I have 35 - 40 double hung windows with screens like these pictured below.
I’m pretty sure that they have to be removed from the inside, they seem flush from the outside.
I took a few pictures, any thoughts?
Maybe they’re spring loaded on one side? I’ve never seen full screens with springs though.
Like Chris said, they’re probably spring loaded on the side. They come with a lot of cheap vinyl windows. We have them in our home. They stink.
edit: you probably wanted some tips on how to remove them, huh? A paint can opener or trim tool is useful for prying them out from the outside. You may need to shift the frame of the screen to one side to create a gap. The little lip on the bottom frame will hang you up if you don’t lift the screen up over it. Then you kind of have to angle it out of the opening as you remove it, because of the way the opening is sized in relation to the screen. You’ll see what I mean when you try it. Like I said, they stink!
Thanks for your quick response guys, I can’t recall seeing that type of screen corner before.
Your suggestion for removing will probably work, I’m bidding on the job so when I get it I will let you know.
So I think on this job I will charge per screen for removal and then for reinstalling them.
Thanks again!
I see this often, if it’s an in/out job I will take the screens off first before I get started. I like to do the exterior windows first on residential work, then go inside and replace screens as I do each window on the inside. If the screens are dirty I take them out to brush or clean then replace one at a time as I do the interior work.
Second floor I pull inside the home, first floor I will undo one side and place the screen down on the ground.
Bada bing bada boom
Mike Radzik
Pro Window Cleaning
Central Massachusetts
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Yeah, those can be a pain. For the half window screens, they usually only come out from the inside. But for the full window screens, you should be able to lift it up like Alex said.
Warning: these spring loaded screens can be put in upside down. When they are you’ll either spend a stupid amount of time trying to get it out, or find that it’s just locked in forever. If it’s locked in, you’ll know it because the screen won’t move at all and you’ll have to tilt/remove the window to clean it. You’d be surprised at how many installers put these suckers in wrong.
In some cases, if you can see the spring, the paint can opener can be used to depress the spring and pull the screen out, then you can re-install them correctly when you’re done.
Yeah these screens come out easy with a spring situation on one side. They are cheap, but easy to remove and replace from outside.
Okay, thanks for the reply.
These type of screens are either left or right-handed and you have to move usually right-handed that need you exit exits from the left so you move the screen over towards the right exit the lower left-hand corner outwards followed by the collapsing spring in the upper right-hand side to allow you to get the lower right-hand corner out when you put it back in you have to put the upper right-hand spring into the track followed by the upper left-hand corner of the window followed by the lower right-hand corner of the window in the spring and the lower left-hand corner will follow with him if the angle at it
The trick and putting it back in the right-hand corner in and then slide the upper left-hand corner in that will give you enough clearance to put the upper left corner in
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@joshuag, punctuation is your friend! Your explanation was more precise than mine, though 
I am really kind of surprised some of the guys here haven’t seen this style screen before, especially @SqueegeeNinjaNJ. Then again, I’m trying to think of how many of my customers have these, and I’m coming up blank… I do know I’ve seen them on the job, not just on my cheap windows
Hey Rob,
Your second picture of the left corner tells me that the springs are on the right side of that particular screen. Look closely at that corner in that pic- it has a protrusion that sticks out and rests on the window frame. The corners on the right side won’t have that. If the screen is flipped in a different window, you can tell just by looking at the corners.
Good luck!
I’ve run into these screens a number of times and agree they are usually horrendous. So bad that I tend to just leave them in place and tilt the windows in if they can be. In such a case, I will brush all the screens on the outside before anything and then when I’m cleaning the window I’ll wet mop and wipe the insides. I think some screens although removable are not meant to be removed if you know what I mean.
i can’t really tell from the photo, but these may be the type that aren’t meant to come out at all, ever. that type is common in cheap vinyl windows. a cleaner is meant to flip the windows in from inside to clean, or lift both panes out of the track in the case of double sliders.
don’t assume they are designed to come out. i think a lot of guys who are struggling to get screens like these out of vinyl windows don’t realize they aren’t meant to be removed at all. the screen gets installed in the frame first and permanently, then the panes are installed.
i’m not saying that’s definitely the case here, but it may be.
I am soooo glad I’ve never encountered any of those! The small protrusion [MENTION=1313]Octopus[/MENTION] mentioned indicates to me that the screens in question were designed to come out. Whether or not they will, remains to be seen 
I guess we will see as tomorrow, I’m heading over to meet with the customer and try to remove one of those screens.
The customer told me that the windows were manufactured by Simonton.
Vinyl Double Hung Windows, Energy Efficient, Classic Design by Simonton Windows
I found a link from Simonton that has to do with screen removal, it could be one of these.
http://www.simonton.com/SearchResults/Index?q=screens
I found this video on double hung full screen removal from Simonton but it doesn’t appear to have the spring clips from up there around the outside
http://www.simonton.com/Articles/Index/How-to-Videos
Sometimes instead of spring clips there a little like knub springs
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Chris, Alex and Adam you guys were correct, right sided spring load.
Started the house today, did 12 of 35 screens and 16 windows.
I suppose the screens were stuck in place for awhile, made them hard to pop out.
tilt in the windows and wash both sides of the glass from the inside. leave then screens alone.
In and out, how many times? Bada bin
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