OT plastic window problem

[Night Train]

I have uPVC tilt and turn windows that open inwards.

One of them is very draughty (actually none are great and fitted by 'Bodge it and Scarper') and I have tracked it down to the side of the opener, where the handle is, not compressing the seal. If I lean heavily on the handle then the window seals up nicely.

As it is a tilt and turn there are only catches in the corners and not on the long edges of the opener, so nothing I can adjust to make it pull in tighter.
The corners, where the catches are, are already tight.

It is the opener that is slightly bowed inwards, about 3-4mm over the 900mm height.*

Is there any simple or easy fix to reverse the bow in the plastic?

I have thought about removing and dismantling the opener, laying it flat on some corner stands and then letting it sag, over a low heat, until it is slightly bowed the opposite way.

Thoughts and suggestions?

Thank you.

*When I ordered the windows they should have been steel reinforced extrusions but I only found out many years after that they weren't and should have been cheaper.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Could you take a picture? I think they are like the new ones I fitted in my last flat, but they had metal fittings. In that case, you can buy a new opener for a few pounds and fit it yourself.
Or you could stuff the gap with a little strip of draft excluder, maybe glue it on with no more nails or similar if it takes on upvc - not sure about that.
I know I had to seal my brand new window sills with silicon, as the fitters forgot, rain made its way in

 

[Night Train]

I can try for a photo but it is a bit difficult holding a 3' straight edge against it and photograping the bow in the plastic.

Oh, the hardware on the window is fine, it is the actual frame of the opening part of the window that is bowed so that when the window is close, the shorter top and bottom edges compress the rubber seal but the middle of the vertical long sides don't.

The window is like this one, but with another equal sized panel of glazing above it:

The whole of the window frame extrusion where the handle is fitted has a visible bow shape, so it only compresses the seal at the corners.

 

[MontyVeda]

...
I have thought about removing and dismantling the opener, laying it flat on some corner stands and then letting it sag, over a low heat, until it is slightly bowed the opposite way.

...

nice thinking... go for it!

 

[02GF74]

WTF - you have windows on your bicycle???

 

[Night Train]

WTF - you have windows on your bicycle???

Erm, that's why I titled it OT, for off topic!

 

[Maz]

I can try for a photo but it is a bit difficult holding a 3' straight edge against it and photograping the bow in the plastic.

Oh, the hardware on the window is fine, it is the actual frame of the opening part of the window that is bowed so that when the window is close, the shorter top and bottom edges compress the rubber seal but the middle of the vertical long sides don't.

The window is like this one, but with another equal sized panel of glazing above it:

The whole of the window frame extrusion where the handle is fitted has a visible bow shape, so it only compresses the seal at the corners.

If I understand you correctly, it's the vertical sides of the window which are bowed inwards.
How about applying some sort of gel/rubber strip on the frame, at the place where the gaps are? So that when the window is closed, the seal is tight (or tighter, at least)?

 

[Night Train]

If I understand you correctly, it's the vertical sides of the window which are bowed inwards.
How about applying some sort of gel/rubber strip on the frame, at the place where the gaps are? So that when the window is closed, the seal is tight (or tighter, at least)?

Yes, that's right but it is really just the one gap that is 4mm in the centre and feathering out to nothing the top and bottom corners.

I am reluctant to 'apply stuff' to the frame to fill the gap as it will just look terrible (I am a little house proud) and would rather have a fix I can't see.

I might look at adding a strengthening bit of steel work inside the frame, maybe hidden in the glazing rebate.

 

[Night Train]

[QUOTE 2265283, member: 45"]Our new house has pretty old tilt and turn windows, and one of them is faulty. It won't stay shut and wants to open downwards as it's not latching on the top right. Any ideas?[/quote]
That could be one of the latches either not being properly located, or missing altogether.

You could have a look at each corner and see if moving the handle about shows up as movement of a peg that should locate in a keep on the frame.

Compare it to another tilt and turn in the house as they should all be using the same set up if installed as one job.

Sometimes though if the handle has been turned when the window is already open the whole system ends up detached and flopping about. It can take a bit of jiggling of the handle with the window closed to get all the latches to reconnect.

 

[biggs682]

draught excluder on both fixed and opening sealing edge !

 

[Night Train]

draught excluder on both fixed and opening sealing edge !

There is already a rubber seal there and anything I fixed in addition to it will need to be very tapered along its length, 4mm in 450mm. It would have to start at nothing, swell to 4mm in the middle and then back to nothing over 900mm.

Of course, the bow in the window doesn't just affect the seal on the opener, it also affects the seal to the glazing as well, as that also runs out by the same amount.

If it gets warmer soon I will take the window part and examine the options more closely. Maybe a tensioning cable inside to preload it to bow in the other direction?