creeping crack cure

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We just discovered we have leaky windows in our trillium. We have the old style jalousie windows. The gaskets(?) are old and cracked. Can I caulk over them? Can I just use the creeping crack cure along the top and caulk the sides? I'm hoping nobody tells me to takethe windows out...but...any thoughts?

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:wave Maggie,
Being as how you might have to take the windows out to fix them is the last resort, try caulking them, if it don't work thennnnnnn :o good luck and happy camping

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Hi Maggie

if the old caulk is dried out and cracking to the point of falling out or easily picked out, then you probably should take the window out and use the strip caulk.

On our sides and back, just the very edge of the caulk was bad, so we scrapped it off and used regular latex flexible caulk around the edge. Its worked fine for 3 years.

Takeing the windows out are really not that hard. We did our front so had to also take off the awning and bunk. The hardest part of the whole job was getting the old caulk off the trailer and window frame.

Nancy

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Nancy, you are my trailer fixit guru. Only problem is when you say it's easy I'm not too reassured. (easy for you). Can I expect the window to come out if I remove all the screws? Any other pointers? I'm going to do this to the back and at least one side window. Have you replaced any of the wood around your windows? If so how is it attatched to the fiberglass?

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Hi Maggie
Doing our front window was one of the first projects on our Trill.
Experiment with a side window first. They both are done the same way side is just smaller.

Inside, unscrew your curtain hooks. Carefully pry the ensolite out from behind the window frame. The frame will not move until all the ensolite is out of the way.

Outside, take out all the screws and use a knife to go between the frame and the fiberglass to make sure the caulk is all loose.

Once this is all done the window should be wiggly and you should be able to pull it out.

Yes, we replaced the whole one side and about 6" top and bottom of the wood around the front. It was non-existant. We used a hardwood 1"x2" replacement to match the original. Cut to lengths. Originally it is glued in place but we just used caulk to glue it in. Once the screws are in place its not going anywhere anyways.

Make sure all the caulk is off the old window frame and the fiberglass. Lay the strip (comes in a roll from your local RV shop) of caulk all around the window. Match up the holes and screw back in. Use a knive to remove the excess around the edge. Then caulk with a non silicone caulk around the whole edge. I say non silicone but that is my personnal preference. I hate the stuff.

Your done! Good luck.
Nancy

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I have to add my two cents. I'm am doing windows too. that stuff clean off the fiberglass pretty good with Simple Green and a scraper. I tired that other stuff ? ? Uhhh? varnish remover? no that's not right. well some chemical - Lacquer thinner - that's it. didn't help at all. maybe I had something beside silicone on mine.
well any way. - used the Green cleaner and a scraper and it would scrape off. and some fine steel wool with the cleaner on the windows.

Now the easy part quit being easy with I had to put the window back. takes an extra person to hold the wood back up and in tight for the screws, as mine wasn't glued up there. was yours Nancy?

the second hardest part was getting the screws OUT of the window wood when they were rusted so bad there was no threads on them so they would NOT screw out. :wak.

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Jana
Ours were all glued except for the rotten away pieces. We used caulk on the back of the new pieces we had to add, but yes there were two of us doing it. One inside and one out. Were none of your wood pieces glued?

For the super rusted screws, just put a flat screw driver under the head and pry up as your turning the screw. They should just about fall out.
Nancy

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I've done two out of four so far, and not one dop of glue.

I found with the screws as I pull the window out, I can get them started and they will screw out then. it's just that 1/8 inch by the head that rusted too much to start. it's learning that, that was frustrating. now I got the nack. :thumb

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The great thing about this forum is that eliminates alot of disbelief about a problem. If I was doing this on my own it would take me three years of soggy camping to realize that maybe I should do something about the windows. Or maybe to convince Steve it's a good idea. As it is if "my people" (you all are referred to as "my people" at our house) say they had the same problem we know there is no point to putting it off. Our back three windows are out. After reading your post, Janifer, I think we got really lucky. All our screws backed right out. Our wood is almost solid and glued in place. I tried applying some min wax wood hardener to the parts of the wood that were swollen. I don't know if that is right but the wood is good enough to leave anyway. We will leave the windows out for a few days (seeing as how we have to go to real jobs...how annoying) and let everything dry. Question: Just how clean to you have to get the aluminum window frame to get a good seal?

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Maggie

See, I knew you could do it! Not so hard eh!

We had them down to bare shiney metal. We used the grinder with a wire wheel in it, but you could use a drill with wire wheel. Or just use sandpaper.

Nancy

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Cleaning the aluminum - I used that green cleaner and a scraper for the caulking. then fine steal wool to get a shine. Once I got the old caulking off, they weren't that dirty or rough looking. I also had black slide in stuff over the screws to clean. they are still dull black, but at least now they are the same color all over. I think Ches painted his. I almost ruined the first one of these getting it off. didn't know it slid or popped out. I was prying and roughed the inside up a bit. but still looks good outside.

I took my windows out to get to the crank. they were worn out. the only way to replace was to remove window, unscrew one corner of the window frame and change it. the RV-guy said to cut the bar that went across in two, change crank then rivit a pipe in to hold it to hold it back together and it would *look* ok. NO THANK YOU. now it is perfect. :) I replace cranks on these type of windows all the time, but this is the first time I had to take the window OUT. :wak