American Craftsman Series 8500

Question

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.

Casey · Accepted Answer

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

Series 180 coil balance diagram