I would recommend this way only!! The shortcuts of heating and jamb spreaders will degrade and damage and shorten the windows lifespan, They used to notch out at the manufacturer but have stopped I believe merely out of greed because it slows down the number of windows made per day.against this procedure in the future. These shortcuts will degrade the vinyl and shorten its lifespan considerably. I am not trying to be critical I am speaking from over 30 years in the field of residential window repair. Despite what advertisers would have you believe vinyl degrades over time from years of exposure to sun extreme temperature changes of the seasons changing and overtime becomes dried out and more brittle as a result. exposing this material to extreme heat from a hot air gun is only going to contribute to this process and speed it up. Most of the vinyl window manufacturers notched out the top area of the track to allow a place for removal and replacement of worn pivot shoes. Today many of them have stopped doing this for one reason only and imo cause by greed. It takes extra time to notch out for the removal of shoes and skipping that part provides a faster production and output at the manufacturer. They are in the business of making windows as fast as they can and realized they have no vested interest in ease of repair. Regarding my credentials : I have been repairing windows since 1976. I ran a window and door glass replacement and repair business in Virginia Beach for 28 years.
Can't agree more, John. Everything from the heat worsening brittle vinyl to the cheap techniques used by some manufacturers. Our view of that issue is that the cutout (or many other convenient, repairable features that manufacturers leave out) fell out of popularity because less-repairable windows are more likely to be fully replaced if the customer can't find the proper repair part. For this reason, you see manufacturers omit labels from their parts, or use labeling systems that don't allow you to identify the part. Then, the part goes out of production, and your only option is a full replacement. Thank you for your expert testimony, John. Over the years, our experts have made some of the same observations. We hope your experience will be a big help to future customers.
Anyone know a vendor in Massachusetts? I need just the 2 hole coil spring my cartridge is fine just the spring broke mine had a 8K stamp on it so I assume 8lb. My issue is I dont have the ability to order for delivery. So I have to waste fuel and drive to get 2 of these.
Hey John thanks for the info. I just found this video now as my VPI double-hung windows balance spring broke, and no cutouts. The spring just says 7R. I do have a cover (sash stop?) on the window which I can do the cutout and I believe it would cover it. Will look at this method. Darn CEOs cheapening everything to make even more money.
Not only is this the best method for older windows, this is some groovy "The Doors" type music to listen to while you do it. I'm totally serious. Thanks. :-)
The surface mounted replacement lays higher than the original (still holding its place)...does change in alignment cause any interference with any functions of the window after swapping out?
I have a single hung window. Both the left and right side springs were broken. Just as you show I cut out the one side and it took a little "non-destructive" prying to get the parts out. I also noticed that the rotation locking mechanism was broken on the right spring. It also came to my thoughts that the left and right may have a different wind to the springs and I may have to pay attention to what I order. I will figure it out.
You're definitely on the right track! The rotating mechanism you're describing sounds like it could be a pivot bar. If you think the springs are uneven, try weighing the window and divide the weight evenly between the number of coils you have. I know I just threw a lot at you, so feel free to reach out to us for any clarification - www.swisco.com/page-id-part
While we don't have video instructions for those parts, we do have a experts on our website that would be glad to help you with your project. Take a look at the Discussions section over at SWISCO.com.
Oops, I accidentally cut the wrong part of the track, and now my tilt latch doesn't have anything to lock on to when the window is closed. Any ideas for a fix?
I cut out too much of the channel and the shoe comes out when the window is closed and it will not open again. The vinyl was brittle when I went to cut it out and more snapped off then intended. Is there a way to fix the channel or make the shoe longer so it will not pop out?
Sounds like the beginnings of a pretty serious problem. We can see what assistance we can offer, but we need you to shoot us an email. Our email address can be found here: www.swisco.com/page-contact
I tried the Dremel and the knife. The knife works better. I tried the snips and it curls the edges. So in my experience, just the knife gives the cleanest cuts. I fixed three windows this weekend and I'm very happy. Can't wait to fix the rest. I also found spraying the channel with some silicone grease helps a lot with the pivot shoes.
Tried to get the pivot shoe out without cutting, little did I know until I saw this video. Sill not sure what kind of pivot shoe I need.........I have pictures. Thanks!
I would recommend this way only!! The shortcuts of heating and jamb spreaders will degrade and damage and shorten the windows lifespan, They used to notch out at the manufacturer but have stopped I believe merely out of greed because it slows down the number of windows made per day.against this procedure in the future. These shortcuts will degrade the vinyl and shorten its lifespan considerably. I am not trying to be critical I am speaking from over 30 years in the field of residential window repair. Despite what advertisers would have you believe vinyl degrades over time from years of exposure to sun extreme temperature changes of the seasons changing and overtime becomes dried out and more brittle as a result. exposing this material to extreme heat from a hot air gun is only going to contribute to this process and speed it up. Most of the vinyl window manufacturers notched out the top area of the track to allow a place for removal and replacement of worn pivot shoes. Today many of them have stopped doing this for one reason only and imo cause by greed. It takes extra time to notch out for the removal of shoes and skipping that part provides a faster production and output at the manufacturer. They are in the business of making windows as fast as they can and realized they have no vested interest in ease of repair. Regarding my credentials : I have been repairing windows since 1976. I ran a window and door glass replacement and repair business in Virginia Beach for 28 years.
