COPYRIGHT 2018 JAMES DULLEY ( www.dulley.com/sea/ ) - February 2018 - (graphics ref. No. 237u at www.dulley.com/sea/column/2018-feb.htm )

"Replace and adjust window springs yourself so the window stays up."

Dear Jim: The sashes on our older tilt-in, double-hung windows stay only partially open or not at all for ventilation. Can I fix them myself without an expensive service call? - Chris K.

Dear Chris - This is a common problem with older standard or tilt-in double-hung windows, especially heavy ones with efficient double or triple panes. It is not only an annoying issue for ventilation. If someone is not expecting the sash to come sliding back down, it can seriously injure fingers smashed between the frame and the dropping sash.

It is a simple do-it-yourself project to repair and adjust all your windows so the sashes stay open and slide easily in the frame. Other than some screwdrivers, there is just one special tool, a spring charger, which makes the job easier. You can purchase one on the internet for only about seven dollars. 

There are spiral counterbalance springs inside the window frame which support the weight of the sash when it slides up for ventilation. There also are shoe blocks which hold the sash in the frame channel so it can move up and down. For tilt-in windows, the shoes include a pivoting socket for the sash end pins.

The shoe blocks wear over many years of use. This reduces the friction to help hold the sash open. When this happens, the counterbalance springs no longer provide enough additional support to hold the sash open. Also, as the sash is pushed up farther, the springs exert less force. This is why they may stay open only part way. 

On the windows where the sash does not stay up at all, the counterbalance spring has probably broken and must be replaced. Typically, the small plastic end, which makes the spiral spring rotate and tighten, has cracked. You may have heard a "snap" sound when it stopped staying up. There are two springs per window and they cost only about six dollars each.

A sash without good springs to support it can be heavy, so wear substantial work gloves. Place a wood block or something thick on the window frame under the sash. This will protect your hand from getting pinched in case the sash slides down while you are working on it.

To replace the spiral springs, raise the sash a few inches and put the wood block under it. Release the sash tilt latches and tilt it in as if for cleaning. Rock one side upward so the sash pin slips out of the shoes and then place the sash on the floor. The plastic sash stops and spring cover snap off easily from the window frame.

Inspect the small shoe blocks and the pivot centers in them. If they feel loose in the frame, replace them. Two new shoes cost just three dollars total. They range in width from five-eighths to one-half inch so order the correct ones. Only one screw holds each spring in place at the top.

The color of the broken plastic tip of the spiral spring indicates how strong it is. The colors are white, red and blue and they can handle sash weights of 4-12, 6-18 and 10-26 lbs. respectively. Use the same color new springs or the next stronger one if your sash weighs near the spring upper limit.

Measure the diameter and length of the old spring aluminum tube only, not including the tip, and order this length. New spring tube diameters are either 3/8 or 5/8 inches in diameter. The nominal 5/8-inch-diameter springs actually measure 9/16 inches.

Screw the new springs into the frame at the top again. Push the spiral spring rod up into the tube. Hook the charging tool to the rod end and pull it down. You will feel the spring tighten. Give it an extra one or two turns and hook it into the shoe block. Put the sash back into the shoe blocks, push it level and snap it back into the frame.

On the rest of your windows which just won't stay all the way opened, follow the same procedure without unscrewing and removing the springs. Check the condition of the shoe blocks. Use the spring charging tool to give the springs a couple extra turns for more strength. This should hold the windows open.

Dear Jim: Whenever I take a shower and someone flushes a toilet or turns on cold water, I nearly get scalded. I keep my water heater set at 120 degrees to save energy. Should I set it even lower? - Eddie H.

Dear Eddie: The problem is caused by a pressure imbalance when cold water is being used elsewhere causing the shower mixture to get more hot water. Setting the hot water temperature lower will help.

Your best solution is to install a new pressure-balancing, anti-scald shower valve (about $100). It senses a cold water pressure drop when another faucet is opened and automatically compensates to also reduce the hot water flow.

Send inquiries to James Dulley, Publication Name, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit www.dulley.com.