Windows Not Staying Up

Hello: I bought this house about 9 years ago and they had put (so called) new windows in and here is what is happening.
One by one these windows are breaking somehwhere so they will not stay up by themselves anymore. I noticed a cork screw type metal rod coming down the side of the window and I think that is what is breaking (but not sure).
Is there anyway I can repair these windows so they will stay up when opened again? They are not all bad but getting there!
I cannot afford new windows, any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Tom
PS: There is NO warranty on them

 

Check your local hardware store, they should have repair kits for the balance (corkscrew rod). If not I'm sure there are other repair products they could suggest.

 

It's called a spiral balance. They may just need adjusting. You can find adjustment tools online if you can't find one locally. I believe you need the tool to replace them also. Try here or just do a search.

https://www.blainewindow.com/catalog/new.cfm


The balances are pretty cheap, just need to get the right one. If you know the manufacturer of the window that would help also.

 

Thanks, also, I was looking at one window and the corkscrew metal rod seems to have slipped down and does not seem to be broken. Can you instruct me on how to get that rod out to look at it good?

 

That, I'm not very familiar with, sorry. I have to replace one window myself, but since it rarely gets opened, I've done the research, but am not an expert on them. The tool allows you to grab the small pin at the end of the ballance and adjust the tension then snap it back in to the window, but thats a very basic explanation. Don't know if it can be done with something like pliers or not.

Are these tilt in vinyl windows?

There are several experts who come around every day. They should be able to help.


Don't know if this might help or not.

http://www.swisco.com/informative/pd...nce-Adjustment

 

Yes, they are tilt in but I dont think they are vinyl!
I will look over one of my windows while viewing the site you gave me to see if I can adjust them. Maybe they are just coming off track somehow? Thanks

 

You will need a spiral balance tensioning tool. This and replacement balances are available off HD's website. You can also use the search tool to search the forum here for past articles on "spiral balances" since this has come up before. Its usually easier to find the old posts than to explain how to do it all over again.

 

XSleeper...are you sure they are on the HD site? Maybe back when they had WhiteCap or HDSupply? I was surprised to read that, and didn't find it when I looked. Could you post a link if you have it?

Thanks
Vic

 

I looked and couldn't find them either

I did find them on eBay though

 

Well I'll be darned. I must be getting old when my advice has outlived its usefulness. My appologies. We usually get ours from CRL, but it's not likely they sell retail. Google offers a lot of sources, but Blaine has to be one of the best.

https://www.blainewindow.com//balance.cfm?

Their WB-79AT are the ones we see most often.

 

tomtom59,

Call a local glass shop. You'll spend HOURS looking on-line looking for a spiral balance tensioning tool, and if you do find it, it probably won't work on YOUR spiral balance.

Most of the balances that I've seen are adjustable, so if yours isn't broken, an adjustment is all that will be needed.

 

Thanks Lefty: I will be looking into all suggestions, but I have to put it aside for about a week. My friend is going into the hospital in another state and I will be giving him a hand while he recovers. Will get back to all asap and let you know. Thanks again, Tom

 

Ok, Before I left, I saw that all the spiral rods see (diagram one) >>>

http://www.swisco.com/informative/pd...nce-Adjustment (I could not get this link to come up, so if you cannot either, you may have to go to the same link posted above

just came out at the bottom of the holder. Will they be hard to put back in? Nothing on the spiral rod is broken! Please let me know and I will look into it in a week, Thanks

 

I'd be surprised that many have just popped out, though I guess if they needed adjustment and were loose they could have.

You many want to tilt the windows in and closely inspect the shoe on the frame. Most are nylon or plastic, they could have broken.

 

Ok, when I get home in a week, I will let you know. BTW, is that shoe at the bottom, that is showing in diagram 1 of the picture, if it is thats where the spiral rod came out and it looked like I could just pull up that shoe and place the rod back into it, but I may be wrong, what do you think? Thanks

 

Yes, the shoe is the piece that glides in the frame of the window, the sash fits into that, and the balance attaches to the top of the shoe.

If the balance has popped out, you'll need to adjust it as they lose their tension when released.

Good advice by lefty. If you can buy or borrow a tool from a glass shop (may have to put a deposit down) might be easier than buying one unseen. I did that when I needed to remove some very big annealed glass panels at work. Borrowed some of their suction cups over the weekend while they were closed.

Take a balance with you if you decide to do that. It's probably just held on by a screw in the upper frame

 

Is the balance that square thing the rod seems to come out at? Its at the bottom (right)

 

The balance is the whole thing. The spiral rod and the thing the spiral rod goes into, going up towards the top of the window frame. Normally they are round, but I guess there may be square ones, never seen one though. It may only look square since its probably held in the frame channel.

 

The site you mentioned has good instructions for winding spiral balances. http://www.swisco.com/informative/pd...nce-Adjustment

They also have the spiral balance tool listed. http://www.swisco.com/Charging-Tool-...f-Tools/75-006

I have seen the spiral balance rods come undone through no fault of their own. If you can wind them up and they hold tension, they are fine and don't need to be replaced. But if they spin freely with no spring tension ever building up, or the spiral part comes out of the tube, they are shot. Sometimes the pivot shoe will be damaged or broken.

The spiral tools are cheap, not hard to find or order. Good tool to have when you need it. Course, that's true of all tools.

 

Gunguy is right. You could probably try it with pliers but it is almost impossible as there is a lot of tension there. If the balance rod came out of the tube you probably need a new. Measure the lenght of the tube and make note of the colored bushing at the bottom of the tube and order a new along with the tool to adjust it.