Sliders and hung windows
Sliding and hung windows: repair, replace or switch?
Sliders glide sideways; hung windows move up and down. When one sticks, won't lock or frosts at the rails, the fix might be a part, a new sealed unit or a different window altogether. We connect you with local window pros who repair and replace both types, and who'll tell you which one your window actually needs.
- Track, balance and lock repairs
- Like-for-like, or a switch to casements
- Quotes from independent local pros
Where they turn up
Where you'll find sliders and hung windows in Winnipeg
In neighbourhoods built mostly in the 1960s and 70s, like Garden City and Southdale, sliders and hung windows are a familiar sight, and many have already been replaced once. Character homes in the older districts have wood hung sash, often with storms. Basements in houses of every age tend to have small sliders.
So yours might be original wood, an early replacement now fogging, or newer vinyl with a worn part. The fix depends on which.
What goes wrong
Common problems: tracks, balances, locks, drafts
Most of these are parts, not reasons for a new window. Our window repair page covers the fixes.
Sticking or jumping tracks
Grit or worn rollers make a slider drag. Cleaning and new rollers often fix it.
Worn balances
Hung windows use spring balances to hold the sash up. When one fails, the sash drops or won't stay open. Balances are replaceable.
Locks that won't catch
Usually the sash has shifted or a balance is weak. Adjusting the keeper or the sash often solves it.
Drafts
The fuzzy brush seals wear flat over the years. New weatherstripping cuts drafts on a window that's otherwise sound.
In the cold
Hung vs slider vs casement in a Winnipeg winter
The difference is how each one seals.
Casement
Closes by pressing the sash into compression weatherstripping, and wind pushes it tighter. Of the three, it usually lets the least air past.
Slider
Brush seals let the sash glide, which leaves a small, constant air path. In a cold snap the track can fill with frost.
Hung
Similar brush seals, plus a meeting rail where the sashes lock. It doesn't project, which suits a window over a walkway.
Replace or switch
Replacing like-for-like or changing style
If the frame is sound and one part is worn, repair it. If the window is failing in several ways, replace it, with the same style or a different one.
Like-for-like suits spots where a casement would swing into a deck. Switching to casements usually buys a tighter seal. See replacement windows for install methods and the rebate, and window styles for the other options.
What affects the quote
What shapes the price
- Repair or replacement
- Parts: rollers, balances, locks or weatherstripping
- Size and style of a new window
- Triple or double pane
- Basement openings in concrete or wood framing
A photo of the whole window and a close-up of the problem part help a pro quote before visiting.
Cold-snap frost
Frost at slider tracks and meeting rails
Frost along a slider's track or a hung window's meeting rail is common in a cold snap. Much of it is indoor humidity meeting the coldest part of the window. It's also different from fog between the panes, which means a failed seal.
Heavy frost in one spot, with a draft, points to worn weatherstripping. Lower the humidity, leave curtains open a little, and don't force a frozen sash.
Basement bedrooms
Egress and bedroom windows
A bedroom, basement included, needs a window someone can climb out of. A slider opens only half its width, so an old basement slider often falls short, while a casement that swings fully open may clear it. The building code in force in Manitoba sets the minimum opening (Manitoba construction codes); the installer should confirm the new window meets it.
Enlarging an opening in a foundation wall is a bigger job than a same-size swap. Check with the City of Winnipeg before you start.
Questions
Slider and hung window questions
Explore your options
Related window services
Local pros repair and replace sliders and hung windows across the city, including Garden City & West Kildonan, St. Boniface & Windsor Park, St. Vital and Transcona.
Tell us the window type and what's wrong
Slider or hung, which room, and what it's doing. A photo helps. We pass it to a local pro who'll say whether it's a part, a sealed unit or a new window.