Double Hung Window Latch Problems

LESLIE: Alright. Suzette in Georgia is calling in with a window issue. Tell us what’s going on at your money pit.

SUZETTE: Hi. We have double-hung windows; I think that’s what they’re called. They open from the top and the bottom.

TOM: Yep.

SUZETTE: And they’re also double-pane, so they’re supposed to be greatly insulated, right? But every time the wind blows a bit, probably every month or so, we have to check on them because they drop or sag at the bottom some – I mean at the top. They’ll like fall down a little bit and I don’t know if we should correct that with maybe the latches.

TOM: Well, don’t you have a sash lock between the two?

LESLIE: Yeah, don’t you keep them locked?

SUZETTE: There are two on either side of the window but they’re not catching tight enough.

TOM: OK. So you need to adjust the window to get it to catch.

SUZETTE: OK.

TOM: Because those windows may not stay up with a good, strong breeze and a lot of rattling. They may fall down a little bit in their track. So you need to figure out what’s wrong with the window to adjust it, to get that to work. So you could have a shifting of the window or maybe it’s not closing squarely but you need to use those latches, otherwise the windows will never completely close.

LESLIE: Nor will they be energy-efficient.

TOM: Right.

SUZETTE: OK. So adjust them, meaning move them closer.

TOM: No, it means, actually, adjust the window so that they will lock. Maybe you need to get a handyman to help you with this but it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. And they should be a little bit tight because when you latch them, they actually press the top of the window into the head jam and the bottom of the window into the sill.

LESLIE: Which creates the energy-efficient seal, which keeps the windows efficient and keeps the breezes out.

TOM: Exactly.

SUZETTE: OK. Well, great. That should help me a lot, because I have to save some money this winter doing those kinds of things around here.

TOM: And that must be why your heating bills are so expensive, because they’re getting a lot of drafts in around those windows. If you get a real tight seal, that will make a big difference.