Spiral balancers from 1994

Question

Hello, my house has spiral balancers on the double-hung windows, 30" long and ~3/8" diameter. However, we have plantation shutters installed on the inside, so that while I can get the movable frame to the top of the window frame, pull the releases in and have the top edge tip out, it hits the shutter and I cannot fully remove the window to get to the pivot shoe. The spiral balancers are all apparently shot, but I don't think I can replace them if I cannot fully remove the window pane. If I could, I still don't have the color (no "cap" in place at all). I can try to weigh the window just by putting a scale in place but I don't think it would be accurate. So, am I correct that these can't be fixed without removing the shutter? I assume if I do that and weigh the window you can get the right replacement parts, right? Thanks!

Bob · Accepted Answer

Thanks for posting. Unfortunately, yes; you will need to remove the shutters to get the spiral balances out and the new ones in. I am afraid there is no way around this. Window and shutter companies don't really keep one another in mind when designing their products, which leads to hassles such as this. As far as picking the right color tip option, it is possible that if you place a bathroom scale on the sill and gently lower the sash onto it, you'll get an acceptable reading. The way to be most precise is to remove the sash from the frame and place it on a scale that way, but of course, that would mean taking the plantation shutters out now to do that. Unfortunately I think that's the best course of action just to avoid mistakes. Let me know if you have further questions about any of this hardware.