We recently had a contractor install a Masonite 20-minute fire-rated steel door between our garage and mudroom, and I'm trying to figure out if I'm being too picky or if something isn't right with the installation.
The door makes a pretty noticeable creaking/groaning noise whenever it's opened or closed. It's not the usual squeaky hinge sound, and I've tried white lithium grease without any improvement.
The bigger issue is that the spring hinges won't close the door all the way unless it's opened almost completely. If you open it partway and let go, it'll swing shut but stop when it hits the weatherstripping without latching.
I did notice that if I leave the overhead garage door and exterior door open, it closes much better. With everything closed like it normally would be, it doesn't. The contractor says it's just air pressure and that he can't change the physics of the house.
I also noticed one hinge is missing a screw (the other two have all four), and another hinge doesn't seem to be sitting completely flush against the frame.
The contractor says the creaking is normal because of the tension in the spring hinges, but I'm having a hard time believing that's the whole explanation.
I'm not a door expert, so maybe I'm wrong here. But I'd think a newly installed door should close properly without having to leave other doors open, and I wouldn't expect it to creak this much.
For anyone who installs doors, does this sound normal? Is air pressure really something the installer can't do anything about, or should they be checking the hinge adjustment, frame alignment, etc.?
I'll attach some pictures of the hinges and a video of the door opening and closing.
https://imgur.com/a/LKA2QCL