My whole life I've been closing my storm windows wrong (the top latch trick)

I've lived in my 1920s colonial in Kamm's Corners for about 6 years now. Every fall I'd wrestle with the old combination storms, pushing up on the bottom sash until my arms ached. Last week my neighbor Bob (the 80 year old guy two doors down) saw me struggling and walked over. He just reached up, unlatched this little metal tab at the very top of the frame, and the whole window slid down like butter. I had no idea that top latch was even there. I'd been forcing the bottom mechanism the whole time. Has anyone else missed an obvious feature on their old west side house?

2 comments

2 Comments

casey39321d ago

Read an article a while back that said most old storm windows have those top latches but people forget about them because nobody ever mentions them. @taylorlewis is right though, it's not that deep, just something easy to overlook when you're new to a hundred year old house.

taylorlewis21d ago

Bob from two doors down is 80 something and probably been messing with those windows since the Truman administration. I get that it's a neat trick and all, but you're acting like this guy handed you the secret to life or something. It's a window latch on a storm window from the 1920s. Not exactly rocket science. You probably just missed it because you were in a hurry or never bothered to look up. I've owned a house from the 40s for over 20 years and I promise you, missing a little metal tab that slides the whole thing down smooth is not some huge revelation. It's just good to know your neighbor has the time to walk over and show you stuff like that.