Anywho, as it happens, I was bored in early May and decided to try to get them to open. It actually ended up being a super simple technique. I just used a metal spackle putty knife and wedged it between the windows.
Then I just lightly tapped it with a hammer so that I could see it in the window below.
Continuing this all the way around the bottom portion of the window and the frame loosened it enough to push it open (with a little effort). It only took about 15 minutes of hammering and pulling on the windows to get both sides to open, though. Not bad!
That's when we realized that apparently there is no good way to get
behind the window and paint the little bit of exposed wood at the bottom
of the top window pane.
Continuing this all the way around the bottom portion of the window and the frame loosened it enough to push it open (with a little effort). It only took about 15 minutes of hammering and pulling on the windows to get both sides to open, though. Not bad!
Oh well. Hopefully one day the whole window will be replaced anyway (especially since we don't have any window screens for the now open windows.).
Scott actually did a little preventative maintenance once we had them open. He took some White Lithium Grease and coated the window tracks with it.
This is a better lubricant than WD-40 (which was actually originally created as a cleanser, not a grease. We recommended people use it to clean up their bicycles all the time when I was working in a bike shop.), so it will last longer and work better over time. He just used the little straw and got right into the tracks with it, careful not to over coat it.
After he had gotten both tracks for a window, he would open and close the window to work the lithium grease into the enclosed part of the window track. We wiped away excess that was on the molding when he had finished.
We were so excited to have working windows that we put this picture up on Instagram!
Huzzah! Spring! Do you have any older windows that won't open? Give this a try and let us know how it goes!
This is a better lubricant than WD-40 (which was actually originally created as a cleanser, not a grease. We recommended people use it to clean up their bicycles all the time when I was working in a bike shop.), so it will last longer and work better over time. He just used the little straw and got right into the tracks with it, careful not to over coat it.
After he had gotten both tracks for a window, he would open and close the window to work the lithium grease into the enclosed part of the window track. We wiped away excess that was on the molding when he had finished.
Thank you so much for sharing! I consider myself pretty handy, but I’ve lived in my house for 3 years and still have yet to open a window until I read this. It did take me about 10 minutes to get the two front living room windows open. It’s too late to keep beating on the windows and wake the neighbors now but come morning I will be opening 24 more windows.
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