Sash balance

A handy person from Sumner, Washington says:
I have Certinteed windows in my house, all the sash balances have broken, looking for replacements. The channels are 1/2" wide and 25.5" long. There is a stamping of 25 , 3 visible on one end, any help is appreciated.
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Tom from SWISCO responded:

We can supply this balance, but it will have to be a custom order due to its configuration.

Before we go any further, though, I just needed you to clear up a few details. To start, can you double check the length of the metal channel? It should be 25-7/8" long, not 25-1/2". That's not a size that we can supply, unfortunately, so if that is accurate then we cannot assist you.

If it is 25-7/8", though, then there's no problem at all. I would then need to know the count. Our minimum purchase quantity for these is 2.

A handy person from Sumner, Washington says:
Hi Tom, yes my channels are 25.5". I'm really frustrated with these windows,I have 6 that are nonfunctional, and Certinteed is no help. Is it possible to buy the end clips? (the piece at the end of the cord) seems to be the problem with most of mine (all broken). Thanks for your time.
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Tom from SWISCO responded:

As a matter of fact, it is. See our 62-108 "butterfly" clip. This appears to match what you have in your photos.

Now, you have to be very careful when replacing these clips. The cords are under constant tension and if you aren't careful they'll slip out of your grip and could even hurt you. Make sure to wear safety gloves and goggles before you work on these, just in case.

Otherwise the process of replacement is pretty straightforward. You just need to pull the cord out a reasonable amount, secure it in a bench vice, then untie the old clip off and tie the new clip on. When you release the bench vice, make sure you have a very firm grip of the cord for the reasons mentioned above. You want to let it slowly retract back into the metal channel.

All that aside, if the metal clips are breaking then it may be a sign that the balances aren't far behind. Replacement may be something you have to deal with in the near future regardless of repairing the clips.

I really wish we could get these sizes for you. Believe me, we've tried, but right now the 7/8" length options are all we can supply, which is just too long to work as a replacement. Hopefully one day in the future that will be a possibility. 

Until then, I wish you luck on this project. We are here to help in any way we can, limited though it may be.

A handy person from Sumner, Washington says:
Thanks for getting back to me, I ordered some clips, its worth a try. All your help is appreciated, take care.
Classifying Channel Balance Fittings
Classifying Channel Balance Fittings
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