Uhaul window leak,please advise - Fiberglass RV
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Old 11-24-2012, 01:29 PM   #1
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Uhaul window leak,please advise

Hi everyone,

Our Uhaul, to our dismay, has a leak in the front window. The window appears to be made of plexiglass, and there are no weep holes on the outside. There is a gasket on the inside of the window that pulls out of an aluminum channel, and that channel gets full of water and overflows onto the sofa. I don't know if the window is original, but it says property of Uhaul on it, so it seems so. Here are some pictures of the outside, the inside, the gasket, and the channel with the water in it.
We also have a problem with the back window, in which the previous owner put an air conditioner. If we can't fix it with a new piece of glass, I guess we could get a Scamp window. But I measured our window, and the Scamp window seems just a little smaller. Does that still work? I thought it would have to be bigger?
Thanks very much for any advice.

Linda and Andre
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Old 11-24-2012, 01:38 PM   #2
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I haven't had a front window leak, so I'm not much help, I'm afraid. There must be infiltration somewhere around the gasket. Others will certainly chime in to help, but you may need to pull the window and apply butyl tape, them reinstall.
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Old 11-24-2012, 01:48 PM   #3
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No, don't use a smaller window, it won't fit "as is." It looks like the window itself is fine, it's the frame or gasket material that's problematic.
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Old 11-24-2012, 01:53 PM   #4
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I just looked at mine. It appears that the glass is bonded to the outer aluminum ring and the two are held tight to the body with a clamp ring with screws. The inner rubber insert should be for aesthetic purposes.

The bad news is that if yours is plexiglass, it probably was broken at some point. The good news is that you can probably take it apart, clean it up and reseal it with butyl tape. Or buy a new piece of glass if you want to do it right. https://secure.onedayglass.com/ordernew.php?step=2

There is a UHaul parts manual in the Document Center. See page 28 for windows.
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Old 11-24-2012, 04:41 PM   #5
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This front window sounds different than ours so I can't advise on that. I did install a Scamp rear window in our Uhaul. I had to widen the opening by about 1/2" on each side and round out the corners a little. I also had to install the clamp ring backwards as the one that came with the window is for a thicker wall. DO NOT use the foam sticky tape that Scamp sends with the window, I tried that method and couldn't get the window to seat tight against the Fiberglas and it leaked. I had to pull it back out and reinstall it with butyl tape. The Scamp window cost about $150 as I recall. I bought a side window too, and shipping was $60. They shipped the windows in a wood box. A Scamp side window is too small for the opening, I had to make a filler piece to fit it in.
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Old 11-24-2012, 05:47 PM   #6
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Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the information. We are working on the back window first, and it is stuck! We can't get it off. We took off the inside ring, and the rest of the window is stuck fast with a ton of black caulk. How do you get it off? It is very tight to the fiberglass, and we can't get a knife underneath. Could we heat it up with a hairdryer, and that might help? We looked on your very thorough window posts, but we can't find how to remove the window.
Also, thanks, Tom, for the link to the window supplier. I guess we would take out the fixed window side (the slider is the one that is missing), make a template, and send the pattern to the company so that they could make a tempered pane?
This is all very complicated!
Thanks so much,

Linda
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Old 11-24-2012, 05:47 PM   #7
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Had a small leak this summer in the VT. Used captain Tolleys creeping crack cure and it fixed it . You sorta go around all the edge of the aluminum where it contacts the glazing and Fiberglas and leave a watery bead which wicks into any voids. Went over the window three times a day apart.
I would look closely at the rock guard hinges etc. my VT never had one so can't comment on the potential intrusion points, but the rest of the window is the same installation as mine.
If it were mine I would reset it with new glass or plexiglass if you feel comfortable doing it biggest issue looks to be potential breaking or stripping the heads of the screws that hold the retaining ring to the window but with some penetrating oil and an impact driver the odds are in your favor.
Michael J
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Old 11-24-2012, 05:54 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lindl
Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the information. We are working on the back window first, and it is stuck! We can't get it off. We took off the inside ring, and the rest of the window is stuck fast with a ton of black caulk. How do you get it off? It is very tight to the fiberglass, and we can't get a knife underneath. Could we heat it up with a hairdryer, and that might help? We looked on your very thorough window posts, but we can't find how to remove the window.
Also, thanks, Tom, for the link to the window supplier. I guess we would take out the fixed window side (the slider is the one that is missing), make a template, and send the pattern to the company so that they could make a tempered pane?
This is all very complicated!
Thanks so much,

