Windows? There has to be a better way, seriously.

[routlaw]

So I decided to clean out the window seals and wells on our Oliver. My goodness what a major ugly mess. Is this the best the industry can do with RV windows? Man these things get skanky with mud debris and grime.

 

Has anyone figured out a better method for either cleaning or keeping the darn things free from water, mud and dirt? Why not just caulk the living stew out of them to prevent any water intrusion in the first place. The rubber gaskets are next to worthless, doing nothing more than trapping the mud underneath.

 

Sorry for the rant, hoping someone here has figured out a better method.

 

Thanks

[Try2Relax]

The only time I've removed the windows and gaskets was after I returned from the red desert sands of Utah, that stuff got everywhere.. otherwise I find that just hosing the frame work, from the outside, works really well. I hose around the window and then directly into the drain holes and back and forth until it runs clean. I haven't seen any water get inside the trailer. I've inspected after the process to see how it did and it worked reasonably well enough, obviously not like removing the windows and wiping it all out but I now think that is a once a couple years maintenance issue.

[mossemi]

Funny you should rant! Came home Friday from an overnight visit to my mother-in—laws house. The trailer stayed at home and we did have a big rain Thursday, rain gauge said 5”. Opened the trailer up on Saturday to find the curbside and rear cushions very wet. Took them out to dry and cleaned up the water in the window, the bench area and the plumbing area. With things dried out this morning, I applied water to the bottom portion of the sliding window and the boss immediately screamed stop. She dried that up and we tried the stationary window and it was okay. So now I need to dry the window area again and try to determine why it is leaking. Maybe it’s just dirty and debris is preventing the window from closing completely. We’ll see.

[Overland]

I've had good luck with mine so far, just cleaning from the outside like Randy does. I did inspect the inside after reading @john-e-davies thread on dust control, and only found a thin film of dust in the rear window track and nothing to speak of in the others. That's with only 9 months of use, and 12,000 miles, so take it for what it's worth. I suspect that it's luck of the draw whether you get a well sealed set of windows or not from the factory, and I also expect that over time mine will worsen. In the meantime I'm just trying to keep the gunk out of them. I should probably keep some sort of protectant on them as well.

 

I do wish it were an option to have a fixed egress window on the back (meaning not sliding but obviously openable with the emergency latches). That seems to be both the dirtiest and the least used in our case and a single pane of glass back there would make for a better view anyway.

 

I believe at some point in the 200 hull numbers, before mine at least, Oliver switched windows to something that was supposed to either seal better or be less susceptible to the drains clogging. You can tell the new ones since they only have slits at the bottom and not the top.

[Mike and Carol]

I blow out the channels on all 5 windows with compressed air after each trip. That includes lifting the thick black rubber weatherstripping to clean under as well. We’ve been in some pretty bad downpours and haven’t experienced any leakage yet. Mike

[DavePhelps]

Yep, the window wells are a pain to clean, but a very necessary part of maintenance and keeping water from overflowing the wells and into your trailer.

After trying a few methods, this is what I have settled on.

 

1. Completely remove all the exterior gaskets. Don't get them mixed up between windows.

2. Remove interior bug screens. You may have to remove shades as well to completely remove the screens.

3. Open windows as far as you can.

4. Remove as much of the rubber slotted track as you can from the window frame. IIRC, the bottom track goes under the sliding window and is captured, so I pull up as much as I can.

5. Then with shop vac and a duster brush (3" paintbrush) I remove all the debris, brushing it into the vac. I find doing this dry is way better than trying to clean with water and washing out the debris that way. It just turns into a gunky mess with water.

6. Once all the major junk is out of there, I'll finish cleaning the frame with a damp rag and Citrisolve (or the like).

7. Last step! While all the gaskets and rubber track are out, I clean them as well with the damp rag and cleaner and finish them off all sides (once dry) with a good wipe down with 303 Protectant before re-inserting. The 303 makes the windows slide real easy and also protects the gaskets from UV degradation.

 

Seems like a lot (and it is) but that's what I do once a year. My trailer is a 2015 so not that old, but the windows haven't leaked and the gaskets look new.

YMMV depending on the roads and environments you travel. Hope I didn't forget a step. A lot of the work becomes apparent as you move along through the process. If someone knows a easier way to do this I'd sure like to hear about it! I'm with you though about finding the ultimate RV window. Maybe the frameless types I'm seeing on the new super rigs out there? Not sure how they function though, or if they don't have their own issues. Happy trails!

 

Dave

 

[routlaw]

Thanks for all the responses. @ Dave Phelps, Likewise our Oliver is a 2015 model as well, and this was almost identically my routine today with a couple of exceptions. First we had a downpour yesterday and off and on over the last week or so. As you might guess all of these channels were quite wet, messy etc as previously stated. I did not apple any 303 Protecttant however but otherwise performed the same task as Dave albeit wet instead of dry. I don't advise anyone to do this wet, it just becomes an untenable mess. There is one area between the fixed and sliding window that cannot be accesses however and that part remained quite dirty. Its really amazing just how much debris and crap can get into these small areas.

 

These windows really are a poorly conceived which could have only been designed by a troubled mind. In our previous RV a T@B we had windows that hinged outward from the top, also double paned albeit made out of Lexan rather than real glass. We never had an issues other than the struts that hold them up but I sure do miss them. They had significantly better ventilation, could be left open in a downpour and did not allow water and debris to be a problem.

