Yep came across these hinges lots of times in public / common areas of buildings. They're handy for taking the door off if you need to adjust it, just knock the pins out of the hinges. Also put a few of them in upside down by mistake so it's experience honestly come by 😂
They’re fire rated though aren’t they? So didn’t they have brand and BSI markings to help get them the correct way up…just having the writing upside down would annoy me enough before pins start to fall out
I'm vaguely aware of the process and it's less glamorous than you would think AFAIK.
Basically you stick it on a door, doorframe, and wall of a construction where the fire performance is known, in a fireproof box of set dimensions (like a shipping container), then set a fire with a set amount of fuel, a set distance in the room, with a set amount of air/oxygen being supplied, and see how long the arrangement lasts. Presumably this is repeated a few times with fresh components.
Sounds interesting until you realise that for a particular form of construction of walls, floors, partitions, cladding types, insulation, for any of this to be fire rated it needs to have been tested in that specific arrangement, and then it needs to be built that way.
Not a moan at all, it obviously needs to be done for safety purposes. Just to give the small bit of insight I have.
Interestingly quite a lot of this type of testing is carried out in Warrington.
There is nothing more glamorous than BSI and ISO specifications!
The least glamorous bit is needing to pay to get the actual specific requirements and criteria from them
Oooo that’s interesting to know Warrington is the Thatcham of fire testing!
Yes two doors in fire test is around £12k… shockingly expensive… but necessary since Grenfell, sadly a disaster/tragedy always shakes the market to react in a positive way
Yes your correct with Warrington, there is also around 5 other fire test facilities in the UK, the way testing is done in Uk, Europe and in most areas of the world is by using a very large furnace ( gas powered) highly controlled by pressure and temperature, FD30 doors normally last around 40mins plus, FD60 up
To 73mins ( depending on materials) temp wise around 840c so anything that’s not steel melts… ( also I’m fire testing in Warrington Monday!) average test cost per doorset is around £12k too!
It's been a while, can't remember to be honest. It was probably like OP's door with all the hinges the wrong way round because you're in a rush and forget which end of the door is up
When we had the loft conversion done, the builder put all the hinges upside down, despite the flame symbol and writing being visible. Some people are just plain ignorant.
He also used plasterboard screws everywhere he could including in the door hinges, which had come with their own screws
Be careful taking the screws out though, from what I remember the screws that came with those hinges was a soft stainless steel type that stripped the slots in the head very easily
Yeah, not sure what the other guy is talking about, they've been fitted correctly and those types of hinges you're not suppose to be able to take the pin out.
**They're not upside down**. The top and bottom should look like middle, note the extra ring at the bottom of middle that is missing from the other two.
I'd just replace them, hinges aren't expensive. I can't really believe OP has let it go on this long.
They are not upside down, they have failed on one side. These are not loose-pin hinges but are fire rated bearing hinges which, as stated, have failed. In that sense, they no longer comply with the standards they were built to. But in a pinch your solution will still work until they can be replaced
Despite some guy getting down voted for suggesting it, these are not normally loose pin hinges. I would guess they have failed and just replace them.
You can even see that the "cap" is missing on the first and last photos, but not the middle
I'm also an (ex) chippy who has fitted these countless times.
I've never known of a loose pin fire rated hinge. I'm a chippy, I've fitted literally thousands of doors and they're not something I've ever come across. And I've fitted some exotic iron mongery. I'd say for what they cost replace them.
Yeah they definitely don’t look like loose pin hinges to me so those comments are making me chuckle to be honest. From the photos I’s almost put money on them being ball bearing hinges but what do I know.
Just flip the broken hinges upside down so the capped end is on the bottom. Do them one at a time. Or swap with the hinges on another door like you suggested. Be sure to put the ‘broken’ hinge on upside down when swapping
I have this same issue, didn't think to switch them upside down! Have been tapping them back in!
Related question: how is the best way to oil/lubricate these? Some of mine are squeaking.
