Closeout documents.
What the building needs once the windows are in: how to operate them, how to look after them, what to check first when something is off, how to ask for service, and what the warranty covers.
How the windows and doors work.
- Casement window. Handle down is locked. Turn it a quarter turn, to level, and the window swings into the room. Close it and turn the handle back down to lock.
- Hopper window. The same handle and the same quarter turn. The window tilts into the room from the top.
- Terrace door. The lever opens the door. The thumbturn on the inside locks it. On a keyed door the key locks it from outside.
- Sliding door. Lever up, the panel is free to slide. Lever down, half a turn, and the door locks and pulls shut onto its gasket.
- Limiters. A window that stops after a few inches has a limiter. It is a safety device, not a fault. Do not remove it.
Very little, done regularly.
The frame is never painted or sealed. What the windows need is simple: wash them, keep the drainage slots open, keep the gaskets clean, and oil the hardware.
| Task | How often | How |
|---|---|---|
| Wash glass and frames | As the building needs | Warm water, mild detergent, a soft cloth. No abrasives, no solvents. |
| Clear the drainage slots | Once a year, before the wet season | A vacuum or a soft plastic pick. Never drill them or make them bigger. |
| Wipe and check the gaskets | Once a year | A damp cloth. Press back any length that has come out of its groove. |
| Clean and oil the hardware | At least once a year | A drop on each moving part and locking point, then work the handle. Never the hinges of a terrace door: they run dry. |
| Check that limiters hold | Once a year, and at every apartment turnover | Replace one that does not hold. Never remove one. |
What to check first.
Most calls end at one of these. Each is something building staff can do safely from inside the room.
| What you see | Check this first | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Water on the inside sill | Open the window and clear the drainage slots in the bottom of the frame. Pour a cup of water in and watch it leave on the outside. | Still wet, or wet where two windows join: request service. |
| A draft at a closed window | Check that the handle is fully down. Look round the gasket and press back any length that is out of its groove. | A torn or flattened gasket is replaced. Ask for the part. |
| The handle is stiff | Do not force it. Clean the fittings, oil the moving parts and work the handle a few times. | Still stiff: request service. |
| The handle is loose | Turn the cover plate at its base. Tighten the two screws under it. | |
| The window rubs, has dropped, or will not lock | It needs an adjustment. A trained super with the adjustment tool can make it. | No trained person on site: request service. |
| Fog between the panes | It cannot be cleaned. The seal of the glass unit has failed, and the unit is replaced from inside the room. | Request service. See the warranty below. |
| The sliding door is hard to slide | Check that the lever is fully up. Clean the track. | Still hard: request service. |
| The window opens only a few inches | That is the limiter doing its job. | Nothing to fix. |
Tell us the building, the apartment and the problem.
Service requests come from the buyer or from the building’s management: the owner, the developer, the general contractor or the property manager. If you live in the building, report the problem to its management, and they send the request.
A Vistaza engineer reads every request. Photos or a short video help more than anything: after you send this, reply to our email and attach them.
Prefer to talk? Call 929-668-2340 or write to service@vistaza.com.
Your request number is . We sent a note to saying what happens next. Reply to it with photos or a short video.
If something is urgent, call 929-668-2340.
What the warranty covers.
This is a summary. The written Vistaza Limited Warranty has the full terms, and it governs. Ask us for a copy for the closeout binder.