Looming at adding a door on west side of my building. Thinking about going with an outswing to help with the driving west rain and wind. Am I thinking of this right? Or will an outswing not be anymore beneficial for that and im just spending twice the money
Outswing vs inswing
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larry4406
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Outswings can be useful, but they have their issues/concerns.
In a snow region, you have to first use the door as a plow to partially get it open, then shovel manually, or approach the door first from the outside with a shovel.
The sills are different as is the placement of the weatherstrips.
I have an outswing on our attached garage to the patio. I went with it as an inswing would have swept across a raised landing making it awkward to exit the garage.
In a snow region, you have to first use the door as a plow to partially get it open, then shovel manually, or approach the door first from the outside with a shovel.
The sills are different as is the placement of the weatherstrips.
I have an outswing on our attached garage to the patio. I went with it as an inswing would have swept across a raised landing making it awkward to exit the garage.
CraigStu
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I wasn't aware that the swing affected the price. But if that is the case how about an inswing and a storm door?
atch
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I have a south facing outswing man-door on my shop. I've been here 25 years and it's been just fine for me. My shop is so crowded inswing would definitely be in the way. We get snow here in central Missouri and occasionally I've had to dig in front of the door to get in but that's never been a real detriment. I have a "hold-open" on this one for when I want to leave it open. It holds it up against the shop wall; 180° from closed.
The garage attached to the house has an east-facing man-door. It's inswing and it gets left open in warm weather some. This one is more convenient to be inswing when left open. 90° open fwiw. When the rain comes from the east (not very often) the water has a tendency to run down the door and some of it comes into the garage. Replacing the 25-year-old weatherstripping and threshold seal would probably remedy that. Even though the shop man-door is probably 40 years old rain never comes into the shop during rain coming from the south.
The garage attached to the house has an east-facing man-door. It's inswing and it gets left open in warm weather some. This one is more convenient to be inswing when left open. 90° open fwiw. When the rain comes from the east (not very often) the water has a tendency to run down the door and some of it comes into the garage. Replacing the 25-year-old weatherstripping and threshold seal would probably remedy that. Even though the shop man-door is probably 40 years old rain never comes into the shop during rain coming from the south.
Lassen Forge
Well-known member
Another factor to consider - your local building ir fire code may require you to have a certain type of swing on that door.
Shiftless
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I changed an inswing door to an outswing to provide better security for a back door. The bad guys can’t kick in that kind of a door. Don’t forget to use security hinges. No loose pins.
jack stand
Well-known member
I believe that there's a wind/rain sealing advantage with an in swinging door.
3 of your sealing surfaces (and gaskets) are protected behind the molded in "stops".
3 of your sealing surfaces (and gaskets) are protected behind the molded in "stops".
Can't they just yank it off?
Shiftless
Well-known member
I can’t quite picture about how anybody could grab hold of a locked door and yank it off the hinges. Sure, they could take a sledge hammer and hit the doorknob and knock THAT off but the deadbolt housing is tapered and pretty difficult to grab ahold of.
If somebody wrapped a chain around the doorknob and pulled with their truck thinking that would pull the door, I‘m betting against that happening.
Shiftless
Well-known member
This is indeed one of the disadvantages of outswing. I have a canopy above my outswing door.
BurtEggley
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a retail store I once managed had the alarm go off in the wee early morning hours. I met the police at the store. We found a tow strap hooked to the back door, and wide equal tire mark burns (locking differential) on the asphalt. Steel door set in steel frame, set into concrete block. Commercial forged steel locks, and door hinges. The answer to your question is - not always.
Pull the pins out of the exposed hinge.
just pry with a flat bar between the door & jamb. residential doors aren't very robust
NRP( non removable pin hinges ) would slow that down .
I hope OP would use security hinges on an outswing door....
I can all but guarantee that a chain hooked to a residential outswing door and hooked to a truck has a real potential to rip the door out of the frame, as long as the chain stays on the door. Typically the only attachments will be the hinges and the strike/deadbolt against a small cross section frame.
If you try the same with an inswing, you're pulling against the entire stop, spreading the load out. Even then I have my doubts. I'm sure you know how to use a haligan to breach a door...
I've got a few doors strategically setup (for both space and security) based on their location. It ain't perfect, but when you can't kick a door in and there's to room to hook to it it certainly deters the casual crook. That said, my shed has commercial outswing doors (marketplace find) and they aren't weather sealed for ****.
Yes, they would but I don't think "most" know about that kind of stuff.
The long short of it. I can get in.
Fav Onefour
Well-known member
I had to "break" into my garage right after moving into the place.
Dumb move, totally my fault. I was moving stuff around and the door blew shut. The yard was dug up around the footings and I was barefoot. To be honest, I was glad the door was an outswing.
I stuck the end of a two foot crowbar between the frame and door. Took about 30 seconds.
If a skinny little barefoot runt can get in that easy, a crook won't take long.
BurtEggley
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in the case in So Cal, about a 15' tow strap was still wrapped around the commerical lock knob. I and the police were surprised that it was not damaged. The two rubber burns on the asphalt clearly showed someone tried really hard to pull the door off using a car with wide tires and a positraction differential. The door lock and the dead bolt both held. Nothing was damaged except probably the pride of whomever tried to get in the store.
