Motorized window opener

[JDRoberts]

People have done it in the past, so you might take a look at the following thread. (The topic Title is a clickable link)

Open/close a casement window

Looking to try and automate a window to open and close when I run a whole house fan. I thought this would be pretty easy because almost all of my windows are casement windows that open with the hand crank. I was surprised to see that remote control casement window openers are quite expensive. The Truth Sentry II was $250. As a less expensive work around I have purchased a 12v right angle motor for $20. Going to try and see if I can mount the motor in place of the hand crank. It doesn’t take much torque to open the windows so I think my cheap motor should be sufficient. Has anyone here automated a casement window with any success?

Most people who really need this do end up getting purpose built devices because of some significant safety issues. But those can be very expensive. main safety issues are cool

1. operating smoothly enough in both directions that the glass does not crack

2. having a “bump stop“ feature so that it doesn’t close on someone’s fingers. Or someone looking out through the window. This is a real hazard. Even though you think people would notice, they don’t always if they are just resting their fingers on the edge or if it’s a child.

3. handling the situation where the window is partway open and the power goes out and has been restored. Do you want to make sure that the window understands it’s relative position so it doesn’t try to open or closed too far, either of which can shatter the glass.

So… It definitely can be done. It is most often done with purpose built devices. And purpose built devices are probably much more expensive than you thought they would be.