Double Hung Vinyl Window Questions

Home Owner from Hansville, WA

Jan 13, 2014 10:21 pm

I am unsure what brand of window I have in my 1997 home. My guess was Milgard, but was told by the lumber company (found an old sticker) that it may be a Weathervane which is out of business. I am not sure. I am in need of some replacement locks (a lot are really bad worn and barely hold) and a few balances. Not sure why the manufacturer's name is not easy to find. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I found a sticker on the sash that said: 2161-2-1-1 Almond, Net Vent. 33.125x30.125 3x3 3x3 H, Kingston Lumber Supp C1LeAr, Singlehung, Dbllok, B1 4

Window has a stamp that says: BB1 Jun97 ASTM E774 88lbs.

Balance has a stamp on it that says: 27 3 FQ Caldwell

User submitted photos of window hardware.

6 Replies

Paul from SWISCO

Jan 14, 2014 3:33 pm

Good morning, and thanks for posting. Looks like your top attachment is winged, while your bottom is not. Since this doesn't match any of our standard Series, your balance will have to be specially made.

Before I can work on that, though, I'll need to figure out what that bottom shoe is. Check out our 15-001 and 15-002 and tell me which is a closer match.

Comparison of 15-001 & 15-002

Home Owner from Hansville, WA

Jan 20, 2014 2:10 pm

Paul,

Thanks.

Here are some additional photos of the balances. Hope they help narrow it down. You should be able to zoom in. For the broken one, it appears as if the cord is unravelling.

For that one the code on the balance says 27 3 FQ Caldwell. It is 28 inches long (metal to metal) and 29 inches with the plastic ends attached.

I have one window that is missing both balances. The code on a balance from a similar window says 15 3 EQ Caldwell. It is 16 inches long (metal to metal) and 17 inches with the plastic ends attached.

Look forward to seeing a quote or other suggestions.

Thanks, Michael

A customer submitted image of their balance shoe.

Tom from SWISCO

Jan 23, 2014 9:39 am

Thanks for getting back to us, Michael. It's still hard to tell which shoe this is. When you measured the depth, what did you get? Just by eyeballing it, it looks like it might be 1", which makes me think it's the 15-002, but I'd like you to confirm.

If so, you're looking at a custom made balance with a 19-005 top and 15-002 shoe. Are these the same two attachments on both the 28" long balance and the 16" long balance?

Assuming they are, I'll go ahead and email you a custom order link that you can use to place an order on our website.

Home Owner from Hansville, WA

Feb 10, 2014 9:54 pm

Tom, You are correct about the 19-005 and 15-002. They look like a perfect match. They are the same for both balances. was wondering if there is a replacement for the cord and pulleys for the 28 inch balance. Basically on that one, the only thing that is broken is the cord - really frayed. There looks like a little screw that you can remove that holds the pulley system in place? Can I just buy that to fix the 28? Here are some photos.

Tom from SWISCO

Feb 11, 2014 11:43 am

Unfortunately, the pulley system cannot be replaced by itself. When those break, the whole balance has to be replaced.