Quick verdict
A pneumatic cylinder closer for out-swinging doors, the type fitted to storm and screen doors, that pulls a greenhouse, potting shed or garden gate door closed behind whoever walked through it, with a thumbscrew to set the closing speed and a hold-open washer to prop it in summer. A greenhouse door left open on a cold evening undoes a day of heating, and one that slams breaks glass. The closer shuts it quietly every time. Wright Products has made these for decades and the mounting hardware is in the box.
Strengths
- Closes the door every time, quietly, without a slam
- Thumbscrew adjusts closing speed with no tools
- Hold-open washer props the door in hot weather
- Heavy-duty cylinder for medium and heavy doors
- Hardware included; fits most out-swinging doors
Weaknesses
- Out-swinging doors only
- Needs a solid jamb and door rail to screw to
- Sliding greenhouse doors cannot use it
The overall YardToolLab Score is out of 100. Section scores are out of 10.
The Door Someone Left Open
A greenhouse heated through a cold night loses the lot if the door is left ajar at dusk, and the person who left it is never found. A closer shuts it. Wright Products’ heavy-duty pneumatic closer is the cylinder fitted to storm doors, with a thumbscrew for speed, a hold-open washer for summer and the brackets to mount on an out-swinging door.
This review is based on the maker’s specifications and on how pneumatic closers perform on outbuilding doors generally. We have not used this closer ourselves.
Fitting It
Screw the jamb bracket to the frame on the hinge side at the height of the door’s top rail, and the door bracket to the rail. On an aluminum greenhouse, fix a timber pad to the frame first so the screws have something to bite. Hook the cylinder on both brackets with the pins, close the door and set the speed with the thumbscrew until it latches without a bang. Half an hour with a drill.
In the Greenhouse
Every trip in and out ends with the door closed. On a hot day, the hold-open washer props it for ventilation and for wheeling a barrow through. In autumn the washer slides back and the door is never left open again. For a potting shed or a garden gate the job is the same.
Speed
A closer set too fast slams, and on a glazed door that costs a pane. Set it slow enough to close softly and fast enough to latch. Cold thickens the air a little; a turn of the thumbscrew in autumn keeps it right.
Build
A heavy-duty cylinder for medium and heavy doors, with an internal lubricated spring and a pneumatic tube that has been on storm doors for decades. The brackets and screws are in the box.
Limits
Out-swinging hinged doors only. A sliding greenhouse door or an in-swinging shed door needs a different closer, and a flimsy frame needs reinforcing before a closer goes on it.
Who Should Buy It
- Heated greenhouse owners who lose heat to an open door.
- Anyone with a garden gate that must stay shut for a dog.
- Potting shed users with their hands full.
Common Owner Complaints
Slamming before adjustment and weak frames. Set the thumbscrew; add a timber pad.
Alternatives to Consider
A spring hinge closer for a light gate. A touch-and-hold closer for a busy door. A chain and hook, which is what people use before this.
Verdict
For a greenhouse or shed door that should close itself, a pneumatic storm door closer is the quiet, adjustable answer and this one has the hardware and the record. Pad the frame, set the speed and slide the washer in summer.
Full specifications
Wright Products Heavy-Duty Pneumatic Storm Door Closer with Hold-Open, Adjustable Speed FAQs
A hinged door that swings outward with a frame solid enough for the jamb bracket and a rail for the door bracket, yes. Aluminum greenhouse frames usually need the bracket screwed to a timber pad fixed to the frame.
Turn the thumbscrew at the end of the cylinder: in for a slower, softer close, out for faster. Set it so the door latches without banging.
Open the door and slide the washer on the rod against the cylinder; the door stays open until the washer is slid back. Useful for ventilating and for barrowing in.
Pneumatic closers slow a little in cold; the thumbscrew compensates. It works in a greenhouse all year.
