Case study · Plymouth, Devon
Dorma RTS 85 out, Dorma RTS 88 in — like-for-like done properly
The original closer concealed in the transom of this door was a Dorma RTS 85 — a workhorse unit found in thousands of UK shopfronts, but a sealed hydraulic component with a finite life. Once the internal seals and springs wear, the door stops returning to a controlled, fully-latched position, and no amount of adjustment brings it back. Our engineers stripped out the old RTS 85 and fitted its modern successor, a Dorma RTS 88 in 105° non hold-open specification, sized correctly for the weight and width of the leaf.
Because the RTS 88 is the direct descendant of the RTS 85, it drops into the same transom case position with the correct spindle and arm geometry — a genuine like-for-like replacement rather than an improvised fit. That matters on an aluminium shopfront door: the closer must line up exactly with the pivot axis below, or the door binds and the new unit is loaded unevenly from day one.
The bottom pivot: dug out, re-bedded, renewed
At the threshold we found the second half of the problem. The original bottom pivot had corroded solid, and the timber packing it had been bedded on decades ago had rotted to fragments — the pivot was effectively floating in the sill. We dug the old assembly out, cleared the rotted material, and fitted a new bottom pivot plate, packed and fixed so the pivot point sits exactly beneath the new closer’s spindle. The photographs above show the difference: a crumbling, seized fitting out; a clean, solid, correctly-bedded pivot in.
Aligned, latched, locked — tested end to end
With the new transom closer and pivot in, we re-hung the leaf and aligned it to the frame and latching point, then worked through the full cycle: a smooth, controlled close from any opening angle, a clean first-time latch, and a positive throw on the Union cylinder lock. For a premises that locks up a window full of Kate Spade New York frames every evening, that last check is the one that counts.
Work completed on this Plymouth repair
- Transom closer — worn Dorma RTS 85 removed; new Dorma RTS 88 (105° non hold-open) fitted in the transom case.
- Bottom pivot — corroded pivot and rotted packing dug out of the threshold; new pivot plate fitted and re-bedded.
- Alignment — door re-hung and aligned to the frame and latching point on the restored hinge axis.
- Full-cycle test — closing, latching and locking checked end to end, including the Union cylinder.
Commercial door repair across Plymouth, Devon & Cornwall
Commercial Door Maintenance and Security Ltd covers Plymouth and its surrounding PL-postcode towns — Plympton, Plymstock, Saltash, Ivybridge, Tavistock and Torpoint — along with Liskeard, Exeter and the wider Devon and Cornwall area. We repair shopfront and commercial doors for opticians, pharmacies, retailers, restaurants and offices: transom closers, floor springs, bottom pivots, panic hardware, automatic doors and emergency call-outs. Most jobs are quoted the same day from a clear photograph, and — as at this practice — completed in a single visit with the right Dorma parts already on the van.
