Window balances

A home owner from Washington says:
My 16 year old home has a handful of these windows that won't stay fully open - see the photo. I'm trying to replace the window balances with newer ones, hoping that this will allow me to fully open the windows.
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Emily from SWISCO responded:

Hello there!

We appreciate you reaching out to us. It appears you have either the Series 351 or Series 390, depending on the depth of the bottom fitting. Measure as shown below to determine the best match. There should also be a stamp imprinted on the metal channel that will indicate what strength option you'll need to select. 

Comparison of the S351 and S390 balance shoes.
Comparison of the S351 and S390 balance shoes.

A home owner from Washington says:
Thanks for the response. The balances are stamped 1340, which I see corresponds to 11 to 12 lb sash weight. However, when I weighed my sash it actually is 15 lb. Would it be safe and make sense to get 1350 to replace these?
A home owner from Washington says:
Could you also help identify these balances? Rhey seem to be 25.5" long
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Emily from SWISCO responded:

Has your window been working fine this whole time? If it has, you could just stick with the original 1340 stamp. You could also go with the 1350 stamp for a sash weighing 12 to 15 pounds if you feel that the window doesn't operate well with the original stamp. The decision is ultimately yours! 

This window balance in these new photos is different from what you've shown in your initial post, however. What you have here is an extended travel channel balance which is only available by custom order. We can still help but I'll just need a few more details first.

  • Can you show us close-up photos of the top and bottom fittings along with the metal hook at the end of the cord? 
  • What is the stamp on the metal channel? 
  • How many of these balances are you looking to replace? 

The metal channel length should also end in a 5/8" increment. Custom orders are nonrefundable so you may want to check just to be safe. 

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