I recently took pictures of some windows to show you how to get out those screens that you can't take off from the outside. There are many times that I've gone to a house where screens are all bent up because someone got frustrated and used force instead of reason. Don't let this happen to you!
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The mechanism for helping you get this window apart so you can get to the screens is hidden in this type of window. Instead of two levers to release the top half of the window, as depicted in the tilt-in window page, look for these plastic wedges between the window and the channel. When you raise the window, the wedges raise with it, until they catch on metal tabs that must be pulled out with either a fingernail or a screwdriver. |
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These metal tabs are a bit fragile, in spite of the job they are asked to do. I carry a few with me incase they are broken or missing. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I have to say, "Sorry, but we can't clean this one..." |
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When the metal tabs catch the wedges, keep raising the window until it disengages from the mechanism inside the channels. You can tell this has happened when you can see the bottom of the mechanism clearly. It will be a plastic base attached to a square metal rod. When disengaged, jerk the window to either the left or the right (whichever side does NOT have a security magnet) and you will see that the other side is now free to be pulled out. When that side is out about an inch, pull out the other side. Be careful not to pull too sharply, since you can gouge the wall with the free side of the window. Do the reverse to put the window back in. |
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Both removable window and tilt-in type windows have screens similar to these. The catches that hold the screen in place are at the top. If you put these in upside down, the top half of the screen will fall in toward the inside and its ability to stop insects and lizards will be compromised. You may also, depending on the screens design, create a new difficulty in getting them back out again. |
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