Window Balance

Home Owner from Jacksonville, FL

Apr 1, 2023 4:03 am

Hello, recently decided to take on the broken windows in the house and the more I look the worse it gets lol.
Window MFR. Kinco, LTD-JAX, FL.
Series: Mark 40/50 STD
H-LC30-53x78
H-LC30-48X95

Markings stamped on balance 29 4 of BSI

Was able to locate the top sash guide and it worked great, but the window was still very difficult to move and I feel the brown counterbalance is to blame, it just feels very sticky even without the window weight on it. Think this caused the window to fall out when trying to open and not even 1/3rd of the way up. The window is also missing some window shims / guides that also may have given the window too much play that i'm going to see if yall can find the part on as well hopefully. The windows were installed in 2003 when the house was built and all the plastic in every window has failed. Good ole Florida Sun I guess :)

5 user uploaded images

8 Replies

Emily from SWISCO

Apr 3, 2023 12:56 pm

Hi there!

You have the S380-30 or S385-30 channel balance with the 2940 option based on what I see in these photos. You will have to measure your balance's bottom fitting as shown below to determine which Series is best.

Comparison of the S380 and S385 balance shoes.

As for the window shims/guides, can you show us photos of them?

Home Owner from Jacksonville, FL

Apr 4, 2023 12:54 pm

Good Afternoon,

I measured the bottom piece and it was 1" so looks like it is the S380 so I ordered some and will verify that they will work and hopefully wont find any other broken ones in the other windows. The brown one that was difficult to move completely failed when i tried to remove it to double check, looks like the two cords are on the same side of the bottom pully effectively locking it in place. I Re-Installed the window without the balance and it is actually easier to open now than when the balances are installed lol.

You answered my question about the window face guides in another post and ordered some of them as well. With the windows removed I'm thinking it may be a good time to replace the weather stripping around the windows. They look pretty flat and are probably due for a replacing. Not sure if you can go off of these photos or if i'll need to remove them so you can get a better look.

Thanks for the quick response and help!

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Emily from SWISCO

Apr 4, 2023 2:28 pm

It looks like you need new pile weatherstripping but I'm afraid I can't make a recommendation without dimensions. Can you remove an undamaged sample and write out the pile height and base width? That information will allow me to narrow down some options.

Home Owner from Jacksonville, FL

Apr 5, 2023 9:26 am

Good Morning,

All of the piles are pretty flat, I pulled one and got the best measurements I could, the bottom plastic T part that slides in is 3/16ths of an inch wide and from the base to the top of the center plastic piece is 1/4 inch. Took a couple photos but its pretty hard to see.

Also there is a rubber strip on the street facing side of the window bottom. I'm assuming these have completely deteriorated and used to be a lot more to it than whats left? No windows have these left intact but assuming it should be bubble weather stripping. Tried to pull that piece out but it may as well be stuck in concrete. Amazing what 20 years can do to a set of windows.

Thanks again and let me know if you need any more information.

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Emily from SWISCO

Apr 5, 2023 10:56 am

Thank you very much for getting back to me! Our 58-127 appears to match your dimensions but take a look and see what you think.

I'm just not sure what to recommend for the bubble seal without seeing the original. Is there an identical window in the house with a seal in better condition? If so, we can use that as a reference. Otherwise, my recommendation would be to browse our selection of bubble seals here. Let me know if you would like to order some samples. The maximum is 5 and you would just have to pay for shipping.

Home Owner from Jacksonville, FL

Apr 6, 2023 10:03 am

Good Morning,

I found a window with that seal still in place, its not a bubble seal like I thought it was but just a little flap. Not even sure if you can change these out as it just tears and the rubber part in the window is in there pretty good.

Took the best pictures that I could without destroying it, let me know what you think.

V/r,

Dan

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Emily from SWISCO

Apr 6, 2023 3:29 pm

It's possible this seal isn't meant to be removed but I, unfortunately, don't know if that's the case here. It does look like it's really in there and even if you can remove it, it will likely be too damaged to identify. At this point, contacting the original manufacturer of the window may be your best bet.