aligning double glazed side opening window?

Albert. You have to 'heel and toe' the sealed unit within the opening sash to achieve correct alignment. To do this you need to remove beads and glass; with the sash bare, place a green or blue half packer flat in the rebate on the HINGE side and the same standing upright next to it. I also usually place a thinner half-packer on top of these, but it depends on how 'snug' the glass size is. Then do the same in the opposite corner (use a blob of sealant to fix) then re-fit the glazing unit.What you now have is a situation where the full weight of the sealed unit is on the hinge side, but it is only leaning, or resting against the leading edge (lock side) You can now use the glass itself as a fulcrum to raise the lock side up and centralize the sash within the frame, all forces in the next stage are transferred diagonally in compression across the glass. To do this use a glazing wedge or any non-metallic lever and insert it between sealed unit and sash frame next to the top packers and lever up the topside of the sash. Now insert however many packers necessary to achieve correct alignment. Add more packers on any side as required. I can regularly lift (realign) as much as 20mm which should be more than enough. Good luck, and if you get stuck, email me at keveljay at graffiti.net with all your PVC questions, Kev KL plastics

kev
July 2009