OT: cabinet hinges - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2021, 04:16:21 am
content: This morning I opened my kitchen cabinet to get the cat food and I heard a loud snapping sound. Then the door didn't close by itself anymore.It's a double door articulated at 90 degrees. So I looked at the hinge mechanism and saw a broken spring in the housing.No big deal, said I naively.Turns out there's more types and variations and sub-revisions of these hinges than there are particles at CERN. RF connectors look basic compared to the variety of hinges.It's nuts.It's branded Hettich. There are numbers stamped on each sub-part of the hinge which I would have figured are part numbers, but nope, no luck.I've emailed them, no reply yet. I've dug through their clunky website and didn't find a hinge that looks like this.The prices I've seen on American Home Depot are not bad, but Canadian Home Depot doesn't carry Hettich.Trying to find a replacement torsion spring is hard, there's nothing out there shaped like that.Has anyone ever done cabinet work? What do you do when you need to replace hinges? Do they have some sort of warranty?It irks me that a simple broken spring means replacing an entire mechanism, this is a right to repair thing IMO. There are 26 hinges just in the kitchen and it seems that they're going to start popping one after the other now...

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 31, 2021, 08:41:28 am
content: Your local hardware store should carry concealed cabinet hinges.It looks like you need the "inset" type.You should be able to buy a replacement for $10-20Common brands here are Hafele and Blum. I don't know about where you are.I would think it would be pretty pointless to replace just the spring. Sourcing it would be extremely difficult and then fitting it also difficult. Not much point when a new unit is so affordable.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2021, 08:44:54 am
content: Does this help?https://web.hettich.com/en-ca/products-shop/hinges.jspI think these are what you have:https://web.hettich.com/en-ca/products-shop/hinges/intermat-fast-assembly-hinges.jsp

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2021, 04:28:38 pm
content: They are under warranty, hurray for me!

author: Bassman59
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2021, 04:58:03 pm
content: This is the same hinge on my kitchen cabinets. A local maker built the cabinets and he specifically chose the hinges because "they're available at the local Home Depot."Except ... not any more (15 years later)!There are hinges which are close, but not an exact match.

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 31, 2021, 08:12:46 pm
content: Bassman, what part is not an exact match? The hole pattern?If so, you can fill the existing holes with epoxy filler and drill new holes.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 31, 2021, 11:41:52 pm
content: Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on March 31, 2021, 04:16:21 amIt's the same here in Oz.5 years ago I had a look for some replacement hinges to some kitchen cupboards that were getting old. They are still in place and getting older.

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 01, 2021, 12:22:38 am
content: A tip for Alex.You could simply leave that container of peanuts out on the counter top, then you wouldn't need to open the cupboard door as often thus saving the hinges from excessive wear.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2021, 12:51:44 am
content: In the hinges I've seen fail with age its not the spring that fails. Its the small plastic bit that supports the end of the spring that becomes brittle and fails. Although there are multiple mounting hole positions for different models of hinge they usually fall into one of maybe 3 or 4 sets of dimensions. The big hole that is drilled into the door is generally the same size. So, its usually possible to find an alternative that will simply fit into the existing holes

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2021, 02:11:04 am
content: What is the Hettich warranty?Blumalso makes cabinet hinges with lifetime warranty but charge a $12 processing fee, for a spring ouch.Home Depot is carrying "Everbilt" which are cheaper stamped steel, not cast.These hinges are some kind of German space technology, hydraulic dampers and 100's of configurations I hate choosing a model and aligning it.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2021, 02:25:50 am
content: Hettich make good stuff but you might need to check a specialist cabinetry or marine fitout store for them.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2021, 02:51:10 am
content: Quote from: Muttley Snickers on April 01, 2021, 12:22:38 amI could also clean the countertop but that's not happening either...Those are Sichuan spicy peanuts BTW, highly recommended.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2021, 03:04:51 pm
content: Quote from: floobydust on April 01, 2021, 02:11:04 amBlum hinges are very good, but they only last a lifetime if you die at 30.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2021, 05:28:39 pm
content: Yeah my cabinets are a mixed-hinge design apparently, Hettich for the weird ones, Blum for the cushioned ones.I'm simply going to swap the most used Blums with the least used ones, seeing how much trouble it is to get the exact right part numbers.