Background

When it comes to historic preservation, windows are one of the most common parts of a house that need to evaluated. Buffalo, NY can have a harsh climate of wind, snow, rain and cold temperatures, all of which can take their toll on old wood windows. If left exposed to this harsh weather, wood can rot, weather-stripping and caulk can crack, allowing air to infiltrate a house and expensive heat is wasted.

Since the 1960s and 1970s, a common solution to the challenge of maintaining wood windows is to replace them with "replacement" windows that use the original windows opening and only the sash and jambs are replaced as part of a "replacement" window kit as opposed to "new construction" windows. Replacement windows allow for easy and fast window replacement with a minimum of disruption of household activities. However, this replacement is not without a price. Replacement windows are manufactured mechanical machines that have a limited lifecycle. In time, parts become obsolete and companies go out of existence.

The best practice when evaluating old wood windows is to repair them and install wood or aluminum screen windows on the outside window frame and to ensure that adequate weatherstripping in place to cease drafts. Although this solution may not have all the bells and whistles of "modern" windows, it is a solution that stands the test of time. A window that is over 100 years old can last another 100 years if refurbished and maintained.

If windows are replaced, one can expect to get about 30 years of use out of replacement windows. After that, the windows will have to be replaced again and again. Most replacement windows today are made of vinyl and an emerging technology is fiberglass. But this page is focused on the fist generation of replacement windows made from aluminum.

The house I live in was built during the 1880s and some of the windows in it were replaced with aluminum windows during the first wave of the replacement window trend with "NUPRiME" brand of aluminum windows made by Season-All Industries, Inc.

Season-All began in 1947, when Peabody High School graduate and Army veteran Frank Gorell acquired a controlling interest in the former Aluminum Fabricating Co. in Pittsburgh. He later bought the rest of the company, changed the name to Season-All Industries Inc., and in the late 1950s, moved operations to Indiana, Pennsylvania. Frank Gorell came up with the idea of the modern replacement window and had an engineering employee, Alexander J. Biro, along with several other staff design the first one in the mid-1960s.

Season-All owned several patents dating from the late 1960s concerning the manufacture of aluminum windows. The replacement window and sash unit, Des. 213,676, was filed on Aug. 11, 1967, the application was applied on Mar. 29, 1968 and it patented was Apr. 1, 1969. The sash cam, U.S. Patent Office Des. 209,812, was filed on Apr. 10, 1967 and patented on Jan. 9, 1968. The main window structure, patent 3,449,862, was filed on Aug. 11, 1967 and patented June 17, 1969. Alexander J. Biro, the inventor/engineer associated the windows, was the vice president of engineering at Season-All up to the mid-1970s. He left with a group who formed another company, Amacor, that went out of business in the 1980s. He was a self taught designer/engineer with some design training but not an engineering degree. After leaving Amacor he free-lanced and designed products for several companies.

Going back to the Season-All windows in my house, it appears as though the windows were replaced in the early 1970s. Parts of the windows started breaking and I started to do some research on the company that made the windows, Season-All, and how to repair them.

After reading the patents and several books on general window repair, I discovered that it is possible to replace parts in the windows and based on the design, components do fail after several years of use. I have also found that people who do not understand how the windows were designed and operate sometimes damage the windows because they do not know what they are doing.

So the purpose of this website is to share what I have learned about the NUPRiME aluminum windows by Season-All and list some places where replacement parts can be purchased to maintain the windows.

The NUPRiME windows were considered "replacement" windows. The original sashes were removed and a new jamb inserted into the window opening. The windows are double hung, so, as designed, the upper and lower sashes are movable. The key to the design of the windows is that they use a "block and tackle" balance that is located in the window jamb. The balance allows the sash to be adjusted to any position between fully open and fully closed. Originally, balances were weights attached to the top corners of the sash and draped over a pulley on either jamb. The weights and the friction of the pulleys "balanced" the weight of the sash. Balances are placed in pairs for each sash, one at each side of the jamb. The "block and tackle" variety is a special type of balance that employs a block and tackle apparatus and coiled spring. This type of balance allows the sash to be easily removed from the window frame, known as "sideload" sashes. The balance is variable, and has a size (length) and a spring size that supports the weight of the window. For example, two windows that are the same height but have different widths would have balances of the same length, but the spring in the balance for the wider window would be longer since the window sash is heavier. A spring that is too long for a window sash would be difficult to close since the spring would try to contract and pull the window up. The bottom line: it's important to get the correctly sized balance for a window.

What breaks?

