Need recommendations for lubricating double hung vinyl windows. They don’t slide up and down very easily.
Need recommendations for lubricating double hung vinyl windows. They don’t slide up and down very easily.
Listeners write in about haunted pipes and building-science tomes, and they ask questions about roof venting and roof leaks.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox
Fine Homebuilding
Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox
© 2024 Active Interest Media. All rights reserved.
Fine Homebuilding receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox
Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.
Start Your Free TrialStart your subscription today and save up to 70%
SubscribeGet complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.
Already a member? Log in
Replies
Sprayon S00708 dry lube.
armoural
Slipit
boeshield B9
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Is the first one the automotive product? Where can I get the other ones?
Yea the firstThe others are at woodworking catalouges and stores.Add spray silicone to the list
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Pam cooking spray.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
You're kidding, right?
Not at all. I have vinyl windows and when I moved in, they were all grungy. A quick squirt did the job. Works on hinges too.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
I'm with Piffin; Silicone spray is the way to go. Anything with even a residual amount of oil is bound to gather dust over time and will start to bind and abrade. A clear, oil free lube is best.Paste wax or paraffin also comes to mind, but they aren't always clear.Scott.Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
1) Don't use oil or WD40 -- ever!
2) Either a silicone lube or a teflon lube (TriFlow).
3) Spray, stick, or gel, whichever it available and easiest to apply in your situation. The gel may collect dirt a bit more than the other options. Spray can be hard to control, and may stain adjacent surfaces.
4) The old standby -- candle wax -- will work sorta OK. Bar soap will work too, but rubs/washes off very quickly.
We have some questionable quality (not saying yours are) windows that wife bought just before we were married (I wouldn't have bought them) that stick when the weather strip starts to slide out of the slot. Can usually shove the strip back in the slot if you take the window out of the frame. Other than that, I've never had trouble with a vinyl window (even these!) sticking.
(Factory (made locally) has been very good though and have replaced stuff for free (re-worked screens that had the little release buttons break off) and they have even replaced weather stripping that couldn't be slid back. They also said they'd come and drill the missing weep holes (but I did it). They said the installer was working with his own crew "off the clock/books" and they had no record of his having installed our windows, but they still agreed to fix every problem we've had! So, sometimes the dear wife does okay, even though it's not my way of doing things!
The windows are in my mother-in-law's house. She's 86 and maybe a little weak so she thinks they're sticking. I'll check the windows and lube them. I keep telling my wife to get her mother on a strength (weight lifting) program.
You might put a dab of silicone caulk on the weatherstripping to lock them in. Don't over do it.
I'll try it--it's a pain to have to keep sliding them back up into their slots.
Elmer's SlideAll aerosol spray. Any decent hardware store should have it.
You can't go wrong with ArmorAll (or similar). It's meant for vinyl and won't cause any damage. And it's plenty slick... just ask anybody who thought it was a good idea to use it on a motorcycle seat.
The only downside is that it doesn't last indefinitely, maybe a few months. But I still think that's better than risking using a product that may ultimately make the windows worse.
As Sledgehammer said in the second post, I use Sprayon S00708 Dry Lube as well. It is the only spray lubricant sold by Andersen for the purpose of using on their vinyl jamb liners for easier operation.I buy it by the case from Grainger, or you can get it from Andersen..View Image
Things like ArmorAll have plasticizers in them and could cause the seal to stick eventually.
Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be! --Miguel de Cervantes
pledge or any furniture polish. When I was doing warranty work on windows we used it alot. It might not last forever but it's cheap & most people already have it
"this dog may be old but he ain't cold. And he still knows how to bury a bone."
Lattimore
http://www.rehmodeling.com