Window channel balance fixes

Question

Hello,

Thank in advance for your help. I have a 14 year old home and many of the windows are out of order due to the channel balances breaking. In most cases, the closed-cam t-lock shoe has broken away from the metal balance cartridge. In some cases, like the attached photo, when the shoe broke it resulted in the tilt latches breaking. I haven't figured out how to replace the tilt latches in these windows (I don't see any screws and haven't tried to pop them out if they are compression or some other fit).

Details:

* product 15-195 shoes (I will need ~26 of these if that is all that I am replacing)

* 27" metal balance cartridge

* 18 lb windows

* as the images show, the cartridges use a metal hook at the top that is attached to the cord. It is most like your 795 series, but there is no screw attachment at the top as the hook fits in a hole in the track.

If I am just replacing the shoes (~26 needed) and pivot latches (6 needed, replacement not identified), I think I can move forward once I figure out how to replace the pivot latches.

An additional question is if and when the whole balance needs replacement.

FYI, I am in central Texas. Plastic parts do not do well in the heat, so that may be the cause of all of the shoes failing?

Thanks,

Duncan

Tom · Accepted Answer

Hello, Duncan. If your shoes broke, then it is likely a sign that your channel balances won't be far behind. It doesn't have anything to do with the heat, it's just because the balances are old.

That said, you can try replacing just the 15-195 shoes for now. That could very realistically give your balances a few more years of life, but they will require total replacement sooner or later.

If you do want to replace the balances, then they have to be custom made due to that hook. Let me know if you wanted to pursue that and how many altogether you needed. I can then email you a custom balance purchase link you can use to add them to your cart.

For the tilt latches, yours may be a match for our 26-243 and 26-244, but look these over to confirm. The video below will show you how to remove them.