Can't agree more, John. Everything from the heat worsening brittle vinyl to the cheap techniques used by some manufacturers.
Our view of that issue is that the cutout (or many other convenient, repairable features that manufacturers leave out) fell out of popularity because less-repairable windows are more likely to be fully replaced if the customer can't find the proper repair part. For this reason, you see manufacturers omit labels from their parts, or use labeling systems that don't allow you to identify the part. Then, the part goes out of production, and your only option is a full replacement.
Thank you for your expert testimony, John. Over the years, our experts have made some of the same observations. We hope your experience will be a big help to future customers.
Thanks very much for sharing your knowledge. I have a broken pivot shoe to replace on a Polaris window and have been considering the options.
Anyone know a vendor in Massachusetts? I need just the 2 hole coil spring my cartridge is fine just the spring broke mine had a 8K stamp on it so I assume 8lb. My issue is I dont have the ability to order for delivery. So I have to waste fuel and drive to get 2 of these.
Hey John thanks for the info. I just found this video now as my VPI double-hung windows balance spring broke, and no cutouts. The spring just says 7R. I do have a cover (sash stop?) on the window which I can do the cutout and I believe it would cover it. Will look at this method. Darn CEOs cheapening everything to make even more money.
Not only is this the best method for older windows, this is some groovy "The Doors" type music to listen to while you do it. I'm totally serious. Thanks. :-)
LOL thanks!!
Thank you for this very clear description. Are pivot shoes interchangeable?- assuming width and depth are the same...
Just wanted to say Thank You!! I knew there had to be a way to replace the shower and you explained it perfectly! Dave.
The surface mounted replacement lays higher than the original (still holding its place)...does change in alignment cause any interference with any functions of the window after swapping out?
This comment is for the youtube video of the exchange of a non-working or broken tilt latch
No, the height of a tilt latch replacement should not effect the function.
I have a single hung window. Both the left and right side springs were broken. Just as you show I cut out the one side and it took a little "non-destructive" prying to get the parts out. I also noticed that the rotation locking mechanism was broken on the right spring. It also came to my thoughts that the left and right may have a different wind to the springs and I may have to pay attention to what I order. I will figure it out.
You're definitely on the right track! The rotating mechanism you're describing sounds like it could be a pivot bar. If you think the springs are uneven, try weighing the window and divide the weight evenly between the number of coils you have. I know I just threw a lot at you, so feel free to reach out to us for any clarification - www.swisco.com/page-id-part
@@SWISCO I ordered two 15-175 and two S152-8 . My coil springs had an "F" on them and my inaccurate bath scale said it weighed 17 lbs.
@@mikemonnig3046 Great! Let us know how it goes.
Just received my 20-400 pivot bars and 10-046 shoes. Do you show instructions on replacing this Item?Hedley.
While we don't have video instructions for those parts, we do have a experts on our website that would be glad to help you with your project. Take a look at the Discussions section over at SWISCO.com.
But I don't have that spiral rod, I have a flat metal Thing. what's that called and how do I change it?
Will this work for an aluminum frame?
Oops, I accidentally cut the wrong part of the track, and now my tilt latch doesn't have anything to lock on to when the window is closed. Any ideas for a fix?
Thank you for the great video!
I was completely stumped before watching it!
Does anyone know how to remove a pivot shoe from an aluminum window? I can't find anything on the internet
I cut out too much of the channel and the shoe comes out when the window is closed and it will not open again. The vinyl was brittle when I went to cut it out and more snapped off then intended. Is there a way to fix the channel or make the shoe longer so it will not pop out?
Sounds like the beginnings of a pretty serious problem. We can see what assistance we can offer, but we need you to shoot us an email. Our email address can be found here: www.swisco.com/page-contact
where can I get a sash stop like the one in this video?
+Ann Conlon For sash stops like this we recommend contacting the original window supplier, as they're oftentimes specific to the window jamb.
How do I do this if the demonic window manufacturer built the tracks out of aluminum but did not include cutout slots?
Will a Dremel work?
I don't see why not! It really may just be easier to cut it out, but totally up to you.
I tried the Dremel and the knife. The knife works better. I tried the snips and it curls the edges. So in my experience, just the knife gives the cleanest cuts. I fixed three windows this weekend and I'm very happy. Can't wait to fix the rest.
I also found spraying the channel with some silicone grease helps a lot with the pivot shoes.
@@nachomama55 Cool! We're always down to test out some different methods to see what works best
Oscillating cutter worked well for me.
Tried to get the pivot shoe out without cutting, little did I know until I saw this video. Sill not sure what kind of pivot shoe I need.........I have pictures. Thanks!
We can figure it out for you! Send your photos to our experts here - www.swisco.com/page-id-part
Or use the heat gun to bend them out and then then them back
I used an oscillating saw to do the cutout...
Thank you very much for sharing!
Seems like a Dremel would make this way easier.
Except the dust that grinding makes
Thanks, very heipful.
You’re the best!!! Thank you
You are the best!!!!❤
excellent video!
Thanks, we hope you found it helpful!