window wont close all the way

Question

Single hung non-tilt window wont close all the way-it just needs another 1/4 inch to be able to lock.I have taken the sash out and cleaned, and siliconed the balances and still nothing. If I leave the channel balances out it will close all the way and lock.

The window is 2 hours away at my mothers who has no internet. I brought the channel balances home with me to order more.

They appear intact except a side projection on one shoe is broken off.
They are marked 2040 but the metal channel measures 21"

She had no scale -next time i go I'll weigh window but including framing it is 45.5" wide, 23" high, double pane vinyl window from the 1980s or 90s.

I don't know if these are the original channel balances or if this window ever locked properly. With window out and trying the balances on the sides of it, the balances do not nest nicely in the sides of the windows. If they were 1" shorter they would fit flush inside. But I've never done this before so.... Also the springs are very strong.

Paul · Accepted Answer

Thanks for posting! Based on your pictures, I'm confident this is our S385-21. However, I can't account for why the window it's from won't close all the way. There may be a few reasons for this.

First, is there an identical window in the house? If so, check the balances to see if they're the same. One reason why a window may not close all the way is because the balance isn't the right length. This one is 21" long, so check an identical window to see if that balance is the same size.

Regardless of whether there's an another window or not, let us have the height of the visible glass for this sash. I'd also like to know its weight, like you mentioned. That will let us know for sure if this balance is the right size.