Did I miss that the OP was installing commercial doors and lock sets?
JohnX14
Well-known member
Most overhead garage doors are not difficult to break into. Pop the bottom roller off the track and push the section in. I know a few people who have got into garages this way when they forgot keys or other legal reasons. So the ultra secure entry door isn't much of a deterrent. If the outswing is ultra secure.
I'm not sure what that has to do with the swing of a door...or how it works if the overhead door is locked
Fav Onefour
Well-known member
I think the point is that don't choose based on simple security.
The outswing might be easier to live with long term based on the driving rain issue. I'm not sure how prone that side is to high wind. Outswing would be more prone to catching wind without a decent closer assembly.
Inswing is harder if you don't have room inside. It's less prone to catching in wind and probably wouldn't need closing damper. The jamb is exposed on that style. Janky wood isn't going to hold up as long.
I have both styles. The inswing is easy. Main problem is taking care of the lower jamb to prevent damage from long term water exposure. Outswing works fine. I just need to manage the closers. Many of them only allow about 100 degree swing. Shop around and get a good closer system and mount it solid. The oil also gets cold in our climate. I put little arrow marks on the closing speed screws so I can remember which direction to turn for temps.
The outswing might be easier to live with long term based on the driving rain issue. I'm not sure how prone that side is to high wind. Outswing would be more prone to catching wind without a decent closer assembly.
Inswing is harder if you don't have room inside. It's less prone to catching in wind and probably wouldn't need closing damper. The jamb is exposed on that style. Janky wood isn't going to hold up as long.
I have both styles. The inswing is easy. Main problem is taking care of the lower jamb to prevent damage from long term water exposure. Outswing works fine. I just need to manage the closers. Many of them only allow about 100 degree swing. Shop around and get a good closer system and mount it solid. The oil also gets cold in our climate. I put little arrow marks on the closing speed screws so I can remember which direction to turn for temps.
I wanted a 36" prehung outswing exterior steel door last summer for a 12x20 shed I was building. The only way to get one was special order at three times the price of a stock inswing door at HD. Not worth it so I bought the stock inswing.
racecougar
Well-known member
The OP was just asking about sealing against wind/rain.
dave*99
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Wouldn't it be funny if the OP came back and said, "yeah we don't lock doors out here."
PopcornSutton
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The only difference between an inswing door and an outswing door is in the hardware, unless it has a glass in it, then you wouldn't want the screws to mount the glass outside. When spec'ing a door, the use and primary traffic flow determines the swing, left or right, or left reverse or right reverse. Here the hardware will differ with NRPs (non removable pins) and of course which way the lock is installed. Closures come with parts to install either way, most locks do too. But for the most part, an exterior door is most always an inswing door.
jack stand
Well-known member
F... the security concerns of an out swing door! That is unless you're house doesn't have any windows. 
Just_Steve
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My out swing garage door. Installed about 2 years ago. Had to go with out swing due to clearance issue with roller door track.
pima67
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Not related to original question but to where the discussion went, Seems to me that with all these wonderful battery powered tools, a thief could just cut through an aluminum garage door very quickly -- think catalytic converter thieves.
Skyman
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An exception being in hurricane territory...
16again
Well-known member
Yup, all our doors down here are outswing.never enuf time
Well-known member
Yes thieves have used cordless grinders to get into cargo trailers, so they could easily get into an overhead door. They could also cut off hinges to an outswing door.
Jeff C
Well-known member
Buy a door with FrameSaver or equivalent composite bottom jambs and move on. Regardless of swing, regular jambs rot ridiculously quick. Other than that we have way overthought this on all accounts. Thieves and water both will always find a way in eventually.
JackOfDiamonds
Well-known member
I just went through this myself. Tried to find an outswing door for my addition, gave up and bought an inswing because it's all I could find. Between $450 inswing vs. custom-ordered $1000 outswing, I'll live with inswing.
That would be shocking to me. Maybe because I've had NRP hinges on my garage back door for 32 years? In fact, I recently ordered new Emtek handle, deadbolt, and NPR hinges to swap out the old brass plated hardware. The Emtek hinges are really stout - as is the price!
I can't imagine having an inswing door for that location. Outswing is so much more convenient and less intrusive.
PopcornSutton
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Enlighten me.
16again
Well-known member
South Florida. Hurricanes can blow in an inswing door. Outswing is safer during these types of storms as the wind can't blow the door in.
That said, I believe the MIAMI DADE Hurricane codes were adopted about 20 years ago to only allow outswing doors in new construction. Older homes may still have inswing.
rooster59
Well-known member
2 crims, 2 cordless grinders with cutoff wheels, 1 long demo pry bar, 1 BFH. Less than 1 minute.
PopcornSutton
Well-known member
Given what/how modern materials are, I can believe a residential door could be blown open. Thanks.
Skyman
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Outswing is much more resistant to inward pressure, whether that comes from wind, water (storm surge/flooding), or the boot of a thief.