sash weights /battery packs

[dzcook]

ok saw a post re sash windows got me wondering if some one can give me some answers

have two in the lounge but they dont have any weights so how do i work out what i need to repair them ie where do u get the weights and how do u work out what size u need ? do they come in different sizes ?

also are they a expensive item ? have never seen them in hardware shops but have never really looked either


2 have a gmc 14.5 volt drill with 2 battery packs one holds a charge for a long time the other gose flat fast have been told that i should wrap it and seal it tight and then place in freezer for a few hrs ( days ? ) then recharge will this work or is it a old wives tale

anyway hope someone out there can help me again

thks
david

[vsquizz]

David 2) search the board for freezer or freezing and you will find some useful information.


Cheers

[duckman]

ok saw a post re sash windows got me wondering if some one can give me some answers

have two in the lounge but they dont have any weights so how do i work out what i need to repair them ie where do u get the weights and how do u work out what size u need ? do they come in different sizes ?

also are they a expensive item ? have never seen them in hardware shops but have never really looked either

thks
david

Can't help you on the price of sash weights, but I suggest you try demolition yards for a supply of them. Yards in the inner suburbs are probably the best bet owing to the age of the houses around them.
Yes they do come in different weights. I've only installed them in new windows in new homes and the sashes were all weighed at the joinery where they were made. We then went through a stack of second hand weights (the owner wanted 'authentic' weights) and selected pairs which were roughly equal in weight and where the total weight was equal to the weight of each sash.

HTH,

Mark.

[bitingmidge]

roughly equal in weight and where the total weight was equal to the weight of each sash.


That'll do it! Too heavy and the windows will stay open. Too light and they won't!

The same weight (more or less) and a bit of friction is all that's needed.

I have also seen a few in my travels (not for quite some time) that had pulleys on the weight, giving them a 2 to 1 mechanical advantage. These were "walk-through" size on an old homestead, each sash about 900 x 1800 from memory. If that is the case for you, don't forget to halve the weight!

Cheers,

P

[wombat47]

Sash windows have different mechanisms: (a) they can be counter-balanced - when you push the bottom window up, the top window comes down, (b) they can have spring mechanisms, in which case there is a length of metal tubing visible on the inside of the window frame, (c) and there are the weighted versions which have weights inside the frame itself - there are metal pulleys visible at the top of the frame, over which the sash cord runs.

The weight, a long metal cylinder, weighs the same as the window pane - acts as a counter balance so when you push the window up, it should stay there. Both top and bottom windows have their own weights. They are attached to the panes by a length of sash cord.

When this type of window won't stay up without propping, the sash cord has broken and needs to be replaced. The weights will still be there, sitting quietly in the window frame waiting to be rescued.

This site has basic instructions, but if you're a "picture person" do a search on the net.

http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/replacing_a_sash_cord.htm

Before you remove the stop bead and parting bead, run a stanley knife down the junction between them and the frame to cut through the paint - makes for a neater removal job and therefore easier to touch up paintwork later. Prise these off gently and try not to break them. You can buy replacements but they tend to be a bit smaller than the old beadings.

Replace both top and bottom sash cords, even if only one is broken. Chances are the other is due to break fairly soon anyway.

[simon c]

Wombat is right about the weights being still there.

The weights aren't anything special, just long and heavy. They are normally solid but I have seen kinds that are adjustable (where you can add/remove extra weights). You cam make your own with some heavy metal pipe sealed at the bottom with holes at the top for the cord (make sure the weights hand dead vertical otherwise they will catch) and with some weight added to the inside - maybe lead weights etc. Don't use sand unless you seal the weight as moisture could change the weight by a surprising amount. If you do it yourself, make sure you do a good job as it's a "pane" ;) to take the windows out.

I had a set of windows that were designed to be removed easily for cleaning as you can't clean the outside of one of the panes if it's on an upper floor.

The sashes each had a type of hinge on the sides and a hook on the wall and the inside bead was hinged and kept in place with a bolt. When you wanted to access the window you would unbolt and slide back the bead, lift the sash until the hinges engaged the hook and the the sash could be swung open - being careful not to drop the weight. These were original turn of the century windows i(you could see where the glass was thicker at the bottom) and it looked like the original method for accessing them.

I love sash windows, they're great to reconditon as you feel such a sense of accomplishment when you get something really old to run as smooth as new.

Simon

[Caliban]

One of those diy tv shows showed how to fix sash windows a while back. They showed little access panels on the inside of the sill. Mine don't I had to remove the architrave to see the weights which were sitting patiently waiting to be fixed. It's a great feeling when you've fixed one properly.

[gemi_babe]

Yes Hovo, I have those sash windows with an access panel. NONE, I repeat NONE of mine work.

Thanks for the thread dzcook, I can go off and fix my windows now :D

[glock40sw]

G'day.
With battery packs, I send mine to Battery World at Coffs Harbour and get them repacked. It costs a bit, but they repack them to about twice their original power (amp/hour).

Hooroo.
Regards, Trevor
Grafton

[wombat47]

Re the access panel - if your window has had several coats of paint since a sash cord was fitted, it might be hard to find. Left the lower window and have a careful look at the inside face of the frame. When you do locate it, cut around through the paint with a stanley knife. Gently prise the panel out. If it looks as though you are going to make gouges, try partially sinking a screw or two into the panel and then pull on the screws with pliers.

There's also a special knot you use on the sash cord - try to find a diagram of it.

Replacing the cords isn't really a hard job, just a bit fiddly. And it's a real joy to be able to open a window without chocking a block of wood under it.

[wombat47]

Re the access panel - if your window has had several coats of paint since a sash cord was fitted, it might be hard to find. Left the lower window and have a careful look at the inside face of the frame. When you do locate it, cut around through the paint with a stanley knife. Gently prise the panel out. If it looks as though you are going to make gouges, try partially sinking a screw or two into the panel and then pull on the screws with pliers.

There's also a special knot you use on the sash cord - try to find a diagram of it.

Replacing the cords isn't really a hard job, just a bit fiddly. And it's a real joy to be able to open a window without chocking a block of wood under it.

[dzcook]

no the two windows are just "normal " sash windows ( with the little pulley at the top ) have opened both windows up and the spaces are empty and the weights are long gone dont know why they would of bothered to remove the weights and not do the full repair but pple are strange

thanks for the info
david

[namtrak]

If the battery packs are totally siezed, maybe you could tape a couple together and use them as sash weights?

[wombat47]

The sash weight should be equal to the weight of the window sash. Guess you could take a sash out and weigh it. Or is there someone in your area who makes up traditional windows (just had one made for an amazing amount of money). They should be able to tell you from the measurements what weight you need.

Yes, people do some really amazing things to houses. Our house was the "town house" of a local cockey who believed fencing wire could fix anything. And if you couldn't wire it up, wire it down or wire it around, you just didn't fix it. Also must have worked on the railways at some time - found some truly inventive uses for the huge bolt things that are used to fix railway sleepers.