Window Leak_rear; Burro; Help; Threads?

[Mitchell]

Hello,
The source of the leak in the rear window of my Burro has eluded me.
I used duct tape first on individual moulding plexiglass interfaces and then progressed to plastic drop cloth on center section over slider and ultimately to the entire window.
When that did not stop the leak, I replaced the trim mould on the ridgeline since the old one's clips were rusting through and seemed another possible source of leakage. Once I got the old seal off, it did not appear that any water could find its way down to the window frame area through the joint.

Of course this leak is not possible to live with since it flows into the bedding area.

It would be a big help if anyone with the Burro or another sandwich design trailer could tell me how they solved the same problem (assuming it must have occurred).

I did see the water come in during a recent outing.
It came in at the lower outer edge of the window frame on the right side (when facing back).
There was also wetness in both channels near the slider's right edge which I could feel when I pushed my pinky in there.

I have been hoping not to have to completely remove the window frame to solve this.
If it turns out I must, I would need to know where to get the appropriate replacement seal.

Mitchell

[Patty S.]

Mitchell, I'm not much help so I hope somone else chimes in here, but I also had problems with my Uhaul windows leaking. I ended up having to have someone reinstall them & they leaked even more. I found out some of the leaking was due to silicone. (even though I provided butyl tape). I'm going to have to call an RV person & have them redone. As far as the gaskets, I bought mine on ebay from Ray Horner who's is not selling there now. I know that Ray did recommend using white butyl tape for the front & rear windows on the Uhauls & Burros. Search this form in the archives for leaking windows & there is also posts on butyl tape. Also, do a search for Myron Leski, who has done a fantastic job restoring has Burro. Good luck.

[Patty S.]

For a temporary fix, I bought several individual plastic silverware trays that are sold in the houseware dept. in Walmart. I stuck butyl tape to the long side of each of the trays so they adhere to the fiberglass walls. Two trays go under the side windows & three go under each of the front & back windows. Then I cut some sponges to fit in the trays. Seemed to really help, unless the wind blows the rain in at an angle. I copied this idea from a fellow Fiberglassrv member.

[Mitchell]

PattyS,
Thank you for the response.
I will look into those suggestions.
I also had considered an awning/permanent cover, but would also prefer to solve the leakage first.
In the future, I would not feel good about strapping anyone else with this problem (even if they thought it were no big deal), and it is a big problem. The previous owner did not share this information with me. Go figure.
I suppose I could fix a permanent gutter inside under the frame and drain it through the shell to the outside, but that just seems like, why didn't I just fix the problem itself?
On the other hand, your experience with the leakage not being solved after having the window out and back in suggests that the openning may not be able to form a tight seal.

If that is the case, I would expect more owners chiming in here.

I do notice that the two half shells do not appear to be perfectly mated at the seams.
That could be a likely culprit as well.
Thanks again for your input.
M

[pjanits]

On my 81 Burro, I used white butyl rubber to seal the front and back windows, after removing them and cleaning off the weird gunk the factory used, Still If the slide window was not exactly even when closing it would leak as the seal was crooked. Also cleaning the weep holes stopped normal gutter overflow. Once they were even no leaks.

You might want to check out the holes for all the wires for the outside lights, I had waterfalls coming thru them. Again Butyl rubber tape sealed them right up.

[Frederick L. Simson]

[b]I have been hoping not to have to completely remove the window frame to solve this.
If it turns out I must, I would need to know where to get the appropriate replacement seal.

The most common source of window leaks is the tape putty between the aluminum window frame and the fiberglass body shell. As it ages it dries out, shrinks, becomes brittle, and cracks. The best practice is to completely remove the window frame, completely remove the old residue from both the frame and the shell, and apply new sticky "tape" usually to the back of the window frame, and reinstall the window. The original stuff was putty tape, is packaged rolled up between paper strips, and it is readily available in places where RV parts are sold. We often refer to "Butyl" tape here. That is a much improved version of the old common putty tape.

The second most common source of window leaks are the rubber gasket strips between the aluminum frame and the glass panes of the window. As it ages it also dries out, shrinks, becomes brittle, and cracks. The most common happening is for the rubber to dry out and shrink, leaving gaps between pieces (usually in corners) that leak. Replacing the rubber means not only uninstalling the window frame, but totally disassembling the panes from the frame. If the rubber is mostly intact, but merely shrunken with gaps between pieces (like mine was) squeeze a little bathtub caulk in the gap to "glue" the too-short pieces of rubber weatherstripping together into a continuous seal.


(Click on photo to enlarge)
You can see in the corners near the center pane divider where I put white bathtub caulk in the corner gap of the black rubber gasket.

Third source of window leaks are clogged "Weep" holes in the bottom channel. The black squares at the bottom edge of my window frames in the photo above are plastic "Weep Hole Hoods" which divert the water to drain down, and shield the weep hole from letting cold air in. The previous owner just taped the weep holes shut to keep the cool air out. This didn't allow the weep holes to let rain water drain out of the slider's bottom channel. If those weep drains to the outside are clogged, the water will overflow inside.

On edit: My windows had [b]ALL 3 kinds of leaks when I bought my Fiber Stream.

[Raya]

Patty,

If you brought your trailer to a professional, and they used silicone to re-bed the window after you provided butyl tape for the purpose..... well, shame on them. Twice. Now you/they have a mess to try to remove the silicone (it's a bear to remove, more silicone will not stick to it, nor will any other caulks/tape) and then still go back and bed the windows properly.

Sorry to hear that happened to you.

[Mitchell]

Hello Everyone,
Thanks for the help.
I'll check the weep holes first and then give a light sprinkle with the hose to test.

It looks like I will remove the window and use the butyl product assuming it still leaks.
Even though the channels have had moisture in them, I think the link may be running down around the frame due to that old cracking and shrinking seal mentioned.

I bookmarked that sight with the window glazing parts because my rubber is shrunk so much, I do not think the silicone option will work.

I am unclear as to the difference between butyl tape, and butyl rubber.
Which one should I use? Seems like both have worked.
M

[Raya]

What do you mean by "butyl rubber" -- sheets of rubber? Or?

Raya

[pjanits]

It's a Butyl rubber tape, not sheets. Any RV place has it. You can get it online too.
I think it's around 4-5 bucks per rool. Roll was about maybe 20 ft or so. Plenty enough for all the windows.
Here a picture of the black version for clarity, the tape is separated with paper:
http://www.adventurerv.net/butyl-rubber-ta...ack-p-6703.html

[Donna D.]

There are several kinds of Butyl tape. So be careful. Butyl rubber tape, as referenced above... is NON-TRIMMABLE. It's not what you want to use between the window and body of the trailer for sealing. You want the tape to ooze out when you clamp the window down and you'll need to trim it. You want to use Butyl putty tape.

Here's a link to from RV Tech Tips - It's Putty Time

[pjanits]

There are several kinds of Butyl tape. So be careful. Butyl [b]rubber tape, as referenced above... is NON-TRIMMABLE. It's not what you want to use between the window and body of the trailer for sealing. You want the tape to ooze out when you clamp the window down and you'll need to trim it. You want to use Butyl [b]putty tape.

Here's a link to from RV Tech Tips - It's Putty Time

Oops, wrong reference sorry about that. Try this one
//www.rvwholesalers.com/catalog/butyl-putty-tape-13-0880x.html

[Mitchell]

Hello,
Thanks again for all of the help.
I probably sound slow, but I can't let that stop me.

So just to try to further understand, is the butyl tape I want 'putty' like, or is it rubbery, squishable and double sided adhesive?

Here is a site that advertises butyl 'rubber' tape. It does not look 'putty' like.
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/caulks-...CFQ9JagodgnhNXw

It says that the black is non-trimmable.
I will have to call on the white to see exactly what it is.

I followed the other link from Donna D. I was not sure if the picture was of the putty tape or butyl tape.

As was noted in the article, I don't want to do this more than once per window.
Mitchell

[Donna D.]

Hello,
Thanks again for all of the help.
I probably sound slow, but I can't let that stop me.

So just to try to further understand, is the butyl tape I want 'putty' like, or is it rubbery, squishable and double sided adhesive?

Mitchell, [b]you want Butyl putty tape (which is trimmable, squishable and double-sided) not Butyl Rubber tape which is not. The article also referenced the "cheap generic putty tape" ... you want Butyl.

[Randy Dewey]

I took all my windows out of my Burro last summer, scraped all the prior gunk off them, painted them, and attached them again with butyl putty tape (grey and came in a roll with wax paper) and then covered the seams with proflex RV sealant. Worked like a champ. No leaks on ANY of the windows, even replaced the top vent without leaks. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. I had small leaks before and they were driving me nuts.

[Rusty01]

Like Randy, I redid mine two years ago using the same process. It would help to have an another person when you reinstall the back window, so they can assist in realigning the screws. I replaced the old screws with new. I did mine alone and it was truly a balancing act. The entire back window, removing, cleaning, and reinstalling took about two hours.

[Raya]

I probably sound like a broken record by now, but I don't believe there is any benefit to sealing around the outside of the windows after you have done the (proper) job of taking them out and resealing beneath the frames. To my mind, the surface caulk will just attract dirt and be unsightly.

I say this coming from a background of re-bedding ports and hatches on boats, which pound to weather through water. They flex plenty and it's the sealant behind the frame that does the job.

On a less annoying note, I was thinking about the original poster's musing that the fiberglass around the window might be distorted and causing a leak problem. Although I can't say for sure, not having an eye on the parts in question, I would think that because of the relatively flexible nature of the rough opening in the fiberglass (in other words the shells are rather "floppy" until you get the window back in) -- and the firmness of the clamp ring style of window (which I think you have on the rear of the Burro?) -- that the clamp ring would tend to pull the shell into the proper shape when you re-tighten the window after removing/resealing/re-installing.

Raya

[curtis c]

i use closed cell foam tape. the same stuff that is used in allmost all campershell windows. its only sticky on one side and is super flexable. it dries out eventually (10 years) but its easy to replace. i used a silicone type on the front window in my camper shell befor i found this tape stuff, now i can never get the window out to fix it properly with the foam tape... but it doesnt leak at least. now i try to steer clear of anything thats super sticky in case i have to fix it.

[Mitchell]

Hello,
I am starting to get confident.

Randy Dewey, what did you use to scrape with?
Did you use any cleaning agents or solvents?
Did you disassemble the window frames prior to painting them and what paint?
Unfortunately, the previous owner loaded up heavy layers of grey silicone around the frame, mostly on top. I may end up with a chisel or jack hammer in my hand.
In trying to remove some other areas of silicone from the trailer, I never have completed any one area. It is a real bear. I mean hours of trying and fingernail/tip weardown.

Raya L., I think your observation about the clamping type frame is noteable.
The main problem I see is that the two half shells are not perfectly aligned and this obviously is right at the center of the frame. Until I have the window out, I won't know how flexible the mounting edge is, but the offset of the two halves is probably in need of fiberglass or filler to even it out. If that is the case, I have Formula 27 which I have had good luck with before. Although, I have only used it on stationary objects in the past.
If I need fiberglass work, it sounds like you have some experience in that area as well. We'll see when I get it apart.

I will probably end up using extra layer(s) of the tape on the depressed side and tapering to fill any gap as suggested to me earlier, if I can get away with it.

Thank you again to all for your input.
Mitchell

[Donna D.]

A plastic knife and plexiglass ice scrapper will go a long way in saving your thumbnails. Neither will scratch the gelcoat... just don't use a sharp corner to "dig."