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Description of window set, in case someone knows them by make: the lower pane is counterbalanced (weight? spring? I don't know) and the upper pane is fixed in place with a screen window underneath it. Each window frame also has a pair of lightweight, removable inner windows that can slide past each other. So that's three sets of rails for sliding windows, plus the upper window & screen on the exterior. The screens have one knife latch on each side, towards the top.

I took some pictures, with annotations.

When unlatched, the screens are free to slide around by about 1/4", but are completely trapped between a metal frame on the outside, and between the lower pane & a metal rim on the inside.

  • interior: the screen is trapped by a metal rim at the bottom (about 1/2") and the raisable window at the top. When the window is opened to its highest extent (touching the top of the frame) the pane blocks the screen by several inches.
  • exterior: the screen is trapped by metal rims on all four sides, by about 1/4" to 1/2".

Upon further inspection, I think the screens are supposed to pop outward, but I don't see any removable parts in the frame, except a few screws on the outside. Removing them might be the answer (or a red herring), but they're thoroughly seized in the aluminum frame.

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  • If you raise the lower pane to it's maximum extent, then pull out the metal levers on the flyscreen frame, doesn't the flyscreen frame easily separate inwards?
    – RedGrittyBrick
    Aug 11, 2014 at 14:49
  • I'm not sure I fully understand the description. However, some window screen frames i've dealt with have concealed latches made out of leaf springs... if you push one side of the frame towards that side (ie, either up, down, or to either side - and it's usually mounted so you'd push up), is there some give? If so, just then push the opposite side out and it should pop out.
    – aaron
    Aug 11, 2014 at 16:10

1 Answer 1

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The third picture tells the story. Working from the outside, disengage the knife latches on the right side (the picture shows one near the top but there are usually two), then slide the screen to the left to clear the the frame from the right-side channel. Then pull down, out of the upper channel. The frames are aluminum and sometimes get stuck due to oxidation, so spraying the channels liberally with WD-40 or similar penetrant may ease removal. Be careful not to bend the frame, but be prepared to replace the unit. A good mom-and-pop local hardware store should be able to custom fabricate a replacement. They make plastic clips that snap over the frame that will serve the same function as the knife latches, as not all shops know how to install them.

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  • I didn't see knife latches on the lower half of the screen, but I'll reinspect the entire frame of a couple windows, with a magnifying glass (literally).
    – Foo Bar
    Aug 12, 2014 at 17:00

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