How to remove steel bar in the middle of a window?

[ChenKellyville]

I am going to install plantation shutter for the Windows. But there is a strange steel bar in between upper and lower section of the window that i have to install the shutter on the frame, instead of inside the frame. What is this bar? And how to remove it? 

  

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @ChenKellyville,

I have to be honest; I don't know exactly what that piece is for. Taking an educated guess based on where it is sitting, it looks it could be acting as a bridging piece between the top windows and the bottom windows, which would mean it can't be removed without causing issues with the windows.

Can I ask you to take some photos of the window from the outside? Particularly where the top part of the window and the bottom part meet. This could shed some light on what is going on.

Unfortunately, if you wanted to remove this piece, the best solution I can offer is to contact a glazier for their assistance. They will be able to advise whether this piece is necessary or not and offer a solution to remove it or potentially replace the windows.

Allow me to tag @Nailbag to see if he knows what this piece is for.

Sorry I couldn't be more help.

Jacob

[Nailbag]

Hi @ChenKellyville 

This bar is for maximising structural strength of the window frame to support the top level glazing and maintain the sliding window track nice and straight. So in short it can't be removed or modified. Typically, these support bars are much smaller in depth, allowing for window coverings to be installed internally of the window frame.

So, unfortunately in this scenario the shutters will most likely need to be fitted externally. However, once installed, you could enlist a local handyman to install a timber architrave around the shutters. This will leave the final finish to be very close to that as if they were installed within the window frame.

Regards Nailbag