Trying to idenify window balance

Question

The house is in Florida, 6 years old. Vinyl windows with impact glass. One balancer cord broke. Stamped on the metal is "28DS 37" The metal channel is 30" long, 9/16" wide. Can you help me idenify this?

Tom · Accepted Answer

Thanks for your photos. Based on what I see here, you have either our S380-29 or S385-29, depending on the depth of the bottom shoe. That's the only difference between them. I recommend measuring your shoe and referring to our dimensions to confirm the best match.

Comparison of the S378, S380 and S385 balance shoes.

Your stamp also indicates that you have a heavy-duty double spring (which is what the "DS" literally stands for), rated to carry 37 pounds. I recommend triple checking your sash weight to verify that this rating is accurate. If so, you can use our 2865 stamp option, which carries 35 through 39 pounds. As long as your sash is 37 pounds exactly then this option should be more then sufficient.