Ask This Old House general contractor Tom Silva helps a homeowner fix window sash cords to keep her double hung window in balance.
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Time: 1 hour
Cost: $10
Skill Level: Easy
Tools:
Screwdriver
Hammer
Utility knife
Shopping List:
Cotton line
Nails
Steps:
1. Remove the screws holding the stop beads with a screwdriver.
2. Remove the sash from the window opening.
3. Remove the screws holding the doors to the weight pockets using a screwdriver.
4. Take out the old weights and broken sash cords.
5. Feed a cotton line down the pulley hole and into the weight pocket.
6. Tie off the bottom end of the cotton line to the old weight on each side and return the sash weight to the window pocket.
7. Cut the opposite side of the line. Leave slack measuring about two thirds the length of the window opening.
8. Replace the door to the weight pocket using screwdriver and screws.
9. Pull on the cotton line and lift the weight almost to the top of the jamb. Fish the line along the dado cut of the sash. Tie a knot where the line meets the hole in the sash.
10. Put the knot in the hole and nail it into the sash using a hammer and nail.
11. Repeat on the opposite side.
12. Cut any excess cotton line using a utility knife.
13. Place the sash back into the window opening.
14. Replace the stop beads on the jamb using a screwdriver and screws.
15. If the pulley squeaks, use a silicone spray.
Resources:
Replacement sash cord can be purchased at a hardware store or home center.
The display window that demonstrates how sash weights operate was on loan from Boston Building Resources. (http://www.bostonbuildingresources.com/)
About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we’re ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewersβand we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O’Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.
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How to Repair Damaged Window Sash Cords | Ask This Old House
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excellent job. I just learned something.
A couple comments:
Should test the sash before cutting the cord and reinstalling the stop. If the weight or the knot is in the wrong position then it will not counter the sash correctly. Finding that out after cutting the rope and installing the stop will mean starting all over.
Wondering why not use a polyethylene rope with better UV resistance over cotton. Many sash ropes fail due to UV aging.
"Wow, that's BIG!!!"
"It's a long one."
π₯΅
Silly time with screwdriver. Show one side, pause recording AND SPEND MOREVTIME WITH THE MEASUREMENT of the rope. What is the correct metric so that Wright is balanced and the window moves smoothly.? So frustrating with kinesthetic type people with tutorials. Eyeballing everything is the worst and most boneheaded way to teach. Everything has a simple formula. Can u even imagine a baking show with jo measuring spoons or cups???? Not impressed with this video. And BTW, no suggestions for how one person who is nor strong can do this job, particularly how to stabilize the window while you tie a knot on the rope and nail it into the groove. This video is for click bate.
The carpenter has no pride in his presentation.
Cut the line about here???? What??? U don't have a metric? U think a newbee can intuit like a master??? Sometimes these videis have humungess gaps in reality. Good video but no measuring b4 cutting the rope has me uneasy and unimpressed
Thanks so much for this! My single hung window cords just snapped last night, this should really help me replace and repair it simply.
hey there! renting in a Victorian home with this same issue. called the landlord when I first moved in (2+ years ago) as, they told me they didnβt have the right parts for this (which I doubt as I see all the parts involved minus the weight which is concealed) and that there might be an asbestos risk to opening the frame panels. I took a peek and the only pieces that would have to be removed look pretty worn to me, similar as in the video so I donβt know how much theyβre stopping in the first place. anyone know the potential risk of getting a second opinion/ DIYing this project? grateful for any advice ππ»
What university you have to be born in for anything go the way it does in these videos?!
Thanks for the silicone
We just bought a home built in the 70's that has double hung windows, but the cords are much skinnier, they aren't ropes like this one. A lot of the windows have broken cords that I'm hoping could be a DIY project to repair. Not sure it's the same setup as this one though since it isn't a rope.
This worked great for the lower window, but I ran into a problem with the upper window. Iβve restrung itβs weights and ran the rope through the appropriate pullies but I donβt know how to access the dados to fasten it to the sides of the upper window. Canβt slip that window out like the lower one.
The cords on my bedroom window in an old Edwardian flat just broke one after another over the past month, just from looking at the pane I'm not sure how the landlord would even be able to fix it without tearing the whole wall open. I'll just have to live with having a guillotine for a window
What kind of knot to tie on the window weight end of the sash cord would be helpful. Perhaps any old knot would do? Perhaps not?
Btw… ever seen lead protective caps on the tops of the sash weights? Here in Toledo's historic Old West End 1900-1920s homes, that's what I'm finding. Never saw that in NH's turn of the century homes. 3-4" tall cap (1/4" thick) of "sheet" (?) lead crimped at the top around the sash cord, with the frayed loose end of the knot tucked inside. Is it (a) dust protector, (b) rope fray protector, (c) failsafe back up knot holder (in the unlikely to impossible case that the knot comes out of it's holder? …I've asked around town, but I don't know the answer!
Please show us how to fix a modern window?
We have old windows (1910) The can't be knotted but have an anchor shaped stopper which I cannot find anywhere. Any suggestions?
Fantastic video.
I need this 'cause my mom got snip happy with 2 windows.
2:03. Lol
Smart move picking a house where the windows arenβt painted and with screws holding the access panels to the weight pockets.
2:02 Wow! Thats Big! Its a Long one……