Window caches.

[Weatherlawyer]

All the double glazed windows on a house are locked. How do I get them open? TIA.

[Lobster]

On 04 Mar 2014, Weatherlawyer grunted:

[snip]

HTH :)

[The Medway Handyman]

Angle Grinder

:-)

[Andy Burns]

The locks on most of them can probably be opened with the puny key from a can of pilchards, they're not unique per lock, failing that find your type here,

No doubt they're available for 2p each if you know what/where to buy.

[harryagain]

With most, you just take the handle off. The locking bit is incorporated into the handle. Open with adjustable spanner on square bit The screw heads may be covered with a bit of crap that prises out. Take the handle to a window manufacturer, mostly they will sell you a key.

OR

Go round the neighbours. The keys are generic (cheap shit). You will likely find someone with a key that will fit

[Weatherlawyer]

I was hoping to save them. I don't want to drill out the locks but if that is the way to do it so be it.

[Weatherlawyer]

Cheers. I used to keep them whenever I was throwing old stuff out. Sometimes if installing on new builds I would keep a key at each house. I had the idea I would always have one handy.

Funny how well that worked out.

[Martin Brown]

You need to supply a picture of the locks before anyone can remotely help. Some are openable by allen keys or relatively simple "keys" that can be fashioned from any old bit of mild steel you have lying around.

Others require you to identify the manufacturers and go and beg for a replacement key if they can find the original installer paperwork.

Have you searched the house carefully for keys and asked the previous owner to check their keyring?

[Weatherlawyer]

I am bloody sure you MUST be Dawlish.

I know you meant to help but I am seriously trying to open a couple of sash es to get the musty smell out the house not do an archeological summary.

If I had to I would unscrew the one bolt visible and wrench the handles fre e before I'd go begging in umpteen different places. What the problem is is that the handle crosses the other bolt. It can be fiddled past it and with a suitable screwdriver I can remove the whole handle.

Once I have it opened, though, I need to close it sooner or later. I just t hought there might be a way of cracking the lock simply.

[Martin Brown]

Use a bloody angle grinder or sledgehammer then you utter f****it.

[Johny B Good]

It was useful to me even though I don't ever intend to install win7 other than in a VM on a *nix host sometime in the future (but it might be handy when repairing a customer's PC that is so afflicted).

I don't think it was what the OP wanted to know since I'm pretty certain he meant to use the word "catches" and bm has already offered suitable advice in that regard (nice one, bm :-).

[John Williamson]

I'd have a chat with a decent locksmith. The one I used to change the door locks when I bought my house had a handful of keys with him which he claimed would open 99% of all window locks.

[David.WE.Roberts]

The irony of missed irony?

[Weatherlawyer]

Thanks. I'll have a stab at that.

[Weatherlawyer]

sashes to get the musty smell out the house not do an archaeological summar y.

free before I'd go begging in umpteen different places. What the problem i s is that the handle crosses the other bolt. It can be fiddled past it and with a suitable screwdriver I can remove the whole handle.

st thought there might be a way of cracking the lock simply.

Right, OK. If all else fails, many thanks.

[Chris J Dixon]

If they are anything like mine, when the handle is locked, it covers the fixing screws.

Chris

[Bob Martin]

On mine, the handle in the closed position only covers one of the two fixing screws.