Screw no longer holds in spiral rod

A handy person from West Chester, PA says:
Hello,

My townhouse has Patriot windows. Most of these windows have developed an issue in the same place. The screw on the photo doesn't hold and the rod (?name) doesn't stay in. I think they were probably over tightened when assembled. Also, the lubrication wasn't good enough and this contributed to the eventual damage. How could I fix this?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks!

Julian
User submitted a photo of a spiral balance.
Profile picture of Paul
Paul from SWISCO responded:
Thanks for posting. For this kind of Patriot window, they often use our Series 600 spiral tilt window balances with either our 15-046 or 15-047 pivot shoe. Each has a different thickness, however, so keep that in mind. As for the screw, that's just a safety feature to the helps keep the spiral from slipping out. While yours is probably over-tightened, it shouldn't interfere with performance of window. Check out the video below to see how a balance can perform without the screw.
A handy person from West Chester, PA says:
Thank you. I tried to play the video, but I am getting a message that "This video is currently unavailable".

Regarding the screw - they actually don't hold at all. This appears to be the main cause of the problem. The spiral doesn't stay in and it slips out. I hope this helps. It looks okay on the photo, but the screw is not tight.

Let me know if the video works for you. Maybe it is a browser issue. I am using IE.
Profile picture of Tom
Tom from SWISCO responded:
Yes, it's likely a problem with the IE browser. The video is working on our end. You could also check out our written guide: If the shoe isn't holding the balance, then it may be damaged and needs to be replaced. It's hard for me to tell based on your image, but if you can remove the shoe, carefully look it over for any damage
How to replace a tilt window spiral balance.
How to replace a tilt window spiral balance.
VIDEO
WATCH >
How to Remove a Pivot Shoe (Cutout Method)
How to Remove a Pivot Shoe (Cutout Method)
VIDEO
WATCH >
Swisco's 15-046 Pivot Lock Shoe
Swisco's 15-046 Pivot Lock Shoe
VIDEO
WATCH >
How to remove window pivot shoes
How to remove window pivot shoes
VIDEO
WATCH >
Anatomy of a tilt window
Anatomy of a tilt window
VIDEO
WATCH >
How to adjust a spiral balance on a tilt window
How to adjust a spiral balance on a tilt window
GUIDE
READ >
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