Window balancer problems

Question

Greetings from the Southwest! I have a 1993 home with H-R windows. I have both tilt and non-tilt varieties in the place!
I have spring balancer problems with both types and have attached photos of each type. The photo of the bottom of a window where the spring balancer is to attach that shows no nylon part is the non-tilt. The non-tilt windows are 23" wide. The offending tilt window is 48" wide and heavy.

I removed the balancers from a non-tilt window and put them back in. I have no idea how to attach the balancer mechanism at the bottom of the sash. There is not point of attachment evident to me and the tensioner rods were hanging to the sill before I removed and replaced them. The balancers don't seem to be broken, just not tensioned or attached at the bottom.

As for the tilt out, I'm not sure how to detach the bottom of the tube to get at the tensioner. Is it the little phillips screw shown in one of the photos?

thanks in advance for your expertise!

Tom · Accepted Answer

Thanks for reaching out to us. We should definitely be able to help with the tilt window spiral balance, though I'm less certain about the non-tilt. Those are a little hard to come by these days and it will depend on what kind of configuration it is you're working with.

Starting with the non-tilt balance, since it's the most complicated, your hardware is currently too obscured for me to identify. In order to help, I need to see a clear picture of the bottom of the spiral rod. These come in a ton of different varieties and I need a better idea of what you have so that I may narrow it down.

The tilt windows are a lot easier. There are only two options: the 3/8" diameter Series 900 and the 9/16" diameter Series 600. You just have to measure the diameter of the tube to confirm the best option.

As for how to remove the tilt window balance, the video below will show you exactly how we do it. You do not want to unscrew the pivot bar you show in your last photo, you just have to tilt the sash in and twist it out.