Linda
Try a flexible blade like a filet knife , start the point and rock it as you sour your way around the outside. Then a sharp utility knife cutting perpendicular to the outside frame from inside the trailer.once you get a corner loose it gets easier. Clean up with a single edge razor blade.
Michael J
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Old 11-24-2012, 06:07 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Lindl View Post
..............
Also, thanks, Tom, for the link to the window supplier. I guess we would take out the fixed window side (the slider is the one that is missing), make a template, and send the pattern to the company so that they could make a tempered pane?
This is all very complicated!
Thanks so much,

Linda
I think you could replace the front glass and the missing 1/2 slider from the link that I posted. Note that they let you virtually build it starting with the buttons at the top of the page. They even have tinted glass, which the original was. I or someone else can measure the slider pane to be sure you get the right one. You'll need a handle, which a glass shop may be able to supply.
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Old 11-24-2012, 06:50 PM   #10
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My opinion is that piecing repairs to the rear window won't be as good a result as replacing it with a completely new window. My opinion only, I'm happy with my new Scamp rear window, and the side jalousie window. As for leaks, I'm amazed at how small a hole or defect in the outer shell will leak water in. The marker lights are another source of leakage.
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Old 11-24-2012, 07:00 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by mary and bob View Post
My opinion is that piecing repairs to the rear window won't be as good a result as replacing it with a completely new window. My opinion only, I'm happy with my new Scamp rear window, and the side jalousie window.
Bob, you've been there, so you are in a better position to make that call.

Quote:
As for leaks, I'm amazed at how small a hole or defect in the outer shell will leak water in. The marker lights are another source of leakage.
Is the leak through the wire hole, the screw holes, or both?
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Old 11-24-2012, 07:06 PM   #12
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Hi Mary and Bob,

I think the new window would be good too, the way things are going with this one. It just won't come off! The measurements from Scamp say 18"x 42" Rear Slider Window $160.00. Is that the one you got?
When I measured our window, it was 16 1/2 x 39 1/2 for the glass part, and 19 x 42 if you measure from the edges of the black trim. So that's the one that fits? How did you cut the fiberglass, with a zip tool? and there was something in your post about the wall in the uhaul being thicker or something? Shoot, now I can't find it. Thanks for your help!

Linda
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Old 11-24-2012, 07:25 PM   #13
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I got the 18 X 42 window. I removed the original Uhaul window and cleaned up around the opening. Then I put the new window up to the opening and marked where I had to cut. I was conservative with my cutting, didn't want to cut out too much, so had to recut a couple times. Had to make a couple notches where there were some clips or something on the window frame edge. I cut the opening with an air powered die grinder with a 2" cut off wheel on it. Again I'll say, do not use the foam tape that Scamp provides, use butyl tape. The new clamp ring has to be installed backwards. Also check the screw length as the provided screws may not be correct. I also drilled pilot holes for the screws to go in farther. If you get a Scamp window, you'll see what I mean about the clamp ring when you test fit the window.
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Old 11-24-2012, 07:37 PM   #14
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Thanks! That's very helpful. We are pretty much thinking of going with the new Scamp window. Is there any reason we couldn't replace the front window with the same thing? We have to fix that one too, it's all balled up.We do have a rock guard on the front. Now if we could just get the existing windows off! They are so stuck. There's no place to even insert a putty knife blade, they're so tight.
Thanks for your help.
Linda
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Old 11-24-2012, 07:42 PM   #15
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Here's the info about the leaking marker lights. For those who haven't looked close at their lights, there are a couple small notches in the light base. These are there to allow the wire to be routed out from behind the light when it is mounted on a flat surface that doesn't have a hole to run the wire through. Of course these notches allow water to enter too. Most likely if the hole in the camper shell where the wire enters is not sealed good, that is where water will enter. Since we can't see behind the lights on the inside of the trailer, it's hard to say where the leak actually is. Another problem with the lights is that the screws go into a plastic insert, and sometimes those inserts will turn when you try to remove the screws. On a couple lights I had to cut the heads off with my air grinder, remove the light, hold the insert and get the screw out. I then installed new inserts that were square after I filed the holes square. I used butyl tape to seal the lights. Our Uhaul had several leaks, some in odd places and hard to find. I think I finally fixed them all, I THINK!!
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