spiral balance tilt window repair
Quick Learner from columbus, ohio
Sep 26, 2014 7:44 am
I have 19yo windows... with spiral balance-tilt windows. all open hard. a couple of balances have broke away at top... plastic inside window tracks broke. I disassembled one window and spiral mechanism (blue tip). spiral removed completely and sticky gunk cleaned off. I used a plastic drywall toggle in broken hole at top which surprisingly is holding well. I've viewed your video and illustrated instructions. my questions is could I have damaged the balances by disassembling them? possibly i'm not loading them correctly as i'm using pliers... but it seems as if there is tension pushing the window down not assisting with lift. this downward tension also causes the balance to want to "bow inward making contact with window itself when lifting. the plastic sheath that encased the balance is removed. it was so brittle it crumbled so I removed it all. thanks for any guidance. scott
4 Replies
Paul from SWISCO
Sep 26, 2014 10:03 am
Actually, it sounds like your balances were worn out even before you tried replacing them. Using pliers to wind them is a little awkward, but I don't see why it would cause any damage unless you're being rough with it. You may want to replace your balances entirely. You could also use our 26-200 screw plug to fill in the hole in the jamb track if it has broken.
Quick Learner from columbus, ohio
Sep 26, 2014 1:36 pm
i'm not installing new balances. i'm re-installing the original ones I disassembled and cleaned up.
the holes where the screw plugs were in... are the spots where the plastic window frame broke at so I can't put a new screw plug there. If I drilled another hole at a lower spot to put a screw plug and attach the balance to... would that work? It would result in one balance being mounted a few inches lower than the other one. Would the balances being unequal prevent them from working?
the holes where the screw plugs were in... are the spots where the plastic window frame broke at so I can't put a new screw plug there. If I drilled another hole at a lower spot to put a screw plug and attach the balance to... would that work? It would result in one balance being mounted a few inches lower than the other one. Would the balances being unequal prevent them from working?
Paul from SWISCO
Sep 29, 2014 1:33 pm
Ah, I see. Sorry for the confusion. Your method is certainly a good solution, but I would lower the holes equally on each side to keep the movement equal in the sash. You just have to be careful that let everyone who raises the sash doesn't go so high as to disconnect the balances from the shoe.
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