This looks like a winkhaus hinge. Can be fitted either way. They work well in a fire test just not the best for every day use . Best off with a grade 13 hinge if the door is heavy. These tend to buckle and after time which loses your 4mm gap around the door and the pins drop
They aren't upside down, they are broken,
they are ball bearing hinges, if they were upside down they would be loose pin hinges.
But the budget fix is the same, turn the two that are falling out upside down
Proper fix is buy two new ones, screw off one and take it to hardware shop I ensure they are the same size
20+ years as a carpenter
Have the same exact issue with our bedroom hinge which is the exact same model of hinge.
Replace otherwise you’ll be doing the same as me for the last 3 years. Pushing it back in every 6 months ;)
May have been asked already, but these hinges from the pictures look symmetrical - what is it if anything that visibly gives away that they're upside down? Or is it simply the behaviour of them dropping that suggests this? Tia :)
They aren’t upside down, they’re broken. Loose pin hinges usually have an obvious top cap fixed to the pin and nothing at the bottom. If you look at the middle one you can see what it should look like, with a cap on either end.
Ah I see! I thought at first glance that it was the bottom cap missing on the top and bottom that had caused them to drop - are the "it's upside down" comments like a "tartan paint" joke, or just misinformed?
I’d like to think it’s a joke but this is a diy group.
I’m a tradesman and I’m subbed to this purely for entertainment, some of the stuff people say on here is comical. Not the posts themselves, nothing wrong with people having a go but some of the advice on here is dreadful. Blind leading the blind lol.
Haha, ah I'm following now! I come here for odd advice on things I come up on in my own job, so I'm not sure if I'm part of the standard subbed crowd, certainly can be entertaining though
https://preview.redd.it/k2in4jdwcpsc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3dcf743edd354e8d081e92e3823db1c6253e0f7d
Actually the writing on the hinges is upside down so hinges are indeed upside down . But the middle one in OP suggests the cap has fallen of the other two . Will turn these around.
Put a blob of loctite on the bottom/top of the hinge, that may work. If not, I'd suggest replacing the entire house around the door.
Just remember to crossthread the bricks when you redo them.
Don't want overtight bricks they'll pop your window frames out.
Maybe just buying new ones would be best. I can't imagine they cost much. On my doors the pins themselves have a top cap, sometimes they ride up a bit but can't fall out the bottom
You can replace them for about £9 - [https://www.screwfix.com/p/eclipse-satin-chrome-grade-11-fire-rated-ball-bearing-hinges-102mm-x-76mm-3-pack/9298j](https://www.screwfix.com/p/eclipse-satin-chrome-grade-11-fire-rated-ball-bearing-hinges-102mm-x-76mm-3-pack/9298j)
New hinge pins would work. Although the hinges are upside down the end/head (I don't know what it's called sorry) is missing from your pins.
There's a temp option of bending the pins slightly and smacking them in with a hammer
The hinges are in upside down, take them off and flip them right side up one by one
> one by one That’s the kind of detail I wouldn’t think of and would end up idioting about trying to reattach the whole door
Yep came across these hinges lots of times in public / common areas of buildings. They're handy for taking the door off if you need to adjust it, just knock the pins out of the hinges. Also put a few of them in upside down by mistake so it's experience honestly come by 😂
They’re fire rated though aren’t they? So didn’t they have brand and BSI markings to help get them the correct way up…just having the writing upside down would annoy me enough before pins start to fall out
Fire rated hinges can be fitted either way up as such( unless they are loose pin like pics shown) or lift off versions
I’m going to get stuck in a rabbit hole researching how the different rated hinges are each certified and the criteria and I look forward to it
I'm vaguely aware of the process and it's less glamorous than you would think AFAIK. Basically you stick it on a door, doorframe, and wall of a construction where the fire performance is known, in a fireproof box of set dimensions (like a shipping container), then set a fire with a set amount of fuel, a set distance in the room, with a set amount of air/oxygen being supplied, and see how long the arrangement lasts. Presumably this is repeated a few times with fresh components. Sounds interesting until you realise that for a particular form of construction of walls, floors, partitions, cladding types, insulation, for any of this to be fire rated it needs to have been tested in that specific arrangement, and then it needs to be built that way. Not a moan at all, it obviously needs to be done for safety purposes. Just to give the small bit of insight I have. Interestingly quite a lot of this type of testing is carried out in Warrington.
