Older wood double hung windows are sliding down

[Sayol]

Hi everyone, my first post here!

In my house I have double hung windows that do not stay up when opened and need to be propped up the whole time. This isn't usually a big issue, however the top sash also slides down a bit when the window lock is undone and I am looking to prevent this from happening.

After doing a bit of research, I see that a lot of newer double hung windows have the option to swing out for cleaning, however mine are a bit older. The house was built in the 80's and the windows are made of wood, not vinyl (see attached pictures) and do not swing out.


I also hear a sound similar to a metal spring whenever I open the windows (see attached video), so I am thinking there is some sort of spring-loaded mechanism that is supposed to keep the windows in place. However, since they do not swing open, I have no idea how to access this mechanism of it needs to be repaired/replaced.

Any ideas on what this mechanism may be? Or even better, how to resolve this issue?

I appreciate your help, thank you!

 

[jjredmond71]

Hi everyone, my first post here!

In my house I have double hung windows that do not stay up when opened and need to be propped up the whole time. This isn't usually a big issue, however the top sash also slides down a bit when the window lock is undone and I am looking to prevent this from happening.

After doing a bit of research, I see that a lot of newer double hung windows have the option to swing out for cleaning, however mine are a bit older. The house was built in the 80's and the windows are made of wood, not vinyl (see attached pictures) and do not swing out.
View attachment 30470
View attachment 30471
I also hear a sound similar to a metal spring whenever I open the windows (see attached video), so I am thinking there is some sort of spring-loaded mechanism that is supposed to keep the windows in place. However, since they do not swing open, I have no idea how to access this mechanism of it needs to be repaired/replaced.

Any ideas on what this mechanism may be? Or even better, how to resolve this issue?

I appreciate your help, thank you!

Actually those windows do tilt in. The white track you see along the sides of the window are called compression jambs; they are held in place with tension behind them. It sounds as if the tension has degraded with age.
In order to tilt both sashes individually, press on the white jamb where it meets the top of the bottom sash and pull the sash to you. Repeat the same with the top sash.

If you have a local lumber yard or millwork shop in town, you can usually find new compression jambs, and they are very easy to remove and pop in new ones.

Hope this helps...

 

[Sayol]

Actually those windows do tilt in. The white track you see along the sides of the window are called compression jambs; they are held in place with tension behind them. It sounds as if the tension has degraded with age.
In order to tilt both sashes individually, press on the white jamb where it meets the top of the bottom sash and pull the sash to you. Repeat the same with the top sash.

If you have a local lumber yard or millwork shop in town, you can usually find new compression jambs, and they are very easy to remove and pop in new ones.

Hope this helps...

Hi jjredmond, thanks for your response. I tried pushing in the jambs but they do not seem to be compression jambs - instead I think they are made from aluminum.

The closest thing I could find to my setup is shown in this video:

However, my jamb liners are not nailed/screwed into the frame, but rather hand in place by another piece of the frame stapled in front.

I think the next steps to keep the windows from falling down are to take out and replace the aluminum jamb liners with ones that have working springs (either vinyl or aluminum ones).