How does a tilt and turn window work, and how do I adjust one?
The three handle positions and what each one does inside the frame, where the adjustment on the corner drive and the scissor stay lives, and the rule that prevents the one serious fault.
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Time
- 40 min
- Read
- 3 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
Handle down is locked, handle horizontal swings the sash inwards on its side hinges, handle up tilts the top inwards for ventilation. Always return the handle to down before moving the sash. Adjustment is at the bottom hinge for height and lateral, at the scissor stay for the top, and at the cams for compression.
Tilt and turn windows are common in flats and in newer housing and they confuse people because one handle does two completely different things. The mechanism is a chain of drive bars running right round the sash, operated by a corner drive at each corner, and understanding that makes both the operation and the adjustment obvious.
Safety
Step by step
- Learn the three positions.Handle pointing down: locked, with every cam engaged in its keep around the sash. Handle horizontal: the turn position, sash free to swing inwards on the side hinges. Handle pointing straight up: the tilt position, top of the sash released to tip inwards on the scissor stay while the bottom hinge holds.
- Always operate it against the frame.The handle is only ever turned with the sash closed against the frame. That is not a convention, it is what stops the mechanism releasing the top corner while the sash is swung out.
- Understand the drive.The handle turns a gearbox that pushes drive bars around the perimeter of the sash through corner drives at each corner. Cams on those bars engage keeps on the frame. It is one continuous chain — which is why a single bent corner drive stops the whole window working.
- Find the adjustments.The bottom hinge, usually under a plastic cap, adjusts height and lateral position. The scissor stay at the top has an adjustment at its frame end. The cams around the sash can usually be rotated with pliers or a spanner to alter compression, and some designs have adjustable keeps instead.
- Adjust height and lateral at the bottom hinge.Lift the cap and look for hex sockets. One raises and lowers the sash; another moves it towards or away from the hinge side. Quarter turns, testing after each, with the window closed to check the gap.
- Adjust the top at the scissor stay.The stay's frame anchor usually has lateral adjustment, which sets how far the top of the sash sits from the frame. Use it to correct a sash that is tight at the top on the handle side.
- Set compression at the cams last.Rotate each cam a small amount to increase or decrease how hard it pulls the sash onto the seal. Do all of them, not one, and aim for a handle that turns firmly but easily. Over-compression here wears the gearbox and the corner drives.
- Lubricate the whole perimeter.Open the sash and you can see the drive bars and the cams around the edge. A little light machine oil on the bars and cams, silicone conditioner on the gasket, and the window will turn with one finger.
- Check the restrictor if there is one.Many tilt and turn windows have a limiter that stops the sash swinging fully. In flats and above ground floor these are frequently required, and disabling one is a genuinely bad idea.
- Teach everyone in the house the handle rule.Handle down before the sash moves. That single habit prevents the fault that brings most people to a repairer.
Keeping on top of it
- Oil the drive bars, cams and corner drives (Annually)
- Condition the gasket (Annually)
- Check the handle turns easily in both directions (Every few months)
- Check the restrictor still holds (Annually, and after any adjustment)
Questions people ask
Which position should I use for everyday ventilation?
Tilt. It gives background ventilation with the sash held by the stay, it is far harder to fall from, and it is what the position exists for. The turn position is for cleaning and for escape.
Can I get out of a tilt and turn window in a fire?
In the turn position they open fully inwards, which makes them one of the better window types for escape — provided the handle can be reached and no restrictor blocks it. Know how yours works before you need to.
Why is my handle stiff in one direction only?
One corner drive or one cam is binding. Open the sash, work the handle and watch the perimeter to find which one is not moving freely.