PDA

View Full Version : Window Caulking


JRTJH
07-09-2013, 09:20 PM
Well, it eventually happens to every RV. I'm finding out that about 4 years is MAX for the window caulking on Keystone's rigs. This week we had some pretty significant rainfall and for the first time ever, I noticed some wet carpet along the floor in the slide. Hmmm, we moved the sofa, dried it up as best we could with towels, put a fan on it for 24 hours and started searching for the cause. All the moldings on the slide were intact, the roof was fine, then, I just happened to push on the sidewall at the top corner of a window. VOILA, it separated from the window about 1/8" with gentle pressure. Checked the rest of the windows in the slide, 2 of the remaining 3 also had slight gaps along the top edge of the windows. I only had one roll of butyl putty tape, so off to the RV supply store for more. 4 rolls later, all the windows in the slide are reinstalled with a double layer of butyl putty. The rest of the windows seem to be OK, so I won't reputty them now, but will keep an eye on them until we trade. The new Cougar should be here in a couple of weeks, and we're looking forward to getting acquainted with it.

In the meantime, the big family camping trip is this weekend and next week followed by a quick run to the UP the next week and when we get home, hopefully it will be to unload, clean the Springdale and tow it to the dealership one last time.

We are looking forward to upgrading, but at the same time, this rig has been so troublefree, it's like losing a "good friend" who never let you down LOL

Anyway, if your rig is a 2011 or older, you might want to do a good assessment of all your windows, the factory caulking just doesn't hold up as well as butyl.

Bob Landry
07-10-2013, 04:59 AM
John,
I think that 4 years is too long to wait to check caulking. I had to do all of the access doors on my Outback at 6 months. I found it the same way you did, by pressing on the filon close to the frame, saw a gap, and immediately knew that wasn't good. When I removed the doors, I found a very small bead of caulking, not nearly enough to seal the door frames to the trailer sides.
I did mine with silicon, but I have since found out that is not the sealant of choice. My trailer lives under covered storage, so I'm not too concerned and checking all of my windows and doors and re-caulking is going to be one of my cooler weather projects.

The sad part is that Keystone knows they are cutting corners here and they won't pay for resealing under warranty because no actual damage has occurred. The bean counters have told the production people how much materials is allowed for each unit. I'm sure that if damage were to occur during the warranty period, repairs would still be declined, with Keystone saying that periodic checks for leaks are the owners responsibility, so at any rate, we are tasked with completing what they should have done correctly in manufacturing.
I think the owners manual actually states that the trailer shold be inspected for leaks every 6 months.

Next point.. This is a very good topic for a sticky, complete with photos, showing the inspection, visible gaps, removal, cleaning, and reinstallation steps. The drawback might be the four photo limit on posts as this could be a rather involved writeup. I ran into that when doing the sticky for the propane grill QC conversion. Maybe there's a way for MODs to override that function and increase the allowable number of images that can be posted. At any rate, This is an important maintenance check that I think a lot of owners overlook until a problem actually shows up and then it becomes a very expensive process, much more expensive than a few rolls of butyl putty.
Roof inspection and resealing is another area that gets frequently overlooked but I'm sure there are a lot of owners that probably because of physical limitations, are unable to go topside.

JRTJH
07-10-2013, 06:46 AM
Bob,

You are so very correct in saying the sealant is an item that should be checked frequently. I've been doing a "cursory" check when I wash or wax the RV. Mine also lives under cover in a pole barn so the only time it's outside is when it's being used or loaded for use. All the windows looked good, there were no "obvious gaps" (but I'm sure they were there all along based on the dirt behind the window).

I wish I'd have thought about taking pictures during the process, but, when I get my head down, nose to the grindstone, I often lose sight of what would be nice to do, my focus was on getting the windows resealed before it started raining again, not in taking pictures. Now I do wish I'd have took the extra few minutes... Oh well.... hopefully next time. Speaking of next time, I have no doubt that more windows will need resealing in the future, so I'm sure it won't be too long before I have the "pleasure" of taking pictures... LOL

Keeping an RV "weathertight" is so very important. Many owners simply don't take the time, or as you said, are unable to do the inspection. For them, all I can suggest is do what you can and find someone you trust to do the parts you can't do for yourself. Even in an aluminum frame RV there is so much damage that can be done by a small, easy to find leak, but you have to know it's there and reseal it before the damage.

We tend to focus our time on the "fast happening" damage like a blown tire, something that happens with a bang and we know it right away. But we often ignore the slow damage that may take a year or more to happen. Then, when we do discover it, unfortunately the cost to repair may be many times greater than the cost to repair that blown tire. And, it could have been prevented by just looking carefully a couple times a year.

Thanks for the suggestion of a sticky. When I get pictures, I'll post them, if you happen to have any good shots, or can take any before my next "window job" let me know.