Installation Guide

Installation on sloped masonry side walls
Side walls in poor condition
If the slopped masonry side walls of your areaway have loose or crumbling masonry
and are not structurally sound, they can be removed and a door can be installed on
the new at areaway after a concrete cap is poured. Contact Bilco for guidelines
on recapping your areaway or log-on to www.bilco.com to nd a certied Bilco
basement door installer in your area.
Side walls in good condition
Doors can be installed on side walls if they are structurally solid, have no loose or
crumbling masonry, and have a uniformly at and level surface on which to anchor
a door. If your side walls meet these conditions, it is best to return your door and
use a Bilco Sloped Wall Basement Door (see photo on far right).
*The Bilco basement door is carefully and adequately packed to withstand all normal shipping abuse.
This information is provided to show how easily minor repairs can be made, thus saving the builder or
homeowner much unnecessary inconvenience. For additional information or assistance, please contact
our customer service department .
Page 4
How to correct installation errors or repair minor damage*
Door not shedding water. If your Bilco basement
door does not shed water, look for and correct
these installation errors.
1. Header not properly caulked at side pieces.
Run a bead of silicone caulk along the small
vertical seams between the header and side
pieces (see instruction 2 on page 2).
2. Doors do not fully close. Stand on steps and
slowly close each door to see if the bottom
ange of one or both is binding on the concrete.
Chip away or rub down excess concrete with
mason’s stone so ange is not obstructed.
Refer to instructions at right for adjustments if
required.
3. Masonry not high enough. The masonry under
the Bilco basement door should be 4” higher
than the surrounding grade and concrete should
be level so water cannot accumulate in front
of the sill.
4. Water seeping between steel and masonry. Door
should be caulked all around the exterior where
the steel and masonry meet, as well as where
the unit joins the building wall. If side pieces
have been buried in concrete, the unit should
be removed and stairwell recapped so that the
assembly rests on top of the areaway.
5. Blocked header channel. Make certain channel
is clear. Any blockage in this channel will cause
water to overow the header.
Doors Out of Alignment. This is caused by
failure to align the doors and square the frame as
instructed. With doors closed, sight across bottom.
Remove door that is higher than the other. Hold
vertically with top edge on the ground as shown
in Figure 1 below. Strike each hinge three or four
solid blows with a hammer. This bends hinges
in the direction of top of door, thus lowering it to
line up with other door. If additional adjustment
is necessary, remove lower door, place lower
end on ground and strike each hinge with a
hammer. This bends the hinges in the direction
of the bottom of the door, thus raising it to line
up with other door.
Doors Not Seated Properly. If doors do not seat
themselves properly or bounce slightly when in
closed position, and bottom anges of doors are
not obstructed by concrete in front of sill, apply
lubricant such as WD-40 to hinges, then refer to
STEP 2 on page 2 and check frame for plum
and square. Hinge can also be adjusted to get
the door to seat properly. From below with door
open three-quarters of the way, insert a screw-
driver along side of hinge as shown in Figure 2
Bilco Basement Door
Warranty
Bilco Basement Doors are designed
to operate to the customer’s
satisfaction and to provide years
of trouble-free service. Should a
part fail to function in normal use
within a period of ve (5) years
from the date of purchase, a new
part will be furnished at no charge.
Finish warranty voided if doors
are not painted inside and out per
instructions in STEP 5 on page 3
within (45) days of installation.
below. Pull door down on it to a point where you
feel pressure of the screw driver relieving bind-
ing condition.
Hinge Damaged. A hinge can be bent downward
by mishandling during shipment or by someone
trying to force the door closed without releasing
the hold-open safety latch, and as a result the
door does not t properly on the frame. Such
damage to a hinge can be identied by a bump
on the top of the door. To correct, remove the
door from the frame, place it on the ground with
the hinge side up and step downward on the
hinge to bend the pivot point back to its correct
location (see Figure 3 below). The other hinge
on that door, which has not been damaged, can
be used as a guide in bending the hinge back to
the proper place.
Door Warped or Bent. Place the end of door
on a block or bottom step of a nearby stairway,
and step down on it with your foot. Door can be
bent back to the original shape very easily, but
when it’s installed on the frame and supported
all around it’s extremely strong and will not bend
during everyday use (see Figure 4 below).
Figure 1 Figure 2
Figure 3 Figure 4
Bilco Customer Service
[phone]
(Mon- Fri)
www.bilco.com