How to Wind Spiral Balances for a Wood Sash

Open the lower wooden sash fully, and find the access to the spiral balance. Some wooden windows are retrofitted with spiral balances. Look under the sash for two notches. This is where the spiral balance is on retrofitted windows.

Remove the stop casing on the window frame, if you do not have the notches under the sash. The stop is the wood trim that forms the front part of the lower sash track. Pry the stop off with a putty knife. The spiral balance is visible in the window frame once you remove the stop.

Grasp the spiral balance rod with a spiral balance tensioning tool. The tensioning tool looks similar to a small crochet needle and has a hook on one end to fit around the pins on the bottom of the spiral balance rod. Alternatively, it is possible to use a pair of needle-nose pliers. Maintain a good grip, however, if using needle-nose pliers to avoid letting go of the spiral balance rod and allowing it to unwind fully.

Pull down on the spiral balance rod with your tool, and unhook it from the shoe. The shoe is the mechanism that the end of the rod hooks into. Rotate the spiral balance rod clockwise to add tension to the rod. Insert the end of the rod back into the shoe.

Repeat the process for the opposite side. Reinstall the wood stop on each frame if your spiral balance is in the frame. Close the sash once you finish.