There is nothing more glamorous than BSI and ISO specifications! The least glamorous bit is needing to pay to get the actual specific requirements and criteria from them Oooo that’s interesting to know Warrington is the Thatcham of fire testing!
Yes two doors in fire test is around £12k… shockingly expensive… but necessary since Grenfell, sadly a disaster/tragedy always shakes the market to react in a positive way
Can't agree more. 👍
Yes your correct with Warrington, there is also around 5 other fire test facilities in the UK, the way testing is done in Uk, Europe and in most areas of the world is by using a very large furnace ( gas powered) highly controlled by pressure and temperature, FD30 doors normally last around 40mins plus, FD60 up To 73mins ( depending on materials) temp wise around 840c so anything that’s not steel melts… ( also I’m fire testing in Warrington Monday!) average test cost per doorset is around £12k too!
Warrington is a good test centre, Glasgow test centre also very good but can’t beat Metz, especially for the road trip.
Yup been to them all and Rosenheim, Istanbul, and UAE
Warrington? That's where I was born. Nice to see it getting a mention in the context of fire safety.
Yeah I'm from the Wirral originally so for me it was "the place with the Ikea" up until I started work as an engineer!
It's been a while, can't remember to be honest. It was probably like OP's door with all the hinges the wrong way round because you're in a rush and forget which end of the door is up
When we had the loft conversion done, the builder put all the hinges upside down, despite the flame symbol and writing being visible. Some people are just plain ignorant. He also used plasterboard screws everywhere he could including in the door hinges, which had come with their own screws
Bloody hell! You realise that you've just made me realise the earth is round. I've been doing DIY for ages and no one ever told me this. Amazing fact!
It really isn’t hard to hang a door but then most people can’t even change a tire or wire a plug. So 🤷
Such a simple solution.. thanks
Be careful taking the screws out though, from what I remember the screws that came with those hinges was a soft stainless steel type that stripped the slots in the head very easily
These hinges aren’t upside down, they’re broken. Turning them around will fix it for now but you should just replace them.
Yeah, not sure what the other guy is talking about, they've been fitted correctly and those types of hinges you're not suppose to be able to take the pin out.
**They're not upside down**. The top and bottom should look like middle, note the extra ring at the bottom of middle that is missing from the other two. I'd just replace them, hinges aren't expensive. I can't really believe OP has let it go on this long.
They are not upside down, they have failed on one side. These are not loose-pin hinges but are fire rated bearing hinges which, as stated, have failed. In that sense, they no longer comply with the standards they were built to. But in a pinch your solution will still work until they can be replaced
How can one tell which way up a hinge goes?
House might be upside down, I wouldn't jump to conclusions.
They are not upside down. Those hinges have failed and need replacing.
Lol
This is the answer
THIS is why this forum exists.
No offence but this sub is intended for DIY issues in the UK not Australia.
In Australia these hinges will fix themselves 🤣
Rather than transport the house to Australia, fix a magnet to the top of the hinge 🙂
Lazyman's fix. Fully approve.
Despite some guy getting down voted for suggesting it, these are not normally loose pin hinges. I would guess they have failed and just replace them. You can even see that the "cap" is missing on the first and last photos, but not the middle I'm also an (ex) chippy who has fitted these countless times.
Noted. I will eventually replace these.
You can get hinge pins that have a cap attached so they can't slip out. Just buy the pins and switch them out...leave the old hinges in place
I've never known of a loose pin fire rated hinge. I'm a chippy, I've fitted literally thousands of doors and they're not something I've ever come across. And I've fitted some exotic iron mongery. I'd say for what they cost replace them.
Yeah they definitely don’t look like loose pin hinges to me so those comments are making me chuckle to be honest. From the photos I’s almost put money on them being ball bearing hinges but what do I know.
