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I have a hall door that I want to have automatically close slowly, not fast. I've tried a proper door closer. It was cheap but became very noisy fast. The other issue with it is I have young children and the youngest had trouble pushing it open even though the strength was wound down.

Option 2: I found something I think would work. Butterfly spring door closers. These are put over the hinge pin. However, getting them to NZ is a ridiculously expensive process. A $3 spring wants US$30 - $60 shipping from Amazon or Ebay. I can't find them on Ali Express which usually has free shipping to NZ.

Any other improvising options? I was considering a weight, some strings and eyelets but that would look a little bit untidy.

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    Most "proper door closers" have a variety of adjustments.
    – Ecnerwal
    Commented Jun 19, 2017 at 0:05
  • The one I had and sold off had 2 adjustments. I still couldn't get it light enough to the push. But the worse thing is it was noisy. Better ones are 2 or 3 times the price of what I paid. So I'm looking for an altenative. I don't want to pay $60 for a spring! LOL
    – hookenz
    Commented Jun 19, 2017 at 1:00
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    > 3rd party Amazon sellers > eBay > AliExpress ... I think I found your problem! You seem drawn like a moth to a flame to the cheapest junk that fell off a truck in Shenzhen. That $60 shipping is from 3rd party Amazon Marketplace sellers who don't want to ship to NZ. Amazon proper won't sell it! Here is a spring closer at work, note it does not slowly close a door, it slams it just like you'd expect a spring to. If you want a real closer, buy a quality one from a reputable vendor.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Jun 19, 2017 at 2:17

2 Answers 2

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Run a light chain from the frame to the door. The attach a small weight to its center.

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  • That is what I was thinking about. I might consider it. Although our little ones will probably try hanging on it. I would use thin nylon braided string rather than chain. It needs to be quiet.
    – hookenz
    Commented Jun 18, 2017 at 22:33
  • Anything like this that moves slowly enough to not be a safety hazard to little fingers probably won't overcome the latch spring. It'll stop when the bolt touches the strike.
    – isherwood
    Commented Jun 18, 2017 at 23:00
  • Would be better if it closed it. A spring would get enough tension to probably just close it.
    – hookenz
    Commented Jun 19, 2017 at 3:06
  • Did this in the end and it achieves the desired effect
    – hookenz
    Commented Oct 24, 2017 at 20:38
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How about a gravity hinge? Those are the hinges used on saloon doors. Quiet, simple, slow closing. Here is one for $10 on Amazon.

enter image description here

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  • Funny thing is when I tried to source some of these in NZ I couldn't get them locally. So I tried Amazon/Ebay. They were peanuts + $30-$50 in shipping.
    – hookenz
    Commented Aug 25, 2019 at 21:14
  • @Matt: Was that for overnight delivery?
    – wallyk
    Commented Aug 25, 2019 at 22:09
  • nope. Something that fitted into an envelope was really that expensive to send.
    – hookenz
    Commented Aug 25, 2019 at 23:04

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