Window Balance Repair in Boca Raton, FL

A single hung or double hung window stays open because two balances hidden in the side channels carry the weight of the sash. When one of them gives out, the sash slams shut, creeps down after you let go, or takes both hands to lift. The window itself is usually fine. The part that failed is a spring, a cord or a small plastic shoe, and all of them can be replaced.

Atlantic Window Repair replaces window balances and the hardware around them for homes, condos and commercial properties in Boca Raton and across South Florida. Balance work is one branch of our window mechanism repair service, while crank-out windows fall under casement window repair.

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How to Tell a Balance Has Failed

Balances rarely fail without warning. Before a sash drops completely, most owners notice one of these changes:

The sash sits crooked in the frame, higher on one side than the other.
You hear a rattle or a snap inside the jamb when the sash moves.
A frayed cord or a loose metal channel shows when the sash is raised.
Broken plastic pieces turn up on the sill or at the bottom of the track.
The lower sash tips inward when you only meant to unlock it.

The last one often points to a latch rather than a balance, which is why we inspect the whole assembly before recommending any part.

Window Balance Types We Replace

Most hung windows in South Florida use one of two balance families. They look different, fail differently and are sized in different ways, so identifying the type is the first step of every repair.

Spiral Balances: 3/8 and 5/8 Inch

A spiral balance is a narrow tube with a twisted rod running through it. As the sash moves, the rod turns and winds a spring inside the tube, and that spring tension holds the sash wherever you leave it. Spiral balances come in two common diameters. The 3/8 inch size fits narrow jamb channels and lighter sashes, while the 5/8 inch size handles wider channels and heavier glass.

Diameter is only part of the match. Tube length and spring strength have to suit the sash as well, and most spiral balances carry a code on the tube and a colored tip at the bottom that identifies the spring rating. We read those markings, fit the replacement, and set the tension by turning the rod the right number of times before it goes back into the channel. Too little tension and the sash drifts down the moment you let go.

Block and Tackle Balances (Channel Balances)

A block and tackle balance sits in a flat metal channel inside the jamb. A coil spring pulls on a cord that runs through a set of small pulleys, and the pulleys multiply the spring’s force enough to lift the sash. This design is common in aluminum single hung windows built for the South Florida market.

The weak points are easy to name: the cord frays and snaps, the spring stretches out, a pulley cracks, or the channel corrodes. Channel balances are sized by length and weight rating, so the replacement has to match both, along with the way the cord end connects to the sash or shoe.

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Window Balance Hardware

A balance rarely works alone. The small parts around it are made of plastic or light metal, and they often wear out before the balance does.

Balance Shoes

The shoe rides in the jamb channel and connects the balance to the sash. On tilt windows it also locks in place when the sash tilts in, so the balance cannot spring up the channel. Cracked or seized shoes are one of the most common reasons a sash will not tilt back into position.

Take-Out Clips

Take-out clips sit near the top of the channel and hold the sash in its track. They are also what lets a technician lift the sash out for service. A missing or broken clip lets the sash wobble in the frame or pop out of the track entirely.

Sash Cams

Sash cams at the bottom corners of the sash turn inside the shoes and tie the sash to the balances. If a cam breaks, the sash separates from its balance and drops, even when the balance itself is in perfect condition.

Tilt Latches

Tilt latches sit in the top corners of the lower sash on tilt windows. Spring-loaded bolts keep the sash upright in its track and retract when you slide them in to tilt the sash for cleaning. A worn latch lets the sash fall toward the room, which feels like a balance failure but calls for a different part.

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Window Brands We Service for Balance Repair

Balance replacement follows the balance itself, but knowing the manufacturer narrows the search quickly. We work on balances in PGT windows, CGI windows and CWS windows, as well as Alenco, Pan Am and Silverline windows.

Replacement balances come from Caldwell and Balco, which together cover the spiral and channel sizes and weight ratings we see in these windows.

What Happens During a Balance Repair

Every balance repair follows the same sequence, whichever window you have:

Both sides checked. We open both jamb channels and inspect both balances, even when only one side of the sash has dropped.
Sash removed. The technician releases the tilt latches or take-out clips and lifts the sash out of the frame.
Balance identified. We confirm whether the window uses spiral or block and tackle balances, then record the size and rating of the old parts.
Surrounding hardware inspected. With the sash out, the shoes, clips, sash cams and tilt latches are checked for cracks, wear and corrosion.
New balances installed. The replacements go into the channels and are fitted to the weight of the sash.
Sash reinstalled and tested. We run the sash through its full travel, make sure it holds at any height, then tilt it in and back to confirm that everything locks the way it should.

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Window Balance Repair FAQ

Can I tell which balance my window has without taking it apart?

Often, yes. Raise the sash and look into the side channel. A narrow round tube means a spiral balance, and a flat metal channel, sometimes with a cord visible at the bottom, means a block and tackle balance. The exact size and rating still have to be read off the part itself.

Do you replace both balances when only one has failed?

Yes, we do. Both balances on a sash were installed together and have carried the same load ever since. When one fails, the other is close behind, and a new balance paired with a tired one leaves the sash pulling to one side.

Why does my sash creep up after a new spiral balance went in?

Because the spring tension is set too high for that sash. A spiral balance wound with extra turns lifts more than the sash weighs. Letting out a few turns fixes it, and if the problem started after a do-it-yourself replacement, the tube may also carry the wrong rating for the glass.

My lower sash falls inward when I unlock it. Is that a balance problem?

No, it usually isn’t. A sash that tips toward the room is held by its tilt latches, not its balances, so a worn latch or a latch bolt that no longer reaches the channel is the likely cause. We check the balances anyway, because a sash that has fallen inward can pull a shoe out of place.

Can new balances fix a window that is hard to lock?

Sometimes they do. When a failing balance lets the sash sit a little low or crooked, the two halves of the sash lock stop lining up. Once the sash rides at the right height again, the lock tends to engage without any further adjustment.

Can a window balance be repaired, or does it have to be replaced?

Replaced, almost always. Spiral and channel balances are sealed assemblies, and a snapped spring or cord inside cannot be rebuilt. What can be adjusted is the tension on a spiral balance that has lost a little of its hold, and we check for that before recommending new parts.

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Book a Free Window Balance Inspection

Our in-house team handles balance repair in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale, along with the rest of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. We are licensed and insured, and every estimate is done in your home at no charge.

Call (561) 320-3110 Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM or Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM, or send us a message through the form below.

CALL (561) 320-3110 BOOK APPOINTMENT

Atlantic Window Repair Inc

+1(561)320-3110 atlanticwindowrepairfl@gmail.com