forgive me with the wrong terms, i'm not that familiar with the windows vocabulary, but hopefully i can explain my problem and someone can guide me how to fix it.

i have a double hung sash windows in my house. it's simonton windows, but i don't really know the particular model. here is the overall look of the window and partially readable label:



one of the windows has a top sash loose. it has some give on the right side when i push it up and when i let it go it sags a bit down. i took down the bottom sash and tilted out the top. it appears that the right metal anchor (term?) is loose from the white contraption (term?) that holds it in the track. the contraption is attached to a metal strip that is under tension.

seems that i only need to pop it back and the problem will be solved. however, that white contraption on the right side (bad side) seems to be assembled wrong. here is a good one from the left side with the window removed completely:



the contraption is made out of two parts (not visible on the picture above, but better on the next pictures). on the good side both parts have round sides facing up. and the opening in the metal part facing up when window is removed.

here are three pics of the bad one:



notice that the outer plastic part has round side facing down and the opening in the metal part is facing down, so the anchor cannot be placed in and stay in when putting window back up.

so my understanding is that i need to flip the metal part so the opening is on top so the anchor would go it and stay in. i also need to flip the plastic part upside down to open access to the metal part.

my question is - how do i do it?

 

I'm not familiar with Simonton's, but the part in the picture is called a pivot shoe. Take the biggest slotted screwdriver you can find, and insert it into the slot in the right pivot shoe and turn it so that it is vertical (so that the long dimension of the slot will be oriented up and down, with the open part facing DOWN)

The pivot shoe on the left will likely need to be positioned in the same manner, but with the slot being open and facing up. Both pivot shoes should be positioned roughly in the same location on the frame, one should not be higher or lower than the other one.

Take the sash in both hands and hold it perpendicular to the window, raising the left side up high, the right side down low. (Watch the sharp ends of the metal pivot bars so that they don't scratch your simulated woodgrain finish!) Insert the right pivot bar under the right pivot shoe and raise it up into its seat while guiding the left pivot bar down the slot in the vinyl jamb. As you lower the left side of the sash the left pivot bar will seat itself into the left pivot shoe.

At this point, both pivot bars should be seated in the correct location, so you would then be ready to tip the sash up and close it. It should then raise and lower and stay connected to the pivots.

Your pivot shoes are a little different from the ones I'm familiar with but the principle should be about the same. Generally those pivot shoes BOTH sit with the U-shaped portion facing UP, and the sash drops in from above... sometimes both at the same time, but it looks like on yours the right side has to be inserted first before the left side is dropped in. Hope this helps.

 

Ok...I think I have it. These things are sometimes referred to as "tape balances" since they work somewhat like a tape measure....but I think the correct name is "constant force balance"?

The entire assembly with spring and all is called the "balance assembly". The part attached to the spring with the round metal in the center is called the "balance shoe".

In pic 3 (of all pics posted), thats what you should see on both sides when the sash is removed.

Whats happened is that the balance shoe in pic 4 has apparently retracted back up to the balance assembly. You want to turn the metal piece inside the shoe so that it can be pulled down to approximately the same height as the one in pic 3.

I can't tell exactly from your pic....but it does indeed look like the balance assy on the faulty side is incorrect or incorrectly installed.

When the sash is out...the opening in the metal center piece should be facing UP....this locks the shoe in position and allows removal and replacement of the sash by putting the pivot bar (the part attached to the window) in the show.

Have you seen these videos and PDF files...they may help...How-to-Videos - Simonton Windows

 

XSleeper was faster....but I believe he's correct about the orientation of the openings in the shoe. I can't find it on their site and I've never seen one like that.

It seems like a bad design. You can't just tilt the sash in and let it hang for cleaning it would seem?

EDIT I just watched the video of the sash replacement...and it shows operation like X and I are used to. Tilt to 90 degrees then lift up and out.

 

Last thought....

If you have any other windows and they are not like this one...then it's a manufacturing defect of some sort.

 

guys, i read thru your replies - thank you for chiming in.

the rest of my windows have the pivot shoes oriented the same way, with the opening up, this is the only window that is "off".

XSleeper, if i rotate the pivot shoe to face down, the pivot bar will not stay in - it would simply fall down. i think the show was oriented down and that's how i got the window out of the frame.

i do believe that i need to flip the left plastic part (on my last pic) to have the opening on the top and rotate the pivot shoe to face up. this way it will be symmetrical with the left side and with the rest of my windows.

the question is how?

Gunguy, i will check out the videos, thanks!

 

The videos will tell you how to replace a balance.

I'm just not sure if the left and right are identical or mirror images. It may be as simple as moving the center metal or you may not even need to do that.

 

Like I said, normally, those u-shaped pivot shoes face UP. Why yours is facing down is beyond me. Take a slotted screwdriver, insert it into the right pivot shoe and twist it 180° until it faces up, but hang onto the screwdriver while you do this because when you unlock it, the spring tension of the constant force balance will want to be pulling the pivot shoe UP. It should lock again once the slot is vertical.

Then you would tip the sash into place, holding it perpendicular to the window...inserting the right pivot bar ONLY into the right shoe while the left side of the sash is tipped up at an angle then as you lower the left side pivot bar into the left side pivot shoe it should fit into place.

This is an example of something that is easier to do than to explain.

 

The more I look at this...the less sense it makes.

In pic 4...the inner and outer sash have cutouts very close together...are all the windows like that?

 

success!! i managed to get the plastic part out! the rest was easy - i flipped it, turned the metal pivot point and put the window back together!

thank you guys!

 

Thats looks like almost the same picture. What has changed? Looks like the sash would still fall out....

Before...[ATTACH=CONFIG]935[/ATTACH]

After...[ATTACH=CONFIG]935[/ATTACH]

Maybe you posted the wrong pic?

 

sorry, that was the picture i was trying to attach before i did the work. i didn't notice it was there! i flipped the left white part upside down and then it all worked out just fine.

thanks again for the help!