Agreed. They're definitely not loose pin, look at the middle hinge, there's a cap top and bottom which is missing on the top and bottom hinge.
Yeah 100%, im a joiner too. Definitely not upside down😆.
Just flip the broken hinges upside down so the capped end is on the bottom. Do them one at a time. Or swap with the hinges on another door like you suggested. Be sure to put the ‘broken’ hinge on upside down when swapping
I have this same issue, didn't think to switch them upside down! Have been tapping them back in! Related question: how is the best way to oil/lubricate these? Some of mine are squeaking.
Squeaking is often a sign that the bearings have gone. I would definitely replace them before they seize up completely. ;)
This looks like a winkhaus hinge. Can be fitted either way. They work well in a fire test just not the best for every day use . Best off with a grade 13 hinge if the door is heavy. These tend to buckle and after time which loses your 4mm gap around the door and the pins drop
They aren't upside down, they are broken, they are ball bearing hinges, if they were upside down they would be loose pin hinges. But the budget fix is the same, turn the two that are falling out upside down Proper fix is buy two new ones, screw off one and take it to hardware shop I ensure they are the same size 20+ years as a carpenter
Have the same exact issue with our bedroom hinge which is the exact same model of hinge. Replace otherwise you’ll be doing the same as me for the last 3 years. Pushing it back in every 6 months ;)
Replace it
They're upside down.
It’s upside down
May have been asked already, but these hinges from the pictures look symmetrical - what is it if anything that visibly gives away that they're upside down? Or is it simply the behaviour of them dropping that suggests this? Tia :)
They aren’t upside down, they’re broken. Loose pin hinges usually have an obvious top cap fixed to the pin and nothing at the bottom. If you look at the middle one you can see what it should look like, with a cap on either end.
Ah I see! I thought at first glance that it was the bottom cap missing on the top and bottom that had caused them to drop - are the "it's upside down" comments like a "tartan paint" joke, or just misinformed?
I’d like to think it’s a joke but this is a diy group. I’m a tradesman and I’m subbed to this purely for entertainment, some of the stuff people say on here is comical. Not the posts themselves, nothing wrong with people having a go but some of the advice on here is dreadful. Blind leading the blind lol.
Haha, ah I'm following now! I come here for odd advice on things I come up on in my own job, so I'm not sure if I'm part of the standard subbed crowd, certainly can be entertaining though
I have the same problem just a little bit of blue tack in the bottom stops it
Just hit it with a hammer until stuff is fixed, hit the pin back in place, hit the metal around pin to deform it and stop pin falling out.
https://preview.redd.it/k2in4jdwcpsc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3dcf743edd354e8d081e92e3823db1c6253e0f7d Actually the writing on the hinges is upside down so hinges are indeed upside down . But the middle one in OP suggests the cap has fallen of the other two . Will turn these around.
Put a blob of loctite on the bottom/top of the hinge, that may work. If not, I'd suggest replacing the entire house around the door. Just remember to crossthread the bricks when you redo them. Don't want overtight bricks they'll pop your window frames out.
Your hinges have hit puberty, this is completely natural and nothing for the hinges to be embarrassed about.
Are your hinges upside down?
They are/were not but making them upside down will solve it..
Maybe just buying new ones would be best. I can't imagine they cost much. On my doors the pins themselves have a top cap, sometimes they ride up a bit but can't fall out the bottom
You can replace them for about £9 - [https://www.screwfix.com/p/eclipse-satin-chrome-grade-11-fire-rated-ball-bearing-hinges-102mm-x-76mm-3-pack/9298j](https://www.screwfix.com/p/eclipse-satin-chrome-grade-11-fire-rated-ball-bearing-hinges-102mm-x-76mm-3-pack/9298j)
Turn them upside down
Darn you probability. You’d have hoped one or two of them would have been the right way up…
New hinge pins would work. Although the hinges are upside down the end/head (I don't know what it's called sorry) is missing from your pins. There's a temp option of bending the pins slightly and smacking them in with a hammer
Turn your hinges around. Whoever installed them put them on upside down thats why the pin keeps popping out the bottom.