Window leak - raining for weeks - is there a wet fix?

[amberbradberry]

My side window is leaking, it appears to be from the top of the aluminum frame, so likely the caulk around the outside of the frame is cracked. It will be raining for several weeks where I am now and where I'm going. Is there any fix I can do while it's wet outside? Adhesives or caulk that will plug the whole despite being constantly exposed to rain? Can't afford to drop the scamp off at a shop because it's my full time home and home office... :/

[CarlD]

I had a leak in my windows, which I installed myself, and put gorilla tape on the side of the trailer a half inch above the window to make an overhang. We drove it that way for 2 weeks. It worked great. You may have to use a solvent such as mineral spirits to remove the adhesive.


My windows were leaking where the seams are. They were supposed to be factory sealed in that area but were not. They are now!

[thrifty bill]

It should not be caulk it’s butyl tape. Study up on the tape. You should be able to do one window in a single day, two max.if you don’t finish day one, put plastic over it temporarily. Important: get all your pillows FIRST! And do research on using butyl tape. I did five windows on my Trillium in two days including making new wood that the windows are attached to.

[ZachO]

Bill is correct you want to use butyl tape. I'm guessing it could be done no problem while things are wet, but if it were me, I'd do a temporary band-aid just to keep things dry for now, then fix it correctly when it stops raining. If things are wet, I'd want to pull the window and let everything dry out before putting it all back together.

I had this happen last spring. We had a ton of rain, and the first sign that I even had a leak was that my clothes that I store under the front dinette seat were moldy! Replacing the butyl tape is really pretty easy. There are a lot of threads, youtube videos etc on the process.

For now...I don't know...duct tape or gorilla tape like Carl recommends?

[thrifty bill]

Realize if you use traditional caulk, it will just make the long term repair harder. Silicone will contaminate fiberglass. You then have to get it all off before doing the right repair. If ever there was a time to do it right, is when it is your full time home. When it is used less frequently as a camping trailer, then you can cover it, acquire the parts and supplies, and do at your leisure.

AS I understand it, Scamp trailer side windows are riveted in place. That can mean a lot of drilling to remove the old rivets, and then a lot of new rivets to set.

[ZachO]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

AS I understand it, Scamp trailer side windows are riveted in place. That can mean a lot of drilling to remove the old rivets, and then a lot of new rivets to set.

Really? Well that would definitely complicate things...

[Kai in Seattle]

In a campground last year, in the pouring rain, Paul fixed a side window with bits of butyl tape carefully worked into the gaps. It worked great. You can consider resetting the window when the weather dries and warms up...but water neither melts it nor beats butyl if you get it into all the little crevices. There'll be a bit of mopping up inside...but there was going to be, anyway with rain running in!

"K"

[John in Michigan]

Originally Posted by Kai in Seattle

In a campground last year, in the pouring rain, Paul fixed a side window with bits of butyl tape carefully worked into the gaps. It worked great. You can consider resetting the window when the weather dries and warms up...but water neither melts it nor beats butyl if you get it into all the little crevices. There'll be a bit of mopping up inside...but there was going to be, anyway with rain running in!

"K"

Yep I've also done this as a temporary emergency measure. Just pack butyl into the leaky area firmly.