Magnetic Door Holder With Long Reach – Alternatives to Long Extension Bar?

[LaundromantDude]

Hello everyone, I hope you all don't mind me posting this. I've been struggling to figure out the best solution and I found this forum via looking at Google Images and noticing a blog that covers janky solutions to door holders.

I run a laundromat and I want to install magnetic door holders that can keep the doors open when it's warm (but not A/C-level hot), and close them remotely at night. One of the doors, when fully open, ends up about 9.5″ away from the wall.

The only realistic solution I’ve found so far is a surface-mounted magnetic holder + a long extension bar. That works… but when the door is closed, the bar ends up sticking out pretty far. Based on the products I've found so far, the magnet housing adds about 2–3", the extension bar another 5–7", and the armature plate around 1.5". It’s not unsafe (since it would be mounted at the top corner of the door), but it I imagine it just looks awkward.

I’ve looked into alternatives:

- Chains: I'm worried it could break the glass.
- Mounting extensions on the magnet side: Exists, but I only found some in UK only
- Folding or retractable extension bars: I’ve seen a few that look like they fold, but nothing in the specs actually confirms that


Note: If anyone going to mention weather and only a few products are IP65, I do plan to install an awning and enclosure to protect it. IP65 solutions aren't excluded either. But my post is trying to see if there's solutions outside of long extensions to cover the 9.5" gap.

I can't be the first to deal with this scenario in the US context. What do others do to keep things looking clean without resorting to a huge bar sticking out from the door when closed?

 

[LGreene]

You could use wide throw hinges to allow the door to be closer to the wall when it's fully open.

 

[steveray]

Why not a door chock or kickdown? Or a bungee cord?

 

[LGreene]

Why not a door chock or kickdown? Or a bungee cord?

They want to release the doors remotely.

 

[LaundromantDude]

Why not a door chock or kickdown? Or a bungee cord?

Yeah, what LGreene said. That's been my current solution. But I realize there's more options than sending a human just to close the door

You could use wide throw hinges to allow the door to be closer to the wall when it's fully open.

This might be the solution. I'll need to double check if the only thing keep the door from opening more is the hinges. Even if the door can open a little more, reducing the extend even just a 2" or 3" more can help the cleanliness of the solution a lot.

 

[LGreene]

Yeah, what LGreene said. That's been my current solution. But I realize there's more options than sending a human just to close the door



This might be the solution. I'll need to double check if the only thing keep the door from opening more is the hinges. Even if the door can open a little more, reducing the extend even just a 2" or 3" more can help the cleanliness of the solution a lot.

You could also use a closer/holder combo but it would be more expensive (and possibly less trouble-free) than adding the magnetic holders. I've seen all kinds of "solutions" but none would be very clean...I might consider building a little box on the wall to mount the holder on.

 

[steveray]

They want to release the doors remotely.

OK..so a bluetooth bungee....LOL...missed that in the first reading...

 

[Yikes]

Post #5 is the least obtrusive solution. All other versions are various degrees of hiding the hold-open.
For example, you could build some type of extruded wall, almost like a blade sign, that contains the hold open.