windows are too hard to open

Question

My single hung windows are very hard to push up. I have spiral balancers.

Tom · Accepted Answer

It sounds like your balances have lost their tension. The cool thing about spiral balances is that you can actually charge them to give them a little more spring tension back. Think of it like a wind up toy.

Are these tilt windows? If so, then you can use our 75-006 to wind the balance up. You want to give it 2-3 turns, but not more. If you don't feel tension build after 3 turns then your balances are probably totally shot and need to be replaced.

The video below will show you exactly how to use the 75-006 tool to charge tilt window spiral balances. If this isn't a tilt window, let me know and we can proceed accordingly.