My Windows Won’t Stay Up – Easy Fix

This is a first in our series of posts on trouble shooting your windows.  We hear from people all the time asking how to address a window problem.  You’ll likely find that many common replacement window problems can be fixed pretty easily.  Here we’re looking at what to do if your windows won’t stay up.

The first step is to take a look at the window itself to see if you can tell what’s going on.  In all double hung replacement windows there are balances in the sides of the frame that support the sash and hold it up when you open it so it doesn’t fall.

We’ve made a quick video that may help to diagnose your problem.

There are only 2 likely scenarios if your windows won’t stay up:

The first one is that one or both of the balances are not connected to the sash.  This would mean that the balances are there and they may be working fine, but they’ve become disconnected from the sash so they are not helping to keep the window open.  In the video above we show you how to address that, it’s typically an easy fix.

The second scenario is that one or both of the balances are connected to the sash, but they are not working properly.  In this case you’ll probably need to replace the failed component.

To do this you’ll need to identify which part has failed.  There are 3 parts that might need to be replaced.

The pivot bar is a small metal bar that is attached to the bottom of the sash.  This bar sticks out of the sash and connects to the balance shoe inside the frame.  If your pivot bar is broken, twisted, or otherwise not engaging with the shoe you should remove it and take it to a local window distributor to see if they have a similar part.

if your windows won't stay open the pivot bar could be the problem.
Here’s a broken pivot bar. Most of this bar is inside the bottom of the sash of the window, the end of it should be visible.

If your pivot bars look good, check the shoes.  The shoes are small plastic or metal blocks that are inside the frame.  They connect the balance in the frame to the pivot bar in the sash.  It is possible that the shoe could be cracked, stuck or otherwise defective causing improper operation.  I you can remove the shoe try taking it to a local distributor to see if they have anything similar.

This is a balance shoe. If your windows won't stay up this might be broken.
This is a balance shoe. You’ll find a part similar to this inside the frames of your double hung windows.

If the pivot bars are looking good and the shoes appear to be in fine shape then your balances themselves must be defective.  There are 3 types of balances, spiral, constant force or coil, and block and tackle.  Be careful when removing the balances as they may be under tension and they could snap out when released.  Balances can typically be removed with just one or two screws.

Once you have the components taken apart it will likely be pretty easy to see what is not working.  If your windows are older or if you don’t know who manufactured them you may have a hard time finding compatible parts.  Many window companies use very similar parts so it’s possible that another company will have something that will work for you, but you may need to try several distributors or manufacturers to find a part that will work.

Unfortunately if you can’t find the right part you might be out of luck and replacing the window may be the only option.  Hopefully this info helps to solve your problem.

Other posts you might find helpful:

Let us know if there is anything else we can do to help!