This time I was tasked to try to repair a couple of UPVC windows. A small one in a bathroom which didn’t open and a bigger one in the kitchen which also got stuck recently.
I started with the small one. The handle was very stiff, couldn’t turn it at all and the window was shut. I started with removing the handle and I tried to open the window again using the just spindle. After a few nudge, the locks were giving in and I could push open the window. The lifting mechanism was quite stiff as well and I couldn’t push out the window fully. In order to have a better chance investigating the cause, I had to remove this small section from the window frame. It’s relatively easy, a couple of screws and the window is free. The tricky part is the last screw: with one hand you hold the screwdriver and un-do the screw. With your other hand you hold the screw, so you won’t drop it and lose it. With your third (and preferably forth) hand you hold the window, which isn’t heavy, but you don’t want to drop it from the first floor. Take out the screw, hold window, lift, tilt and spin and get it inside the house so your hearth rate can go back to normal. Easy.
Once I had the window free, I gave it a good scrub and wipe, and had a look at the lock. As I suspected, the lock was broken into pieces and needed replacing. Took a few measurements and photos of it and moved on to the kitchen window.
This was working ok(ish) until recently, when it got shut and never opened again. The window handle moved, but didn’t do anything. When I tried to gently push the window I saw that the upper part is free, it’s only locked on the bottom. I watched enough youtube videos to know what to do next. Allen key into a plier and I tried to slide the allen key in between the frame and the panel. I was searching for the locking stub on the bottom. Once I thought I can feel it with the allen key, I tried to hook into it and lift it up, so the window could release. After a good 10 minutes of James Bond-ing myself through a window lock, I was successful. The kitchen window opened up as well.
The mechanism was super stiff and once the window was open I saw it straight away that the locking shootbolt is broken. That’s why the bottom part stuck in closed position and the handle didn’t do a thing. So, now I had two broken pieces of UPVC locks. The next thing was that I made 2 hour roundtrip to Leeds and back to a specialist shop, where they changed my broken pieces to exactly matching new ones. I chose this specialist shop because these parts had to be perfectly matched. If they are different here and there a couple of millimetres, the locking mechanism won’t work. So I got my parts and I was ready for the assembly.
The bathroom window was super easy. New lock in, window back into place, handle back on. 5 minutes and it was working. Prior to assembly I cleaned the frame and grease the sliding/lifting mechanism and now it works like a new one.
The kitchen window took a little longer. The shootbolt controls a lever upwards and one downwards. I had to play with it a bit to make sure when you turn the handle the upper and lower locks are moving the exact same distance. If they don’t, the window won’t lock properly or the locking mechanism will have a lot of tension in it which can lead to broken parts again. This took me a good 25 minutes to set up properly and another 5 minutes to assemble everything at the end. Of course I cleaned and greased here as well everything.
The results: two smoothly operating windows with new locks. Fiddly work, a bit time consuming, but worth it. It was still a lot cheaper than to change the windows fully. Happy customer, happy handyman.
Screw it! 