Need to replace all spiral balances in several vinyl windows

Question

Hi, I have an overall nice 20 year old house with double hung, tilting vinyl windows I can't see the brand of, many of whose spiral balances have broken and let the sashes drop.  I took out the balances on one side of one to check.  The tube of one is 32 inches and of the other is 34 (not sure which is upper and which is lower.)  The lower sash of one i weighed on a bathroom scale is 22 lbs.  I took a picture of the balamce tips and the tubes are about 3/8 inch wide.  1)  what replacements would you recommend? 2) is there a different kind of balancer which is smoother or lifts more of the window's weight I can swap in?  3)  some windows are different sizes but all this general type and I see the balancers are for weight ranges which overlap.  What is good or bad about using a heavier capacity balancer in a weight range that overlaps with the particular sash?  Thank you, Anand

Casey · Accepted Answer

Hello,

Your photos resemble the (3/8") S900 spiral balances. Once you determine which length is for the top and bottom sash, you can follow the chart under the product description that explains how to choose your option based on the sash weight. You're correct that some of the color options overlap, but they will work equally well as long as the range covers the exact weight of your window sash. We'll relate a few videos on this page to help you through the replacement process. Thanks for posting and let us know if you need anything else.

How to measure the tube length of the S900 spiral balance.