I am working on a home that is about ready to close. One of the items on the inspection report was repair/replace windows that will not stay open (fire code related).
I have 8 aluminum windows in 3 sizes with the red-tipped spiral balances. The red tip (I believe called bushings) are pretty much broken and the end of the tube is flared open. I'm ordering new ones from Swisco.com.
As I am digging deeper into this project, I am learning a lot! It looks like I should replace more than just the balances. I have replaced the cracked and broken tilt latches with the brand Lowe's sells (as I was told that's all I needed to do by someone else who had worked on the house) but now I'm questioning using parts from different resellers.
Also what other parts are recommended when hanging the balances? This is my first time changing this type of balance; I have replaced the ropes in weighted windows, so this is different and I want to learn how to do this the right way!
The 2 windows with 17" tubes do not have a colored tip - it appears to be white. What is recommended for those?Thank you!
These are the pivot shoes to an aluminum tilt out window (manufacturer unknown) the balance is a red-tipped spiral balance inside a 28" long tube and with a diameter of 5/8". I have total of six windows that need new balances and I want to replace the pivot shoes as well since I'm doing this.
Three windows have 25" tubes and the other three are 28" tubes and all are 5/8" diameter. I need to know which pivot shoe to order. Thank you for your help!
Oh and I'm in somewhat of a rush as the house is in closing stage and this is the project holding us back as far as closing. Thank you so much!
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Tom from SWISCO responded:
May 29, 2019
Thank you for your patience during this busy holiday season. Sounds like you're on the right track. Your pivot shoe is an older style that's not made anymore, but I'm certain we can find a substitute. It looks like it could be 5/8" thick. Can you confirm? If so, our 15-121 may work. This is compatible with spiral balances, it's 5/8" thick by 1-1/4" wide, and it's meant to use a pivot bar like our 26-040. As long as those qualities are met then I think it will work well as a substitute. As for replacing the balance, I recommend using a charging tool like our 75-006. This will make swapping them out a lot easier. See the video below for more details. |
