Hinges for Narrow DoorsPeople who must use a wheelchair may find that the doorways in their homes are too narrow for their wheelchair. Sometimes the whole door and doorframe must be widened (replaced) which is expensive. However, if the doorway is wide enough for the wheelchair but the opened door is still in the way, then, special hinges can sometimes be used instead of replacing the whole door and doorframe. This brand is called Swing-Clear hinges. |
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The two types of hinges are shown here in a "door closed" position. The hinge on the left is usually found on doors. The hinge on the right is the swing-clear hinge. |
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Here, the two hinges are open. |
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Here you see a regular hinge on an opened door. When opened to about 90 degrees the door is still in the way of a wheelchair that needs to get into the room. |
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Here's a closeup of that regular door hinge on a door. The door typically takes up about two and a half inches of the doorway's width. |
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This shows a set of the swing-clear hinges. If the door is opened to 90 degrees the door is completely out of the way of an entering wheelchair. That effectively gives the wheelchair another 2.5 inches of room. |
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Here is a closeup of the swing-clear hinge. |
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When a door with a normal hinge swings open it must be opened 180 degrees in order for it to be completely out of the way of an entering wheelchair. Typically a door can only be opened about 90 degrees. This leaves the door (thickness) itself in the way of the wheelchair. |
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The swing-clear hinge moves the door completely out of the way even if the door can only be opened to 90 degrees. This "gives" the wheelchair about 2.5" more room without actually widening the doorframe. The hinges aren't cheap, but they are cheaper than replacing the whole door and door frame. |
Here are three manufacturers of "Swing Clear" or "swing-clear" hinges. Some of them are as high as $45.00 each. I've heard that they can be purchased for as low as $12.00 each. Sorry, I don't know where to get the least expensive ones.
Stanley Hardware P.O. Box 1840 New Britain, CT 06050 1-800-622-4393 Ply Gerns Barrier Free Philron Corporation 6948 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19135 215-331-3434 Mont-Hard Inc. 2415 Lifehaus Drive New Braunfels, TX 78130 512-625-7795