Can a casement window crank be replaced?

Yes. The handle and the operator it turns are separate from the glass and frame, and both come off with a screwdriver. If only the handle has stripped, a new handle may be enough. If the gears grind or slip, the whole operator is replaced with one of the same style and hand. Older windows sometimes take a close equivalent rather than an exact match.

Can the glass in a casement sash be replaced without a new window?

Yes. The sealed unit in a casement sits in the sash, held by stops or glazing tape. A pro can remove it, often with the sash off its hinges, and fit a new unit of the same size, thickness and grille pattern. The frame, hardware and screen stay. It's the usual fix for fog or a crack in an otherwise sound window.

Why does my casement window let in drafts?

Usually because it isn't closing tight. Worn weatherstrip, a hinge that has sagged, or a lock keeper that no longer pulls the sash in all leave gaps. Check the lock side first; you can often see daylight. New weatherstrip and a hinge or lock adjustment fix most drafts. If air comes around the outside of the frame, the caulking needs attention.

Where do casement window screens go, and can they be made to size?

On the inside. Because the sash swings outward, the screen sits in the frame on the room side, held by clips or spring pins. Replacement screens can be made to measure, and torn mesh in a sound screen frame can be replaced. See window screen repair for rescreening and new screens.

Can I use an air conditioner with a casement window?

Not a standard window unit, which needs a sliding sash to sit in. Portable air conditioners can vent through a casement using a panel or kit that fills the gap around the hose, and there are through-the-wall options too. Make sure any kit seals well so rain and insects stay out, and that you can still close and lock the window.

Casement windows

Casement windows: fix the crank, the seal or the glass before replacing

Casements, the side-hinged windows that crank outward, are common in Markham houses built from the 1980s on. When one stiffens, drafts or fogs, the crank may be all that's worn. Operators, hinges, locks and the sealed unit can each be replaced without taking the window out of the wall. We connect you with an independent local pro who repairs casements and will tell you plainly when one is due for replacement.

Cranks and hinges replaced on their own
Fogged glass swapped, grilles matched
Straight advice on repair or replace

Get a free quote 905-201-8120

The sash swings out on its hinges, driven by the operator at the sill.

How they work

How casements work and where they wear

A casement sash hangs on hinge arms at the top and bottom of one side. Turning the crank drives a gear in the operator, which pushes an arm that swings the sash out. When it closes, the lock pulls the sash tight against weatherstrip all round the frame, which is why casements keep drafts out well when everything works.

Every one of those parts moves, and they wear before the frame does. The operator gears usually go first, especially on the windows you open most, followed by the hinge arms and the weatherstrip. The frame and glass normally outlast them. Other styles are covered in the windows overview.

Hardware

Crank operators, hinges and multipoint locks

Diagram of a casement operator: the crank handle and gearbox on the sill, an arm running to a bracket on the sash, and a hinge on the side of the frame

Operators and cranks

Grinding, slipping or a handle that spins free all point to the operator. It's screwed to the sill and connects to the sash by an arm, so it can be swapped without touching the glass. Pros match it by style, hand and arm length.

Hinges

If the sash drags on the frame, won't close square or has dropped at the lock side, the hinge arms have worn or bent. They're sized to the sash and replaced as a pair.

Multipoint locks

Taller casements lock at two or more points through a bar along the edge, worked by one handle. If the handle moves but the sash stays loose, a keeper has shifted or a link has broken. That's usually an adjustment or a small part; window repair covers other lock faults.

Glass

Fogged casement glass and grilles

Fog between the panes of a casement means the sealed unit has failed, not the window. The sash is often lifted off its hinges and the glass changed on a bench, then rehung. The new unit is made to the same size and thickness, with the grille pattern built in.

Many 1990s and 2000s homes pair casements with a fixed picture unit or a half-round above, all with the same colonial grilles. Matching bar width and colour keeps the set reading as one window. The foggy windows page covers the glass swap in detail.

Replacing

Replacing casements: style, grilles and screens

When the frame is split or soft, or the sash has warped past adjusting, new casements are the answer. Vinyl casements suit most subdivision houses; see vinyl windows for frames, and ask the pro whether the product is ENERGY STAR certified if you're hoping for a rebate.

Keep the look: the same grille pattern, the same split between opening and fixed panes, and the same hinge side if furniture sits near the window. Where a room needs air but the sash would swing into a walkway, an awning window under a fixed pane is another option. New casements come with new screens, which sit on the inside because the sash opens out. Not sure it's time? Our repair or replace guide helps.

Your quote

What shapes a casement quote

Tell the pro how many casements you have and what each one is doing. The price follows:

Repair or replacement, and how many windows
The part: operator, hinges, lock, weatherstrip or glass
Whether a direct match exists for older hardware
Glass size, grilles and any coating
Access to upper floors

Photos of the crank, the hinge side and any label on the frame help the pro bring the right parts.

Describe your casements

The pro quotes directly; there's no charge to ask.

Cooling

Air conditioning with casement windows

A standard window air conditioner needs a sash that slides, so it doesn't suit a casement. The usual options are a portable unit vented through a panel or kit that fits the casement opening, a through-the-wall unit, or another cooling system altogether. Whatever you choose, the kit should seal around the hose so rain and insects stay out.

If you're replacing windows in that room anyway, ask the pro about a different style for that one opening.

Questions

Casement window questions

Explore your options

Local pros repair and replace casements across Markham, including Milliken Mills, Berczy Village, Box Grove, Cathedraltown and Angus Glen.

How many casements, and what's wrong with them?

Send a photo of each problem window and one of the crank. We'll pass it to a local pro who repairs and replaces casements, and they'll quote whichever makes sense.