Window won't lock, latch or stay open
A window that will not lock, will not stay up, or slides hard almost always needs a part: a lock, a keeper, a balance or a roller. The installer identifies the window and fits the matching part.
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Doing several openings? Count them with the free window inventory planner and send the list with one request.
What people call about
- A single-hung sash that drops when you let go, or will not stay open.
- A lock that spins, is stiff, or does not meet its keeper.
- A horizontal slider that drags on its track or has jumped off its rollers.
- A casement crank that turns without moving the sash.
- A sash that has been painted or corroded shut.
What to have ready
- A photo of the window, the lock and the label in the frame corner or sash edge.
- A note of exactly what it does: drops, sticks, will not latch, slides hard.
- Do not force a sash that is stuck or prop a dropping sash with something that could slip; leave it closed if you can.
- Blinds and furniture pulled back from the window on the day.
What happens on the visit
- The window's maker and series read from its label so the right parts are ordered: balances, locks, keepers, rollers, operators or tilt latches.
- The sash removed, the worn part swapped, the track cleaned and the sash refitted and adjusted.
- Locks aligned with their keepers so the window locks fully, which is what the rating assumes.
- Weatherstripping and weep holes checked while the sash is out.
- Where the frame is corroded past adjustment, a quote for a replacement window with the approval and permit it needs.
In Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach
Salt air corrodes window hardware fast along the coast, and South Florida's single-hung aluminium windows rely on spring balances that wear out. A window that does not lock is a window that is not protecting the opening the way its approval assumes, so this is worth fixing before the season rather than after.
Questions people ask
- What is a window balance?
- The spring mechanism in the jambs of a single-hung window that holds the sash up. When it fails the sash drops. It is replaced as a pair for the sash.
- Can the parts for my window still be found?
- Usually, if the maker and series can be read from the label. Where a window is too old for parts, the installer will say so and quote a replacement.
- Does a lock matter for the hurricane rating?
- Yes. The window is tested locked. A window that does not lock fully is not performing as its approval expects, so the lock is part of the protection, not just security.
- Why does my slider jump off the track?
- Worn rollers or a bent track. New rollers and a cleaned, straightened track usually fix it; a badly bent track may mean a new frame.
- Is this permitted work?
- Hardware and balance replacements on an existing window are not. A new window is, and the installer tells you if yours has reached that point.
- Can several windows be done in one visit?
- Yes. List every window with a problem and the installer orders the parts for all of them together.
Get an installer out
Free quote. The price is agreed before anything is ordered.
Other window and door jobs
- Impact windows for the whole house
- Replace old windows before storm season
- Impact sliding glass doors
- Impact entry and French doors
- Cracked or shattered glass
- Fog between the panes
- Window leaks when it rains
- Condo impact windows
- Storefront impact glass
One Call Impact Windows arranges the visit; the installer does the work, pulls the permit and gives you the price.