How to fix broken window lock

Hello. I have an old bathroom window lock that just broke. See the photos for the offending parts. Reinserting the handle is totally lose, so clearly a part is missing or maybe fell into the lock housing. It's a bathroom window that is, for now, permanently closed.

Can this be repaired and can I even get replacement parts for this?

I also don't know how to unlock the window in this situation. I ran a putty knife along the inside track but did not hit any locking mechanism.

Any ideas?

 

The pivot for the single lock arm is likely not where you think... there is sometimes a long linkage that attaches to the handle, so your putty knife may need to slide a lot higher or lower before it hits anything.

A different kind of lock is directly actuated behind the latch... you would feel it directly behind the broken latch. If you felt nothing, I'm guessing it is the linkage style.

You can also drill a hole through the face of the casement lock and can usually stick a screwdriver straight in that new hole and pry either up or down, depending on which way the lock needs to go.

Here are 2 similar threads.

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/do...ck-locked.html

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/do...ms-broken.html

 

This is likely a picture of your linkage, if it helps you see how far down you need to slide your putty knife. You should also look inside the hole, drill a new hole in the face or maybe even cut the face of the latch open with a grinder and a 1/16" abrasive cutting wheel. If any parts of the linkage could still be accessed from the front with a needle nosed pliers that might be best.

 

Thanks for the reply. So are these Jen-Weld parts? I live in Ottawa, and there is one near us.

Assuming I drill the hole (in the middle?), that would provide a mechanical fix, but to repair I'm guessing I would need replacement parts.

Added: that picture of the linkage is really helpful.

 

No, I can't say that for sure. You would need to open a casement window that still works and examine a working latch. Windows are often hard to identify... I would look for a watermark etch in the corner of the glass or a stamp on the aluminum spacer between the glass for a clue as to the mfg. Some windows will have an NFRC sticker hidden in the top of the window, but you would need to get the window open to look.

Finding parts is often a matter of comparing the style and shape of the latch to the parts available online... many parts are used by multiple mfg's.

Yes, you obviously are going to need an entirely new latch, so destroying the old one to get the window open is just half the battle.

 

You've been so helpful, thanks.

So I found the catch point between the window and the linkage with the putty knife. On another thread, someone wrote they used a hammer. I'm not sure which way to hammer it. I'm also concerned I might damage the window frame, etc.

If I were to drill the casing, would that be best done top, middle, or bottom, and on the side facing out or the side perpendicular to the window? Assuming I do that, is opening it a one-shot deal? By that I mean, if I get it open, is it staying open, or could I re-lock it with screwdriver until I get the parts, etc.?

ADDED: Windows are Ostopovich 1994. That's probably not a good thing.

 

In most cases, tapping the linkage down is the same thing as raising the latch up.

I can't say if you have one shot or not. It depends if the linkage pivot is still there or if it has fallen away. You have to open the window either way to take the screws out which hold the latch. You can't really force a casement window open even if it is unlocked because the crank arm prevents it from opening... so I would not be too worried even if you happen to not be able to lock it.

If I was doing it I would probably cut the entire front off of the latch and open it up. That way you can get a pair of needle nose in there and have a better chance of locking it again. You may be able to open it with a putty knife but I bet you will need the pliers to lock it again.

Drilling works best with the other kind of latch... doesn't sound like yours. So forget about drilling. If you were going to drill, it would be right in the front, not another hole on the side. And you have to be careful when you drill not to blow right through and screw up the vinyl inside. So maybe forget the drilling.

Sorry you're having problems with it, I know they can be a pain.

 

I don't know if you saw my added note about the windows being Ostopovich 1994. I tracked down their address, and it's now another company at that site. Very few web references, it seems. I'm wondering if it's even possible to find the parts.

 

No, didn't see that. But if the parts look like this...

left casement lock broke : SWISCO.com

They are probably still available online. Just don't expect any help from the original company.

 

Well, it's worth a shot! Guess my next step is to get that casing off.

 

Just a follow-up on my endeavors. I was able to drill out the lock casing. A grinder probably would have been easier, as XSleeper suggested, but I didn't want to buy one just for this purpose. It took me about an hour of careful drilling, and even then I still could not reach the mechanism with a needle nose. I used a large railroad-spike type nail as an impromptu punch to help with drilling the metal. As luck would have it, that also just barely fit in the hole and I used it to pry it open. The rest came apart easily.

The odd thing is that all the parts seem in good shape. There was a washer outside on the window sill that I suspect was used to help hold the handle onto the round gear-like bracket, but it all seems to fit perfectly (snugly) back together and nothing is stripped. I wonder if I even need new parts (though the casing is obviously mangled now). I'm sure this will happen again at some point; I'm just not clear on why it failed.

The second photo does not show the second tie bar guide, but I have that too.

 

They are cheap parts that wear out. Just because you can get it to fit together doesn't mean it will stay together. If it fell apart once you can bet it will again. My advice would be to buy several locks while they are still available, just in case. Keep in mind there are RH and LH locks.

The nylon rod keepers (held with 2 screws) also like to break now and then. There are usually 2 of them (one top, one bottom) that hold the rod vertically, I only see one in your pic.

 

Just to finish this off, it's all fixed now. Could not have done it without XSleeper. One final snafu -- I ordered the wrong part. I expected (wrongly) that the mechanism would point up on the RH lock. It was just the opposite. Luckily, there was just enough room to make it work upside-down and backwards. It works perfectly. Total cost was about 14 bucks. Learning time was maybe 1 hour, and repair time was maybe 1.5 hours. However, blaming + searching + worrying time was much more.
:grin: