At Granny’s house, there are some very high up 3rd story windows, that are ‘awning windows’ (http://www.answers.com/topic/awning-window), ie. hinged at the top, with no safety catches or anything to stop them opening wide, and a 30 foot drop onto concrete below.

Daughter dearest is a born climber and can easily get up to the window sill, and come summer I imagine people will leave them open regularly, so I think some kind of device to stop them being opened wide is in order.

They are metal framed 1970s (I think) windows, and the frame around the window is not very wide at all – I don’t think I can get the clippasafe ones that screw into the window frame itself to fit. I don’t want the self adhesive ones, as from experience a)she can pull them apart, particularly with a big window for leverage, b)if that doesn’t happen, someone else will inevitably pull them apart because they can’t be bothered to work out how to undo them, and by the time we come back, the windows will be unsafe again.

What I ideally want is something that clips into the sash slider bit itself (where the little metal bits run up and down), and blocks the slider from moving too far. I’ve seen a lot of modern windows with this kind of thing built in – you have to push on some fiddly childproof clips to open them wide. Does anyone know if such a thing exists as an aftermarket add on, and if so, what it is called?

Changing the windows not an option, as a)it’ll never get done, and b)they’d need to be exactly the same type of windows due to the area’s conservation area status (they had loads of hassle over roof material when the roof got fixed)

Oh, and it probably needs to be undoable by an adult, in case of fire, this being the third floor and all that.

Just replace the stays with a friction stay with a stop on both sides, but you wil need to remove the window, not easy 3 floors up.

Cheers, that is the sort of thing I was thinking of – I had no idea of the name.

If it means taking the window out, I think it is a get a man in job, as I don’t have a long enough ladder, and they are pretty large and heavy windows.

Presumably this will be the sort of thing which will be pretty obvious to your average local window repair type, so if they see the windows, they’ll know what to measure up and what to buy to sort it out?

Sounds like Crittall metal windows. If so I don’t think you will be able to fit friction stays.

Take a look at the following for some ideas:

http://www.hafele.co.uk/Hafele35a1/Templates/Hafele/browse.asp?newrecordset=yes&classname=Window+Fittings&classlevel=33&bodyleft=yes&tab=ironmongery

You couls drill a small hole just above where the friction stay opens, and insert a self tapping screww each side, being careful you dont penetrate to far into the frame and into any glass the other side.

That should stop the friction stay opening to far.

Oh and as a word of warning a resident of a care home in Wrexham fell from a top hung window, and was killed beacuse the window blocker failed to do its job, so be very careful.

http://www.jackloc.com We are stockists for Jackloc and other window hardware. This kind of fitting avoids the necessity to remove the frame – especially at high level. Other surface mounted restrictors readily available from our company and others like ours. Safety first, ease of fitting second… Concealed fit is preferable but unsafe to fit at high level. Call Cavendish Hardware if you need further assistance. 0116 2742195.