed on metal doors at the level of a person's lowered hand. However, for aluminum structures, especially in cases where they are double-leafed, two locks can be installed - at the top and bottom of the door. The design of the latch itself is outwardly different from ordinary constipation. It is a constipation consisting of a small flat body and a slightly smaller counterpart that replaces the usual hinge. The rod is almost completely closed and is visible only in the open position. Such constipations are made of stainless steel by both domestic and foreign manufacturers.

In order to choose the right bolt, you need to choose the right size.

• The length should be chosen taking into account the distance between the door leaf itself and the frame or wall.
• The width and thickness of the overhead constipation, in contrast to the mortise, depends solely on the preferences of the buyer. For the front door to the apartment, it is better to choose thicker options, and for interior doors a few millimeters thick is enough.

In addition to the size of the latch, its weight also matters. The lighter the door leaf itself, the less the constipation should weigh. A high-quality product with carefully selected parameters and competent installation can serve for several decades and does not require significant repair or replacement.

For information on how to properly embed the bolt, see the next video.