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Fixing Window Chains and RopesBy Jim Sulski Summary: Either you can't get a window open or it won't stay open. Luckily, fixing the window chain or rope isn't hard, it just requires some time. There is nothing more frustrating than a window that doesn't open, or doesn't
stay open. Double-hung sash windows that don't work usually suffer from one of two maladies: They have been painted shut, or, the ropes or chains that raise and lower the windows have snapped. The first problem is easily repairable, requiring a scraper or putty knife, a hammer and a few minutes of breaking the paint seal between the window and the frame. The second problem requires a bit more attention, and, can be repaired in a number of ways. Each of the two sashes in double hung windows is counterbalanced by a weight hidden inside the frame of the window. If the chain or cord from the sash to that weight is broken, the window looses its ability to stay in place. Fixing a sash window is inexpensive but usually requires a few hours of time. Start by removing the small wooden stops in front of the upper and lower sashes. Gently pry these stops up off the frame about every half-inch or so with a putty knife and a pry bar. The stops should be held down with small finishing nails. Take care as you'll need to replace the stops later. Then remove the lower sash by pulling it out of the window frame (if the upper sash needs to be repaired as well, that will require removing a parting bead - the small strip of wood that separates the bottom sash from the top sash). If one of the two cords or chains is still functioning, carefully remove it from the side of the sash but hang on tight. Then tie a knot in the cord or place a nail through the chain so it isn't pulled through the pulley and into the cavity. On the inside frame - or the channels - of the window will be two small access panels. These may be hidden by metal weatherstripping channels that will have to be removed first or obscured by paint. Remove the panels and feel around the cavity inside for the weights that have fallen. Cut a new length of cord or chain and attach those with clips to the window and then through to pulley down to the weight. The cord or chain should be about three-quarters of the length of the window. The cords, chains and clips are available at hardware stores. This is where a second set of hands will be beneficial as you wrestle the sash back in place. Replace the access panel covers and lightly nail the stops back in. Then test the window to make sure it works correctly. Next, secure the stops but not too tightly as they can impede the movement of the window. Finally, lubricate the side channels with a silicone spray or candle wax to allow the window to raise and lower easily. REPLACEMENT CHANNELS Another way to fix sash windows is to "modernize" them with channel kits, which eliminate the weights and ropes or chains. In addition, the channel kits add the benefit of weatherstripping for older double-hung windows. The kits also silence loose windows which may rattle in the wind or when trucks drive by. Selling for about $15-plus depending on window size, the kits provide two new aluminum channels that have tensions springs in the center to replace the ropes or chains. The one caveat is that the kits only work with windows that are one and three-eighths inches in depth with a parting bead of a half-inch or three-eighths inch. If the windows are any thicker or thinner, they need to be shaved with a router or built out with furring strips to fit the channels. The channels are installed by first removing the stops around the window sash as described above. Then, if the chains or ropes are still attached to the sashes, cut them. Then, remove the pulleys at the top of the window frame by extracting the screws at the top and bottom. Next, remove any metal channels at the sides of the window. Remove both the lower sash and then pull out the small half-inch or three-eighths inch parting bead. It can be broken. Next, remove the upper sash, which may also be connected to ropes or chains. Then remove the chain or rope where it connects to the upper sides of the sashes. Then, using a chisel, remove about a half-inch from each end of the parting bead at the top of the inside of the window frame. Then place the two new channels against the sides of the upper and lower sashes.
Then place the entire mechanism back into the window frame, and nail or screw
the upper channels into the window frame. Finally, replace the stops around
the window. © by Jim Sulski. All rights reserved. February 9, 2005. NOTE: This column is distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate, PO Box 366, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022. This column may not be resold, reprinted, resyndicated or redistributed without written permission from the publisher. © 2005 by Ilyce R. Glink. Distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate. |
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