Choosing the right spiral balance and shoe

A quick learner from Rhode Island says:
May 6, 2017
I am looking to replace both the spiral balance and shoe for a double hung, tilt window. The spiral balance tube is white and measures 16", 3/8" diameter. There is no tip color visible. The shoe measures roughly 1/2"(9/16?) x 1 1/4" x 2". It has a green "button" with a white cam.
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Tom from SWISCO responded:
May 10, 2017
The spiral balance sounds like our S900-16, though you will need to weigh the sash to determine the proper tip color. As for the pivot shoe, can you specify the thickness? The difference between 1/2" and 9/16" may not seem like much, but it would be the difference between the 15-046 and 15-118.
A quick learner from Rhode Island says:
May 13, 2017
Hi Tom,

Thanks for the reply! The pivot shoe is precisely 9/16", and the window weighs 11.4 lbs. Looks like I'm going to go with the 15-118 and the S900-16 with a red tip.


Does it matter that the 15-118 is blue (my broken shoe is white)? Same for the spiral balance-- does it matter that the S900-16 is silver, when the one currently in my window is white?
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Tom from SWISCO responded:
May 15, 2017
I wouldn't worry about the color of the cam in the shoe or the balance tube. All of our balance tubes are metal, instead of plastic, but this also means that they don't grow brittle when exposed to sunlight.
16" Series 900 Spiral Balance
16" Series 900 Spiral Balance
S900-16
$7.90
Pivot Shoe, 1/2" Thick
Pivot Shoe, 1/2" Thick
15-046
$2.15
Pivot Shoe, 9/16" Thick
Pivot Shoe, 9/16" Thick
15-118
$2.20
How to replace a tilt window spiral balance.
How to replace a tilt window spiral balance.
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