Square. . .but not plumb and level?
rickchem
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
Hi all-
Just wondering how you all deal with a problem I had. I was installing a vinyl clad mulled double window unit the other day. Put it in, went to square and level it, and the right side was off level in one direction (top slighty to the right) and the left side was out in the OTHER direction (top slightly to the left)! Mind you, not a lot at all, but still a bit more than I like. Unit was generally square – hard to rack the mulled units, at least to me, anyways, so I split the difference on the sides, made sure the bottom was good, and nailed ‘er up there. . . Any comments?
I could have taken the unit apart . . . but lets be honest here . . .
Replies
First,
Are you sure that your plumb stick is right on? At least a third of the ones I pick up in the stores are off.
Second,
Poor mulling is not uncommon, nor is unsquare windows. The most important is to have the sill setting level, then do the diagonals for square and plumb, splitting the difference in the direction that helps most.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
that would be a trapezoid
No matter what window you get, one in five will be like this. You did exactly the right thing. Check your level by turning it around and then split the difference.
Due to too many experiences like you've described, I don't even bother getting multi-gang windows from the factory anymore. Now I just order them as single units and install them one at a time. I don't need help to lift those heavy suckers, and I can always get my head casings to line up.
Ragnar