Older window very difficult to open--help!

11 years ago

We have 27 yr old house we are selling...windows are original...double paned, aluminum but with thermal break which was an upgrade when house was built...They have tilt in feature on bottom ones and a weird latch system...

Under the bottom lip of the window there are two pieces which slide--

Slide them far enough and they lock the window...

Put them in the right location and squeeze with bottom lip and the window unlocks and you can slide them up...

There is loud click on most of them when you hit the sweet spot...

We have contract and the buyer had an inspection---the guy said that 3 windows wouldn't open...2 in dining room where there are 3 windows and 1 in corner bedroom...there are two front bedrooms but one is more "corner" location than the other.

We got all windows in the dining room open (two were pains) and got the one in bedroom open---sent photos to our RE agent who sent to buyer and she was satisfied they were functional...

Then we tried to open the window in other front bedroom-- in case that was the one he meant--It wouldn't open...

We tried moving latches to different positions along bottom rail, tried pressing down to make it fully latched so it would unlock but just couldn't get it open...

I had the windows washed before we listed about 3 weeks ago and they all opened then or the guys would have said something--they had to tilt them out to clean because the screens aren't made to be removed...

Anyone familiar with this type of window?

Any suggestions for how to get this to open? And make it easier to open in future?

Any way to tell if the latch system is really broken w/o trying so hard and breaking the glass maybe or all my fingernails?

Appreciate any suggestions/info...

Comments (4)

PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
11 years ago
Pictures are always worth a thousand words in situations such as this.

You will get more advice and feedback with some decent pictures.
loves2read
Original Author
11 years ago
I know but when I posted I was not at the house with the windows--we don't live there...
Just took chance that someone up late might see the thread and offer an opinion...
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PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
11 years ago
I think I know the style you speak of and it is more a measure of applied force, albeit surgically and not with a sledge, but still requires a bit of uumph to get them open.

Sounds like they are just stuck.
loves2read
Original Author
11 years ago
Yes--that is exactly right--surgically applied force

Going over there later this AM to try to get it to open
Is there any way if we do get it to open to lubricate the mechanism to make it easier to open in future?
We have some spray lubricant we got for garage door--NOT WD40--

And these windows do have some water condensate dried around them from the years of having sprinklers run in garden beds around the front of the house...I thought maybe I should run a sharp knife edge along the frame where the window's edges are to break any dried crud that might be sticking...