 

Sounds like Oliver might have invested in better windows on the newer models then?

 

 

[DavePhelps]

Hey Routlaw, how about these? They look intriguing:

 

http://www.truckcamperadventure.com/2016/01/the-dometic-seitz-window-pros-cons-and-a-few-tips/

 

And this:

 

 

I agree with you, Oliver could do better with the windows.

 

Dave

[ScubaRx]

I always take the sliding window completely out. Then you can really do a great job with the gaskets and the trough in the bottom of the window frame.

 

Before replacing everything, I spray the gasket with silicone.

[DavePhelps]

I have tried but can't get that window out. That would make it so much easier!

 

I lift the moveable sash up in to the frame but no matter how hard I try, I can't get the bottom to kick out. Any secrets??

 

 

 

Dave

[ScubaRx]

Pull the gasket completely out all around, top to bottom. Push the slider until it’s nearly closed and it will pop out of the frame at the top.

[routlaw]

Dave those appear to be exactly the windows we had on our T@B, worked great other than the struts that ratchet up the window and occasionally the shades coming out of their channel. Regardless I much preferred them to what Oliver uses. And FWIW in the conversation in 8 years of use we never had any scratches on them but did loose one in a hail storm that had to be replaced.

 

@Steve, how on earth do you pull that rubber perforated gasket out without it breaking or tearing? Someone else also mentioned they take the screen completely out but I've yet to see how this can be accomplished either.

 

Thanks again

[DavePhelps]

Routlaw, the screen is tough to remove, but doable. You have to really compress the springs on the bottom edge of the screen frame, and they are stiff. Then the top will pull out. I also have to pull off my shades to get the screens off. Cleaning the window tracks is no fun!

 

I assume ScubaRx is talking about removing the exterior gaskets to remove the window sash?? Haven't tried it yet. But it sure would be nice to get that sash out of there for the best job.

 

Dave

[routlaw]

Dave that makes sense, next time I am attempting this I will make a better effort with the screens. Correct though, the shade configuration has to be removed which is relatively easy and allows for better cleaning on the inside as well. Can't recommend anyone attempting this project without removing those shades.

 

It sounds like Steve has it figured out for removal of the sliding window. That exterior gasket is an easy removal and reinstall but worthless as a water tight gasket.

 

Hoping to hit the road tomorrow for a week of camping, first time I will have had this Oliver out in over a year and half! Its been a very busy time for me. Upon my return I will take another crack at the dissammehbly of the windows. Pouring rain again here this afternoon.

 

Thanks again.

[Kayrae51]

Funny you should rant! Came home Friday from an overnight visit to my mother-in—laws house. The trailer stayed at home and we did have a big rain Thursday, rain gauge said 5”. Opened the trailer up on Saturday to find the curbside and rear cushions very wet. Took them out to dry and cleaned up the water in the window, the bench area and the plumbing area. With things dried out this morning, I applied water to the bottom portion of the sliding window and the boss immediately screamed stop. She dried that up and we tried the stationary window and it was okay. So now I need to dry the window area again and try to determine why it is leaking. Maybe it’s just dirty and debris is preventing the window from closing completely. We’ll see.

Mike and Krunch

 

————————————————

 

Mike ,

 

Just a thought....Sounds like the amount of leaking you experienced is like we had.  We had major dripping on the lower edge of both bedside windows. Sadly, Clair is not home right now to help me explain. He took ours over to the Oliver mothership and our leaks were being caused by the exterior clearance/porch lghts - not the windows.  Oliver sealed the clearance lights and put it thru testing afterwards. Our trailer hasn’t been wet since then. ...Kathy

 

 

[mossemi]

 

Mike ,

 

Just a thought….Sounds like the amount of leaking you experienced is like we had. We had major dripping on the lower edge of both bedside windows. Sadly, Clair is not home right now to help me explain. He took ours over to the Oliver mothership and our leaks were being caused by the exterior clearance/porch lghts – not the windows. Oliver sealed the clearance lights and put it thru testing afterwards. Our trailer hasn’t been wet since then. …Kathy

 

When we first picked our used Ollie in January, we had a leak in the dinette window.  While searching the forum, I found a post by DavePhelps discussing the porch light leaking issue.  I pretty much followed his procedure and did not have any problems until  this month.  My first thought was that I didn’t do a very good job on the light over the curbside bed.  While testing with a hose, I started at the bottom of the sliding window and  immediately had a leak.  We have had so much rain that I haven’t gotten the window tracks clean and there is nothing on the bench except towels to catch any leakage.  It leaked again on Thursday after a very hard rain, so it’s a work in progress.  We’ll be in Hohenwald the end of August if I haven’t figured it out by then.

 

Thank you for the suggestions???

[bugeyedriver]

Greetings from Fairbanks, AK!  I've been out wandering from Texas since April and have cleaned out the water exit pathways twice to prevent leaks.  I use four items:  A small brush; tweezers; pipe cleaners; and a compressed air can with one of those small red straw nozzles.  I remove the screen and slide the window all the way left and right to access the channel.  The compressed gets into all of the holes in the channel on the inside and sprayed in both directions from the outside slots.  No leaks so far and I've been in a few frog chokers.  I had no idea regular cleaning was required ten years ago (in my early Ollie days) and found out the hard way.