weep hole cleaning

[Geronimo John]

On 1/3/2026 at 5:51 PM, John and Debbie said:

18" Heavy Duty Pipe Cleaners

John, Do you use those to go under the black plastic glide strip?  I take the white rubber seal off the outside track and can pour water into those holes that are about every inch until it comes out the external weep slots all clean looking.  It's the inner track that concerns me the most.

I use them into all the weeps, and then along the trough's both ways.  To get to the inside weeps, for most of them you have to go "fishing" thru the outside  weep and left and right to find the inner weeps.  Finally I cut some of the 18" into 4+ inch small pipe cleaners bend them and stuff one into each weep.  I for years thought it was bogus, but now believe it does help with drainage.  Something like capillary action.  Since they look a bit dorky, I use them when expecting Texas sized "Turd Floating Gully Washers".  After the storm I pull them out and they are stored in a zip lock bag for the next time.  

Got the idea here on the forum by a wiser than I owner!

GJ

 

AI  Capillary action (or capillarity) is the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces, like tubes or porous materials, against gravity, driven by the forces of adhesion (liquid sticking to the surface) and cohesion (liquid sticking to itself), combined with surface tension. This "wicking" effect allows water to move up plant roots, colors to travel up paper towels, and liquids to fill tiny crevices, making it vital for plant life and everyday tasks like using a sponge

 

[John and Debbie]

1 hour ago, Geronimo John said:

I use them into all the weeps, and then along the trough's both ways.  To get to the inside weeps, for most of them you have to go "fishing" thru the outside  weep and left and right to find the inner weeps.  Finally I cut some of the 18" into 4+ inch small pipe cleaners bend them and stuff one into each weep.  I for years thought it was bogus, but now believe it does help with drainage.  Something like capillary action.  Since they look a bit dorky, I use them when expecting Texas sized "Turd Floating Gully Washers".  After the storm I pull them out and they are stored in a zip lock bag for the next time.  

Got the idea here on the forum by a wiser than I owner!

GJ

 

AI  Capillary action (or capillarity) is the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces, like tubes or porous materials, against gravity, driven by the forces of adhesion (liquid sticking to the surface) and cohesion (liquid sticking to itself), combined with surface tension. This "wicking" effect allows water to move up plant roots, colors to travel up paper towels, and liquids to fill tiny crevices, making it vital for plant life and everyday tasks like using a sponge

 

GJ, I bought a ShopVac along with some microtools.  Today I took a gardening water can with a narrow spout and put water into the inner track and then suctioned it out.  After flushing it a few times and suctioning the water out of those 1/4 inch holes, I saw the white again under the black glide track.  It emptied quickly too so I  think the weep holes are cleaned out.  Thanks for your comments.

John

[jd1923]

3 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

Maybe you are blessed!  Or maybe in AZ you don't see much rain!

Hope so, not always, but much more often since Chris and I have lived life together! 😂

Of course, very little rain down here, but my HD 3000 PSI pressure washer likely creates more direct pressure than most thunderstorms.

I don’t wash the Oliver often, but more than 6 times I’ve pressure washed it and every time I hit the windows at a few angles and observed each weep hole draining and flushed clean. Never a drop of water inside! First two times, I asked Chris to watch inside, but stopped doing that.

I’ve replaced the outer rubbers and all tracks are good and supple (considering our heat and always parked outdoors). They work as designed.

I’ve got to think if your windows leak, you have a defect of some kind. It could be from manufacturing or installation. Maybe for some, cleaning was ignored for a period of time and the path to the weep hole exit is blocked. Perhaps some have damaged interior tracks or seals in their cleaning process. Who knows, but if it was my issue, I’d be working to correct it, not mask it or tip-toe around the issue.

Edited Thursday at 03:29 AM by jd1923

[Geronimo John]

JD: 

More than a few owners have experienced window leakage onto bedding.  None of us are tip-toeing around after having to spend a lot of time with wet bedding.   The serious consequences can't be ignored.  We are pushing the limits on ideas to stop the leaks.  But we stop short of your 3,000 PSI pressure washer or spending thousands to acquire the newly designed windows that give less natural ventilation.  

I am thrilled that your trailer can withstand any storm or pressure washer without leakage.  I can affirm that our trailer's can not withstand any storm, and most of us would shy away from letting you clean our trailers with your great machine.   However, if  you would please teleport it to Hawaii, I would LOVE to borrow it for about a week!  I promise to return it shortly thereafter.   🙂

John

[Mike and Carol]

This thread is beginning to wander away from weep hole cleaning to general window leaks.  If there is interest we can break it into different threads, “weep hole cleaning” and “general window leaks”.

To pile on a little…. We’ve never had a window leak.  We did have a leak around the back window, but it was from the Oliver light on the back of the trailer letting water in between the hulls that ran down to the back window and then found a way on to the nightstand.  I caulked it 3 or 4 years ago with no more leaking.

I’ve power washed, never hitting the window areas directly.  The CGI team has power washed our trailer a number of times with no leaking.  So, did some of us just get lucky with well seated windows?  For those who have had chronic window leaks is the consensus faulty window caulking during the manufacturing process or faulty windows?  I’m not naive enough to assume I will not have a leak in the future and it would be good to know what others have done to address their leaks.  Mike

[John Dorrer]

17 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said:

This thread is beginning to wander away from weep hole cleaning to general window leaks.  If there is interest we can break it into different threads, “weep hole cleaning” and “general window leaks”.

To pile on a little…. We’ve never had a window leak.  We did have a leak around the back window, but it was from the Oliver light on the back of the trailer letting water in between the hulls that ran down to the back window and then found a way on to the nightstand.  I caulked it 3 or 4 years ago with no more leaking.

I’ve power washed, never hitting the window areas directly.  The CGI team has power washed our trailer a number of times with no leaking.  So, did some of us just get lucky with well seated windows?  For those who have had chronic window leaks is the consensus faulty window caulking during the manufacturing process or faulty windows?  I’m not naive enough to assume I will not have a leak in the future and it would be good to know what others have done to address their leaks.  Mike

I'm more in the leaks at windows have more to do with the lights above the windows, clogged window tracks, or a defect in the window itself. The windows are set into a tight seal of tape caulk. The sealant is a secondary line of defense, which also protects the tape caulk from UV.

[jd1923]

On 1/11/2026 at 11:20 AM, Mike and Carol said:

To pile on a little…. We’ve never had a window leak.  We did have a leak around the back window, but

Thanks Mike, I’m happy I’m not the only one! Even our OLIVER taillight has a proper seal.

As GJ suggested, perhaps we’re Blessed! You know those hull #s 100 +/- are the crème de la crème!  😎

Edited 18 hours ago by jd1923