Window repair · Winnipeg
Window hardware and seal repairs
When a casement won't close in November, the whole window gets the blame. Usually it's one part: a stripped crank, a bent hinge, a weatherstrip worn flat. Replacing that part is a proper repair, not a stopgap. We connect you with an independent local pro who fixes window hardware and seals, and who'll tell you plainly if the window itself is past it.
- The crank may be the only worn part
- Weatherstripping and caulking before winter
- Quotes can start from a photo
Cranks
Cranks and operators that spin, strip or freeze
The crank, or operator, is the gearbox at the bottom of a casement. In 1980s and 1990s suburbs like Whyte Ridge and Linden Woods, casements are common, and cranks tend to go long before frames.
The handle spins, the window doesn't
The operator's gears have stripped. The operator is replaced; the window stays.
It moves but won't pull tight
The arm has left its track, or a bent hinge has knocked the sash out of line. Usually an adjustment and a new arm.
Frozen shut
Ice has bonded the sash to the frame. Don't force it; the steps below explain why.
Hung and sliding windows
Balances and sashes that won't stay open (hung and sliding windows)
Hung windows use balances in the side jambs to hold the sash where you leave it. When one weakens, the sash slams or creeps shut. The pro reads the label or measures and fits a matching pair.
Sliders wear rollers, guides and the latch at the meeting rail instead. If you're past repair, see sliding and double-hung windows. Rope-and-weight wood windows are a craft of their own, covered under wood sash repair.
Frozen shut
Frozen shut? What not to force, and what the pro checks
Most of the damage happens in the first few seconds, when someone leans on the crank.
Stop cranking
Forcing a frozen sash strips the gears or bends the arm, turning a weatherstrip job into a hardware job.
Warm it gently
Warm the room or run a hair dryer on low along the sash. Never a heat gun, and never hot water on cold glass.
Find the source
Ice at the sash means moist room air is escaping, often past a flattened weatherstrip or a sash that isn't closing tight.
What the pro checks
Weatherstrip, hinge alignment, whether the lock pulls the sash in, and the frame's drain holes. Fixing the seal usually stops the freezing.
Locks and hinges
Locks, keepers and hinges
A casement that isn't pulled tight leaks air, and in winter it frosts.
Locks and keepers
When a lock won't reach its keeper, the sash has usually dropped or the keeper has shifted. An adjustment often fixes it.
Hinges
Casement hinges wear at the pivots. A sagging sash drags and stops sealing; new hinges put it back square.
Honest limits
When a repair isn't worth it
Hardware is worth fixing when the frame and glass are sound. It isn't when the sash is rotted, the frame has cracked, the unit has also fogged (foggy sealed units covers that), or several windows fail the same way. Be wary of anyone who jumps to replacement over a crank. Our repair or replace guide helps you weigh it.
Before you ask
What to have ready for a quote
Hardware prices well from photos. These help the pro find the right part before visiting:
- A photo of the whole window, open if it will open
- Close-ups of the crank, hinge arms, lock and keeper
- Any label on the frame edge or the spacer between the panes
- The window type: casement, awning, slider or hung
- How many windows have the same problem
The price comes down to the part, how easy it is to find, how many windows need it, and access.
Drafts
Weatherstripping and exterior caulking before winter
Cold air around a closed window at −30 rarely comes through the glass. Worn weatherstripping is the usual culprit, and replacing it stops drafts and the frost that follows. Outside, the caulking between frame and siding cracks with each freeze and thaw; early fall, while sealant can still cure, is the time to have it checked. If the screens are coming down anyway, have the torn ones rescreened too.
Questions
Window hardware questions
Explore your options
Other window fixes to know about
Local pros repair cranks, locks and weatherstripping across the city and in nearby towns, including Fort Garry, Tuxedo & Charleswood, St. Vital, North Kildonan and Steinbach.
Send a photo of the crank or lock
Add any label from the frame edge. We'll pass it to a local pro who repairs hardware, and they'll say whether it's a part, an adjustment or something bigger.