American Craftsman Series 8500

A handy person from New Hampshire says:

I have an American Craftsman Series 8500, double hung, installed in 2005.

It appears that the lower sash coil spring got damaged and doesn't function.

I have not yet taken the Pivot Shoe and Coil Spring out to get exact measurements, but it appears to be very similar to your Coil Housing Pivot 15-087 except, as near as I can determine, the depth of mine is 9/16", not the 1/2" shown on the 15-087 detail (I see that the depth of the 15-086 is 9/16").

The sash is small, only approximately 18" by 20", and I weighed it as 5.75 pounds.

I can find no marking on the end of the coil spring BUT I do see the number 4 marked on the Coil Housing! So perhaps they use a 4 pound coil to assist. So I plan on ordering the "Coil Housing Pivot 15-087 and the Swisco Series 180 Coil Balance with a 4 pound spring weight.

Would you also suggest that I replace both left and right sides?

Can you confirm that I am on the right track before I order the parts?

Thank You

Lenny

Pictures:

Three pictures included 0891,0896 and 0905

Two pictures show parts of the damaged coil spring, the third shows the dimensions of my Pivot Shoe.

Thumbnail of the uploaded file named IMG_0891.JPG
Thumbnail of the uploaded file named IMG_0896.JPG
Thumbnail of the uploaded file named IMG_0905.JPG
Profile picture of Casey
Casey from SWISCO responded:

Hello,

I agree that the parts that you picked out would be my recommendations based on your photos as long as the dimensions match up to yours. The 4 on your original coil spring would indicate that you need the S180-4 but keep in mind that one 4-pound coil on each side would support an 8-pound sash. You mentioned that yours weighed less than 6 pounds, which I would generally recommend the S180-3 to support. 

You only need to replace the damaged pieces of your balance assembly but based on the condition of your coil springs, I would at least recommend replacing those on both sides to ensure that the sash is adequately supported. Thank you! 

Detail of 15-087
Detail of 15-087

Series 180 coil balance diagram
Series 180 coil balance diagram

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