Ever wonder why exterior doors on homes and buildings swing inward? Interior doors typically swing outward. When opening a door inside of a home or building, you’ll probably push it away from you. Exterior doors, though, typically swing inward.
All About the Hinges
Doors are installed using hinges. Most doors feature a set of three hinges, which connect them to the adjacent frame. The placement of the hinges will determine the direction in which the door swing.
Doors will generally swing in the direction of the knuckle. If you see the knuckle of the hinges while standing inside of your home, the door will likely swing inward. The knuckle shouldn’t be visible from the outside of your home, in which case the door will swing inward.
Prevents Hinge Removal From the Outside
Most exterior doors swing inward for security purposes. As previously mentioned, most doors will swing in the direction of the knuckle. Hinges consist of two leafs that join together to form a knuckle. With that said, the leafs are connected to each other with a pin. After pressing the two leafs together, you can drop a pin through the center of the formed knuckle to connect them.
Exterior doors that swing inward are usually more secure than their outward-swinging counterparts. The hinges will only be visible from the inside of the home or building. Therefore, burglars and other nefarious individuals won’t be able to easily remove them. They won’t be able to see the hinges, so they won’t be able to pop out the pins holding the leafs together.
The Rise of Security Hinges
In recent years, security hinges have become a popular alternative to traditional door hinges. Security hinges look like most other hinges. They have two leafs that form a knuckle in the center. The difference is that security hinges can’t be easily disassembled or removed from the outside.
Security hinges are often used for outward-swinging exterior doors. While most exterior doors do, in fact, swing inward, some of them swing outward. Outward-swinging exterior doors are more resistant to severe weather than inward-swinging doors. When installing outward-swinging exterior doors, homeowners and building managers may want to use security hinges.
Some security hinges are designed with a non-removable pin. You can’t remove the pin after inserting it through the center of the knuckle. Other security hinges are designed with special tabs that lock their leafs together. Regardless, they all offer a high level of security — even for outward-swinging exterior doors.