I have one window that closes tightly. The other two leak from the top, runs down and drips into the GH. One doesn't leak into the GH. But I can see daylight at the top of it. I don't mind as they are only drips and I have plants situated underneath. But I sure would like to know how I was able to build one window perfectly sealed and the others not? I have backer rod as far over as I could without impeding the window. But I can still see daylight on the top near the crown. As drips and leaks go, they drip perfectly and do not get important things like heaters and a/c units wet.
This is what one reviewer says about the opener:
This is an excellent design. I added springs to prevent the wind from picking up and/or tearing the window off the greenhouse in high winds. The quality control is poor, however - you may have to go through several units to find a pair that work smoothly and reliably. I don't recommend repairs due to the liquid contained inside, but many units are improperly assembled and don't operate smoothly. For the mechanically inclined, operation can be improved by polishing the piston and cleaning debris off the rubber o-rings. Or be prepared to take 2 back to the store for every one you keep.
I am willing to try given the price difference. The store is not far from me at all and DH is in across the street from it 3 days a week. Reading the reviews on this is giving me shades of feelings I had before building the greenhouse! I am not mechanically inclined to deal with this. But we'll see. I built the greenhouse, right? Here are some productive hints from the reviewers:
More hints:
these things work pretty good. the little retainer washers are total junk though. you can buy a little bolt to replace the pin and the washer though and then they are solid. Even with that major flow these are still awesome for the price
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The openings in the brass caps were too small to allow the push rods to pass through to the piston inside. This cause them to be impossible to install. This caused them also to not be able to function.
Solution: Drill the hole serially until the push rod passes through easily.
Three hands would be much better. One has to hold the window up, align the holes in the bracket and the piston housing while screwing in the retaining pins.
They are working perfectly however.
The modification probably voided any guarantee.
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However, all the screws and bolts will rust within a month of installation! I recommend substituting stainless steel screws and bolts (even the tiny set screws in the cartridge)before you install the device.
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Almost took it back because it did not want to close.
I put it outside in the cold (40°F) and it seemed to still not work - so I pushed the lever down lightly and it closed ! Stiff in the beginning but it worked.
So get it cold (Fridge ?) and try it before taking it back.
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Badly manufactured!
This unit failed - leaked oil out of the cylinder - after the warranty ran out. Before throwing it out I took it apart as my habit. The cylinder was filled with some kind of oil that is sealed on either end with a stopper that has two O rings each end. The O rings were damaged and allowed the oil to leak when the pressure got too high. The O rings were damaged because the cylinder ends were slightly counter-sunk and the machining process left sharp burrs. In the process of assembling the end plugs into the cylinder small pieces of the O ring were "chipped" off the O rings - hence the leaks. I smoothed off the burrs, bought 4 O rings of similar size, filled the cylinder with some light viscosity oil I had and re-assembled the cylinder and now the opener works.
So, I salvaged mine. At least I did not have to throw it away, but it is a sad commentary on quality conrol. I post this in the event someone has the same luck as I did.
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