I’ve never like the cables, especially on the large windows. I have seen the cables so stessed that the begin to eat through the wood as you tighten them or load them.
I understand your method and can only say that it sounds like it will work but it is not what i would do.
Can you jack up the window (very slowly) from the outside and put knee braces under it where the windows mull together? This would require good blocking at the points where the kne braces contact the window and the dwelling.
Personally, I have yet to see a bay window, built or bought that hasn’t sagged at least a little. Unless it was built on cantilevered floor joists.
Good luck.
Eric
Every once in a while, something goes right!
Replies
Eric,
I did try the jack approach and didn't get movement within an applied reasonable amount of force--any more would have threatened compression loading of the mullions to buckle them and potentially. break the glazing. So, you said you'd do "it" differently?
The third window was a success because the framing included tripled king studs and the plates were a combination of doubled plates laying flat and the usual vertical 2x10 or 2x12 with a 1/2" plywood sandwich spacer. The flat 2x4's gave greater rigidity to the header and sill was my intentions. The kneewall then transmitted the wieght via the braces to the bottom plate and perimeter rim joist and I also used screws everywhere to pull the top of the window back into the top plate and second floor perimeter joist via the window roof jacks.
Thanks,
Scrappy
If you installed the first two windows when the house was initially built or you did a retro-fit with all new framing then I would suspect framing shrinkage would be enough to shorten the distance between where the cable support system is mounted to the house and the adjustment nuts. Thus lowering the bottom platform of the bay unit.
I recently installed a similar unit. The instructions say keep access to the adjusting nuts.
Anyway you should be able to get at the cable support nuts, then jack the window back into place and tighten the nuts.
I think by now you've experienced all the shrinking your gonna get. I would'nt worry about getting any more settling.
The cable support system seems a little shaky to me. Cables inherently stretch when loaded...this may be part of your problem. I don't think I'd let the bay settle down to where it wants to be. Make it go back to plumb and level tweeking things slightly as necessary to keep the windows functional. If the bay needs to have support where the cables currently are, maybe you could use some all-thread, turn buckles, etc. to get the support back without the threat of stretching. I also like the idea of installing the angled apron support below the window.