want to reseal all of our windows

[CampyTime]

Thanks Donna. I couldn't exactly remember what you had taught me about weed wacker line. A while back and I was an even newer newb.

I watched a vid on taking out windows - reinstalling with the butyl. But how the bleep do you get scamps factory silicone off the shell? Plastic putty knife and some silicone removal product?


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[kdhanso]

Wendy Lee. I didn't have any factory silicone on my windows but I did redo my belly band. I used a section of PVC as a scraper.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...g-60092-2.html
look at post 17




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[CampyTime]

Hi Ken. Thanks. I just looked at your gizmo. If you start making them for sale I'll buy it!😊. What did you use to bevel/cut the end of the PVC that way? Is it 3/4 " pipe?


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[CampyTime]

I've got factory silicone smeared around all windows. It's clear. I think when I do butyl seal it's gonna take your scraper AND some type of silicone chemical remover. It's a nightmare. 😬


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[kdhanso]

I cut it with a miter saw.


Ken

[JRTrillium]

Hi Trilliumdon - I viewed your trailer and you believe it is a '75. I am curious about mine - it is registered with the DMV as a 1978, but my serial number is earlier than yours - so am wondering if mine is older than I believe.

Would appreciate feedback from one and all.

Thanks

[k corbin]

Motsenbockers 16 oz. Silicone Latex Caulk and Foam Sealant Remover-411-16 - The Home Depot

I purchased some Mostenockers caulk remover this week to help remove the silicone caulking a PO had spread all around the window perimeter in a really thick application. One coat on the edges before you start scraping will loosen the edge so you can easily get a scraper under it. Then once you remove the bulk of the stuff you spray more of it on and it loosens that last surface residue that is otherwise almost impossible to take off. Good product, well worth the dollars spent. Saves a lot of labor time. It is a water based product that is easy to wash off. But of course read the label before you buy it to see if it is right for your application.

I make my own scrapers out of approx 1 inch wide strips of thick Polycarbonate. Use a sanding disk to bevel both ends of the strip into a chisel shape. It can be resharpened over and over as needed by touching it up on piece of sand paper or with a power sanding disc. That is what they use at Boeing in the factory for scraping sealant off when they need to remove it. They are sturdy, last a very long time (years) and don't cost a lot to make. You can cut Polycarbonate on a table saw. My local plastics supplier gives me their scraps for free. So this is a no cost tool other than some labor.

You can also get something similar made for scraping ice off the car window and resharpen those on sand paper as needed. But they are a bit too wide for the window caulk removal job. But you know how it goes, use what you have if that is all that you have.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by k corbin

But you know how it goes, use what you have if that is all that you have.

I've been known to use two thumbnails and a heavy-duty plastic knife! Never, ever anything metal. Don't want to score the gelcoat.

[stevebaz]

My 1986 Scamp uses the square drive Robertson screws in black color to match the frames. The screws are steel screwed into aluminium. There is some miss match of metal issues when they get old. The steel rusts and tries to lock on to the aluminium. It takes far more torque to remove than when they were installed.

I rebedded the windows with butyl tape since the factory foam gasket is crap. The screws were available at my local RV repair they had them in their back shop in bulk box. ( I just had to bring a sample and ask) I could not find them retail anywhere in black. I was able to remove the screws but the stuck ones really distorted the square drive of the heads which meant if I put them back in, there was no way I would be able to remove them later. It is wise to replace them all or suffer the repercussion later. Make sure your square drive tool fits the square tightly and use allot of inward force to keep it in the screw.

Before you remove the window put some masking tape around the outer window frame. After you remove the window and put butyl tape on the frame when you screw it all back together the butyl tape will squeeze out. Wail until morning when cool or cold outside and trim the butyl tape close to the frame. Then peel up the tape and you won't have a sticky mess to clean up.

You may have to double up on the butyl tape in the corners of the window frames to match the curve of the trailer. You may have to double up on the butyl tape on the whole frame due to the compressed bubble pack and headliner on the inside and the ring wont clamp down all the way. This was an issue on mine with the small window over the stove.

[Uplander]

Originally Posted by JRTrillium

Hi Trilliumdon - I viewed your trailer and you believe it is a '75. I am curious about mine - it is registered with the DMV as a 1978, but my serial number is earlier than yours - so am wondering if mine is older than I believe.

Would appreciate feedback from one and all.

Thanks

My current travel trailer is a 2001 but the New York DMV recorded it as a 2011 on my title. I did not notice their error for several years and decided to just let it stay as indicated. If I ever sell it I will let any buyer know it is in fact a 2001 manufacture. The serial number on the title is correct...being that old it will not have much value when and if I ever sell it.

Recient reports I read on the RVTravel.com website seem to indicate that most new travel,trailers have many many quality problems. Considering the industry's lack of quality I would not recommend buying anything new until this current run of poor low quality units are sold. Industry watchers are not pleased with the manufacturer's lack of concern about the junk they currently producing. The problem is wide spread....current high demand is creating the problem as production is rushed...read the RVTravel.com weekly website reports to get an idea about the serious nature of the production quality problems...subject was covered in great detail over the last two or three weekly industry reports. Hundreds of RV purchaser's responded with reports of their problems with new units.
Worth reading !

[k corbin]

The clamp ring on my Campster windows did not want to have the edges at the split in the clamp ring come back together tightly. I used a bar clamp pressing against the top and bottom of that clamp ring framing piece just beyond where the radius starts but where the frame is still straight to bring those edges together and then installed the screws on that side of the clamp ring. After the screws were in I took the bar clamp off. Problem solved

My window's height is less than the opening width of a 24" bar clamp. Bar clamps are not all that expensive to purchase and are quite handy to have in a home workshop. Or if you have a neighbor who does woodworking you might be able to borrow one for the task.

As to the screw issue you can always wax the screw threads before installing them. My clamp ring screws were zinc phosphate coated and there were no rust problems or binding problems from them even after 45 years of being in a leaky trailer that seems to have spent many years as a garden shed. The zinc phosphate coated screws have a dull grey appearance.

Stainless steel screws can develop an issue where the threads bond to the aluminum over time which makes them difficult to remove and they can also develop rust underneath the heads if moisture gets under there. One preventative choice if using stainless screws is to put an anti-seize compound on the threads and under the head before you install the screws into the clamp ring. Or you can wax the threads of the screws.

But for the long term the zinc phosphate coated screws are likely the best choice. Don't worry about matchy, matchy, interiors with everything being designer perfect. Concern yourself with the best choice for structural integrity and longevity.

You can always paint screw heads yourself. It is easy to do. Soak the screws in a jar of acetone to remove any oils from manufacturing or fingers, let dry. Wear gloves to keep your finger's oil off the screws after cleaning and in the next step. That step is to stick them into a piece of foam, leaving the head above the surface of the foam rather than touching it or you can screw them into a piece of corrogated cardboard if you don't have any foam around. The point is to secure the screws in an upright position so they don't move and have them far enough apart that the paint will easily coat the sides of the head as well as the top. Don't worry about coating under the head, some spray will likely get slightly underneath which is OK.

Use a couple of light coats of automotive spray paint. One coat of primer first. You can buy black primer so that you only need one coat of paint. Do not use heavy coats of paint or you will fill up the slots in the screw heads. Let the paint cure a couple of days before installing them. A week is even better, paint takes that long to fully harden. Be sure you use a nice new screwdriver tip so that it gets a secure grip and does not mess up your paint job.