balance (ba'l-ince): a scale for weighing; depends on pull of gravity.

plug (plu'g): material used to fill and seal a hole

Function:

Balance plugs are designed to block the flow of air up the window balance track by sealing the area around the balance. How this is accomplished varies greatly based upon the balance type being used (i.e. block and tackle, spiral or constant force) and how the product is mounted (i.e. whether the balance moves with the sash or remains stationary). Regardless of your balance setup, LAMATEK has a balance plug designed for your application, including center or offset mountings and even double balance systems.

Application:

Application varies greatly based on the balance system:

Spiral Balances:

For spiral balances, a balance plug is typically designed with a hole in it's center (or off-centered for offset balances) or two holes for double balance setups. The balance is inserted into the hole and then the balance and plug are inserted into the balance track prior to anchoring.

LAMATEK also provides solid balance plugs that are placed above the top balance anchor or below the shoe.

Constant Force Balances:

Our constant force balance plugs are manufactured with our t-slot design, which allows the plug to be placed around the spring. Then the balance is inserted into the track and anchored.

Our solid plug can also be installed either above the top anchor point ot below the shoe.

Block and Tackle Balances:

For standard mount balances (where the balance is stationary within the track) a solid plug placed above the balance is recommended. For inverted mounts (where the balance slides up and down with the sash) LAMATEK's adhesive mounted Block and Tackle plugs are recommended. The Block and Tackle plugs are stuck to the sides of the balance and coated with a low friction felt, allowing the plug to slide within the track without increasing the force required to open and close the sash.

Put-up:

Our standard solid plugs, spiral balance plugs and constant force plugs are provided cust to size and bulk packaged in cartons.

Our adhesive-backed Block and Tackle plugs are provided kiss-cut to size in rolls on a 3" core.

Materials:

All plugs except the adhesive-backed Block and Tackle plugs are manufactured from either polyethylene foam (available white or black) or neoprene sponge (for extremely cold or high wind areas).

Our adhesive-backed Block and Tackle plugs are manufactured from polyethylene foam (white or black) with a low-friction felt coating (felt available in white, green, brown, black or grey), with a pressure-sensitive adhesive backing.