# Casement window won't close

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casement-window-wont-close/548719>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 31, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casement-window-wont-close/548719 "2010-07-31T20:35:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casement-window-wont-close/548719/1 "2010-07-31T20:35:50Z")

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Several of my casement windows won’t close all the way. They get to within about 1/2 inch and then just won’t move. I tried using compressed air on the gears, then oiled them. Then I cleaned all the surfaces. Now it moves easier, and comes a little closer to closing but still will not close. Any ideas?

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**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casement-window-wont-close/548719/2 "2010-07-31T20:38:19Z")

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i’ve seen weather striping on top, bottom and sides can stop compressing like it did; it gets loose or folds.

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casement-window-wont-close/548719/3 "2010-07-31T20:53:53Z")

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Check to see if they are sagging on the side where the hinges are located.

If they are, you should be able to lift them up a little from the bottom and close them. But you may need a technician from the window company to come out and fix them.

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**Author:** ![unclelem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ac91a4/32.png) [@unclelem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclelem)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casement-window-wont-close/548719/4 "2010-07-31T23:43:52Z")

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obvious but,… are the latches open? You won’t be able to close the window all the way if the latches are closed while the window is open.

And the not obvious, but worst case scenario: has the wall shifted or settled? If the wall is putting pressure on the frame to force it out of square, your window will not close (or will be darn near impossible to open if it was closed).

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**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casement-window-wont-close/548719/5 "2010-07-31T23:51:37Z")

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Are they vinyl or the older metal style?

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**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casement-window-wont-close/548719/6 "2010-07-31T23:55:29Z")

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I’ve also seen the screw heads block or bind the mechanism when it’s almost closed and the screws were lose. They have to be flush with the metal.