How to correct installation errors or repair minor damage
Door not shedding water. If your Bilco basement door does not
shed water, look for and correct these installation errors.
1. Header end plates not caulked. Loosen header bolts and pry
plate down from below with a screwdriver. Push caulking in on
top of header end plate and retighten bolts. Fill pockets provid-
ed by protrusion of metal at each corner (see Figure - 8A & 8B,
page 4).
2. Doors do not fully close. Stand on steps and slowly close each
door to see if the bottom flange of one or both is binding on the
concrete. Chip away or rub down excess concrete with mason's
stone so flange is not obstructed. Refer to instructions at right
for adjustments if required.
3. Sill not high enough. The masonry under the Bilco basement
door should be 4" higher than the surrounding grade and con-
crete should be level so water cannot accumulate in front of the
sill.
4. Water seeping between steel and masonry. The unit should be
caulked all around the exterior where the steel and masonry
meet, as well as where the unit joins the building wall. If side
pieces have been buried in concrete, the unit should be
removed and sidewalls recapped so assembly rests on top.
5. Blocked header channel. Make certain channel is clear. Any block-
age in this channel will cause water to overflow the header.
Doors Out of Alignment. This is caused by failure to align the
doors and square the frame as instructed. With doors closed, sight
across bottom. Remove door that is higher than the other. Hold ver-
tically with top edge on the ground as shown. Strike each hinge
three or four solid blows with a hammer. This bends hinges in the
Photo - 1
Photo - 3
direction of top of door, thus lowering it to line up with other door
(See Photo - 1 below). If additional adjustment is necessary, remove
lower door, place lower end on ground and strike each hinge with a
hammer. This bends the hinges in the direction of the bottom of the
door, thus raising it to line up with other door.
Doors Not Seated Properly. If doors do not seat themselves prop-
erly or bounce slightly when in closed position, and bottom flanges
of doors are not obstructed by concrete in front of sill, apply lubri-
cant such as WD-40 to hinges and cams, then refer to Step - 2 on
page 4 and: (a) check frame for level and square; and (b) from below
with door open three-quarters of the way, insert a screwdriver along
side of hinge and pull door down on it to a point where you feel
pressure of the screw driver relieving binding condition (See Photo
- 2 below).
Hinge Damaged. A hinge can be bent downward by mishandling
during shipment or by someone trying to force the door closed
without releasing the hold-open safety latch, and as a result the
door does not fit properly on the frame. Such damage to a hinge
can be identified by a bump on the top of the door. To correct,
remove the door from the frame, place it on the ground with the
hinge side up and step downward on the hinge to bend the pivot
point back to its correct location. The other hinge on that door,
which has not been damaged, can be used as a guide in bending
the hinge back to the proper place (See Photo - 3 below).
Door Warped or Bent. Place the end of the door on a block or bot-
tom step of a nearby stairway, and step down on it with your foot.
The door can be bent back to the original shape very easily this way,
but when it is installed on the frame and supported all around it is
extremely strong and will not bend during everyday use (See Photo -
4 below).
Page 6
Photo - 2
Photo - 4
