Shut sliding glass door

[Magnum]

:bg

Andy,

> She is a stubborn German who doesn't think smoking is dangerous. :-)

This probably means she will outlast you.

Try to think positive. :-)

I have been at the hospital for 3  friends who smoked.

Not very nice seeing them GASPING for breath as they died.

RE: The problem is easy enough to solve if you don't mind spending money. A counterweight and pulley will close the door if the friction is not too high but you need some form of damping to slow it up just as it fully closes. In other times a nifty little hydraulic damper would have been the trick but these days you don't want to have to pay for it.

What is a hydraulic damper ?

[dedndave]

it's like those things you see on screen-door closers
a shaft goes into a cylinder that is presumably filled with some sort of fluid to slow the movement

[Twister]

You should add a Febreze spritzer for when the door closes. It will keep the smell of smoke out of the clean room. :bg

[Magnum]

I don't want the smoke to begin with, not cover up it's smell.

I am looking at ionizers, but they are very pricey.

[Gunner]

All of the suppliers I spoke with only deal with commercial stuff, so it wouldn't be for you..  I did a quick search and there are a few "Automatic Sliding Door Closers" around on the net, you will have to decide which one is for you.

[Magnum]

Thanks Rob.

The prices are pretty reasonable.

[carlos]

Use gravity

instead of install the window level, install it with a small downward tilt, so it closes gently with it's own weight


Carlos

[Magnum]

Carlos,

Are you talking about the commercial closers or one of my ideas ?

[carlos]

No I'm talking about a method I saw on discovery channel . on fast food windows. they use a small motor to open the drive by window, but use gravity to close the window.  I believe that you don't need the motor to open the window, put if you install it tilted, it will close automagicaly, without  motors, pulleys, ropes, or counterweight's.

you may need to keep the rail greased, for it to work smoothly

[Magnum]

Your idea would work for something small.

My door is 8 ft. total length, one 4 ft. fixed piece of tempered glass and another 4 ft. piece that slides.

Door is about 40 yrs. old.

I have to think safety as well.

Even if I got it working, it might cut off a finger or hand if someone wasn't REAL carefull.

Wait a minute.

I will fabricate a mini version of an automatic garage door opener complete with a laser sensor. :-)

[carlos]

mmmmm yes, I was tinking in a SMALL window, yours is something else.

on the other and, the slope could be very small, so it wont close TO fast !!!!!!

but yes, it may need a damper, so it wont work as a guillotine  :red  :red  :red

[dedndave]

motors draw more current when their torque is met with more resistance
you can use the increased current draw to signal the end of travel or presence of an obstruction
this is easiest to implement with DC motors, but it can be done with AC motors, as well

[Magnum]

I haven't given up yet on the pulley and counterweight idea.

I need to come up with a way to not use the pulley when the door being opened.

Maybe mount something, that when bumped, would let the counter weight drop.

I am on a mission. :-)