Door & window repair, statewide
Window Lock Repair
A window that will not lock is a window you stop using
Sash locks that no longer meet, cam locks painted solid, keepers out of line, casement locks that will not draw the sash in. Small hardware, quick to fix, and worth fixing.
Usually the sash moved, not the lock
A sash lock works by pulling two sashes tightly together, or by drawing a casement into its frame. It only does that if the two halves still line up. When a sash drops, swells or racks slightly, the lock and its keeper stop meeting and the handle either will not close or closes without gripping anything.
That matters for two reasons. A window that does not lock is a security weakness, particularly on a ground floor. And a sash lock is also part of the weatherseal — it is what pulls the sash tight against the stripping, so a lock that no longer engages means a draughty window as well as an insecure one.
Most of the time this is a twenty-minute repair involving no new hardware at all.
A sash lock is also a weatherseal. When it stops gripping, the draught starts.
Every window locking mechanism
Modern hardware and century-old sash fasteners alike.
Egress windows are a special case. A bedroom window has to open from the inside without tools or keys, so we will not fit anything that compromises that, whatever the security concern.
Lock work we do
Usually a short visit, and frequently no new hardware needed.
Cam and sash locks
Locks that will not close, or close without drawing the sashes together. Realigned or replaced.
Keeper realignment
The most common fix of all. Repositioning the keeper so the lock engages properly through the seasons.
Casement multi-point locks
Handles that turn without throwing, and multi-point mechanisms that no longer pull the sash in.
Painted-over hardware
Locks seized under decades of paint, freed and made to work rather than cut off and replaced.
Child safety and vent stops
Opening control devices and vent limiters fitted correctly, without compromising egress.
Matching historic hardware
Period-appropriate sash fasteners and lifts for older Connecticut homes.
Why window locks stop working here
Paint, humidity and a great deal of very old hardware.
Generations of paint
In a house that has been painted every decade for a century, sash locks end up entombed. They can almost always be freed and made to work again rather than cut away, and the original hardware is usually better made than its replacement.
Humidity moves the sash
Connecticut's summer humidity swells wooden sash and its winter heating shrinks it. The lock and keeper that lined up perfectly in spring can be several millimetres out by August, which is why so many windows lock in one season and not another.
Coastal corrosion
Near the Sound, salt air seizes lock mechanisms and corrodes the small screws holding keepers in place. Hardware that is merely stiff inland can be completely locked up on the shoreline.
Why bother repairing a window lock
It is a small job with a disproportionate payoff.
Security on the ground floor
Ground-floor windows are a common entry point, and a lock that does not engage is no lock at all.
A tighter, warmer window
The lock is what pulls the sash against its weatherstrip. Fixing it reduces draughts as well as risk.
We save original hardware
Period fasteners are usually better made than modern replacements, and we free them rather than scrap them.
Small jobs welcome
Plenty of companies will not come out for a window lock. We will.
Three steps, no runaround
Send a photo of the lock
Hardware is identified visually, so a picture is worth more than a brand name.
We check the sash, not just the lock
Because the sash is usually what moved. Firm price before any work.
We repair it
Most window lock work is finished in a single short visit.
We are a mobile service covering the whole state. Pick your city below, or call and we will come to you.
Window Lock Repair Across Connecticut
Window lock questions
My window lock will not close any more.
Almost always the sash has moved and the lock no longer lines up with its keeper. Repositioning the keeper usually solves it with no new hardware at all.
The lock closes but the window still rattles.
The lock is engaging without drawing the sashes tight. That is a keeper depth and alignment issue, and it is worth fixing because it is also a draught.
Our window locks are painted solid.
Very common in older Connecticut homes. They can generally be freed carefully and made to work again, and the original hardware is usually worth keeping.
Can you fit child safety locks?
Yes, using proper window opening control devices. On bedroom windows these must still allow escape from inside without a key or tool, and we fit them accordingly.
Can you match the hardware in an old house?
In most cases, yes. Period sash fasteners and lifts are still available in appropriate patterns and finishes.
Other repairs we handle
Doors and windows are all we do, so whatever has failed, it is probably on this list.
Get your windows locking again
Free estimates anywhere in Connecticut, and we are glad to take small jobs.
(203) 902-3899