Some people say that aluminum windows are an inherently poor design since aluminum is a conductor of heat and therefore sends all the heat out the window. That's not really true. There is a "thermal break" designed in the aluminum sash to provide a breakage for the conductivity of heat. There is also weatherstripping available too. The reality is that when properly working, the NUPRiME windows are fairly tight and are not drafty.

But there are some inherent design flaws. The balance, composed of a metal spring in a case, is under constant tension. After years of being under stress, the spring snaps. A small plastic cap or "cam" on each side of the sash holds the balance in place inside the sash and these are prone to snapping and cracking. Lastly, I have seen on several occasions the sash lock missing. The sash lock is crucial to the design of the window not only for security purposes, but because it provides a sealing action to force the two sashes, upper and lower, to lock and keep out cold air.

Despite these design flaws, the nice thing about aluminum windows is that they do not rust or contract/expand.

Another characteristic about these windows is that the sashes are made with single panes of glass, so usually there is a traditional aluminum storm window associated with the window.

The sashes, known as "sideloader" sashes, are designed so that they can be removed for maintenance. The original design specs say that they were designed to be removed for cleaning, but in reality, it still is a bit of a hassle to remove the sashes, so I have never taken them apart for cleaning. However, while doing maintenance on the window, when the sash is removed, I do clean them!

Upper clip in window

Detail of sash lock. The sash lock is very important to the overall design.
Make sure the lock is opened before attempting to remove the sash.
If the lock is missing, it should be replaced.

Removing a sash

The steps to removing a sash are as follows:

1. Raise the clips in the jamb to the "up" position.
2. Move the sash almost all the way in the up position (make sure there are no window treatment devices (shades, blinds, etc.) in the way.
3. When the sash goes past the clips, the balance will catch on the clip and disengage from being inside the sash.
4. Push the sash all the way into the left jamb channel. A spring loaded portion of the sash at the top will engage and allow the sash to go all the way into the jamb. Then swing the sash out of the jamb for repair or cleaning.

To remove an upper sash, push the sash all the way down, then move the clips to the up position and follow the same instructions as above.

Reinstalling a sash

To reinstall a sash:

1. Ensure that the balances are installed properly in the jamb, hooked into the jamb channel on the bottom and held by jamb clips at the top.
2. Insert the sash at the top and push into jamb channel to the left, all the way.
3. Once in the left jamb channel, push the sash into the channel to the right.
4. Center the sash between the window jambs.
5. Push the sash down and let the plastic sash cams catch the balances.
6. The balances will then engage with the sash and be "free" of the clips.
7. Push the clips in the closed position.
8. Test the movement of the sash by moving up and down the jamb. It should move freely but be snug.
9. If the sash does not move freely, remove the sash and repeat reinstallation process.

Plastic cam that holds balance in window.


Cam installed in window.

Replacing a cam (also known as a carrier)

Cams are the plastic "stops" located at the tops of the sash that integrate the window balance. They are a very important part of the overall window design. However, they have a tendency to crack and break from the constant pressure of having a window balance putting pressure on them. To change a cam:

1. Remove the sash as described under the section "Removing a Sash."
2. Remove the metal screw holding in the plastic cam on the sash.
3. Remove the cam from the sash.
4. Replace the broken cam with a new part.
5. Screw the cam into the sash.
6. Replace the sash into the window jamb by following the steps under "Reinstalling A Sash."

Picture of window balance that supports the sash in the jamb.

Detail of bottom of balance showing clip that inserts in window jamb.

Replacing a balance

Each sash has two "balances" that are a critical part of the window design. They are the components that support the sash and allow it to be easily raised and lowered in the window jamb. Their design flaw is that embedded in the balance is a metal spring that is under constant tension. After a period of time, the springs crack -- and often make a very, very loud noise when they do! To replace a balance, perform the following steps:

1. Remove the sash as described under the section "Removing a Sash."
2. When the sash is removed, push down on the balance so that it is released from the clip.
3. Pull the balance away from the window jamb.
4. Pull the bottom clip out of the window jamp.
5. The balance will then be released.

To replace the balance, do the reverse:

1. Insert the bottom clip into the hole in the window jamb.
2. Push down on the balance until it is under the top clip.
3. Raise the balance so that it rests in the jamb and is supported by the bottom clip and the top clip.
4. Replace the sash into the window jamb by following the steps under "Reinstalling A Sash."

Links

The Basics of Window Balance Selection

How to Remove and Reinstall the Sash in a Double or Single-hung Window

Window Glossary

Window Channel Balance Removal and Installation Guidelines

History of Gorell Company (formerly Season-All)

Official Gorell Website

AA Window Parts and Hardware (Replacement Part Supply Company)

AZA Sales Company (Replacement Window Part Supply Company)