How can I make my windows more airtight?

[AkiraDIY]

My flat has some pretty old tilt and turn Roto windows and they are all very draughty. I had CR Smith come in and adjust a lot of the hinges so they would open and close more smoothly but it didn't help the draught problem.

I've been looking at the keeps and noticed they are screwed directly into the uPVC frame and I'm pretty sure some of them don't line up correctly. One keep on one window requires the handle to be rotated to 12 o'clock (from 9 o'clock) and you can feel the locking latch pop into the keep before you rotate the handle to 6 o'clock to close.

The adjustment option on some of the keeps are also broken, the allen key bolt just spins and the catchy part just wiggles about effortlessly. I'm struggling to find replacement parts as they are quite old, particularly the corner keeps (striker keep?).

I've bought some new bubble seals although the installed ones don't look that bad. I plan to install them this weekend, weather permitting, but I was wondering if anyone has any other suggestions other than replacing the windows entirely?

 

[diy_fun_uk]

When you say old, approx. how old? Sounds as though the mechanisms have reached the end of their useful life. It might be possible to adjust some of the espag keeps e.g. unscrew > move slightly > re-screw to solve the locking lug from entering the keep too early, however difficult to say without seeing them in the flesh so to speak.

See how you get on with the new gaskets. If no joy, maybe some foam draft excluder strips strategically placed can help? My lounge window is ancient and rubbish, the two top openers were drafty as heck. Resolved by using foam strips.

In reality though, if the window is ancient, entire replacement may be required. Having said that, if you post a few pics of the window and the mechanism, some on here might be able to advise re replacement parts.

 

[AkiraDIY]

When you say old, approx. how old? Sounds as though the mechanisms have reached the end of their useful life. It might be possible to adjust some of the espag keeps e.g. unscrew > move slightly > re-screw to solve the locking lug from entering the keep too early, however difficult to say without seeing them in the flesh so to speak.

See how you get on with the new gaskets. If no joy, maybe some foam draft excluder strips strategically placed can help? My lounge window is ancient and rubbish, the two top openers were drafty as heck. Resolved by using foam strips.

In reality though, if the window is ancient, entire replacement may be required. Having said that, if you post a few pics of the window and the mechanism, some on here might be able to advise re replacement parts.

I think they were installed in 2009 by the previous owner but I'm not positive. Probably could do with replacement as they are stupidly large for tilt and turn but I definitely cannot afford it at the moment.

I've attached some thumbnails, should have done that in the OP, my apologies.

Window locking mechanism, that one is heavily corroded on the bottom but I cannot find a replacement part. Cleaned as best I could and applied some silicone grease.

The striker(?) for the same window, also not in great condition and cannot find a replacement. Window must have dropped at it's clashing with the lugs but cannot be moved any lower.

One of the keeps that are clashing with the lugs. As this keep is vertical and screwed directly to the uPVC frame, is there a good method for getting it in the right position before screwing it in? Or is it just measure and hope it's right?

One of the busted strikers that spins the allen key. I cannot find a spare, the code can be seen better in this picture.

Picture of the gaskets. They don't look that bad, still feel quite springy but I'll replace them anyway.

The rear of the keep. Found this on eBay, gonna buy a bunch and replace the broken/missing ones and have some spares on hand.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

To be fair if they're around 2009 that's not too old for windows.

I had a large tilt and turn in a previous house, kept on dropping. The fitters 'toe and heeled' it 2-3 times and that resolved the issue ... for a few weeks then it just dropped again. It was the shape of a landscape piece of A4 paper, obviously too long horizontally hence the constant dropping. In the end I just lived with it although it wasn't that bad overall.

Re the third pic down. You could try unscrewing it, moving it down a few mm and re-screwing it back in. You need to ensure your new screw hole is totally clear of the old one so they don't merge together when you put the screw back in, if that makes sense?

Going by the pics, the seals look fine, the issue re drafts is very likely being caused by the mechanism and keeps not drawing the window in sufficiently.

Once you've done all your adjustments and fitted new seals, if you're still getting drafts I'd try the foam draft excluder strips.

 

[AkiraDIY]

All my windows are roughly 180cm tall and the widest is around 115cm, the rest around 85cm wide. They've definitely dropped and probably not worth heel and toe-ing for the same reason.

Spent £100 on bubble gaskets for all the windows, may as well change them at this point. They feel a little softer than what's already installed but possibly slightly smaller/thinner. Might just be my eyes playing tricks on me though.

I'll try adjusting / replacing the keeps where necessary and see if that helps. I assume the lug doesn't need to bottom out on the keep? If so, it'll be hard to avoid the old screw hole if it's just a few mm they need to move.

*Edit

Found a couple of sites that sell all the spare parts that I need but annoyingly, they're all based in Germany and cost a small fortune for postage. I'll call that Plan C if the new gaskets and foam strips fail

 

[diy_fun_uk]

All my windows are roughly 180cm tall and the widest is around 115cm, the rest around 85cm wide. They've definitely dropped and probably not worth heel and toe-ing for the same reason.

Spent £100 on bubble gaskets for all the windows, may as well change them at this point. They feel a little softer than what's already installed but possibly slightly smaller/thinner. Might just be my eyes playing tricks on me though.

I'll try adjusting / replacing the keeps where necessary and see if that helps. I assume the lug doesn't need to bottom out on the keep? If so, it'll be hard to avoid the old screw hole if it's just a few mm they need to move.

*Edit

Found a couple of sites that sell all the spare parts that I need but annoyingly, they're all based in Germany and cost a small fortune for postage. I'll call that Plan C if the new gaskets and foam strips fail

No it doesn't need to. In reality, when most windows are locked, the lugs only go so far into the keeps, I'd imagine they rarely go fully in to the centre of the keep.