Clogged Window Weep Slots Helpfull Tip

[mossemi]

Our Oliver LE2 is stored in along side our house and is subject to rain, oak leaves, pine needles, bugs and whatever else Mother Nature throws at it in Lutz, FL.  It is a constant struggle to keep it clean and off-site storage is very expensive.  And until the finance department approves a storage solution, I’ll just have to try to keep up with the maintenance.

 

Florida is called the Sunshine State but we also receive a fair amount of rain.  After a 5” rain one day this summer, we found the curbside bench cushions to be wet.  I found some ideas about the cause of the leakage in the Oliver forums and determined that cause of the leak was dirt and crud blocking the weep slots.  ScubaRx/Steve offered some detailed thoughts about cleaning the window tracks which included the weep slots.

 

So I tackled that project which included removing the window seals covering the fixed glass track.  Then removing the sliding window track seal and finally removing the screen and it’s seal.  With those items removed I was able to clean the tracks pretty well.  I have attached a poor picture of the 3 tracks of the window frame and the weep slots.  And in an effort to be clear, the picture does not show the slots very well.  The weep slots are between the outside of the window frame and the fixed glass track and between the fixed glass track and the sliding glass track.  There aren’t any weep slots to the screen track.  So if the weep slots become clogged, the water overflows into the sliding glass track and the overflow runs down the inside wall.  This can happen to any of the windows except the door window.

 

The Norton’s had told me about draining the the window tracks by placing a finger at the bottom of the weep slot and creating a capillary effect to drain the window tracks.  The window weep slots must be fairly clean for this to work.  It’s very effective if you are around your Oliver when it rains.

 

And now my helpful tip.  I cut pipe cleaners in half and place one in each weep slot.  The slots between the outside and middle tracks line up, so push the pipe cleaners through the outside track and into the middle track.  It requires about an 1-1/4” of the pipe cleaner to reach the middle track.  I find that the tracks dry out much faster with the pipe cleaners than without.  The pipe cleaners also travel pretty well as we didn’t lose any on our last camping trip which included some interstate driving.

 

We hope this proves useful for someone.

[mossemi]

I’ll attach the pictures when the website allows.

[topgun2]

I saw Mike and Krunch's pipe cleaner trick at the Jacksonville mini-rally this past week and it is slick.  Simple yet effective AND it sure does get the attention of snoopy people like me - "what are those things sticking out of your weep holes?"  Certainly worth a try and one could always use different colors for the different seasons of the year as decoration - just kidding.  Too bad they don't make pipe cleaners with stainless steel wire.

 

Bill

[mossemi]

Missing pictures from original posting.  I hope?

[Corcomi]

When you cleaned the tracks what did you use to reseal the window seal

[mossemi]

Are you speaking about the seal for the sliding or the stationary window?

[Corcomi]

Both

[mossemi]

I put the original seals back in after cleaning them with soap and water.  I did treat them with 303 Protectant after they were clean and dry.  I did not treat the fuzzy side of the sliding window seal.

 

Have you removed those seals?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[donbob3]

Thanks for the tip.  I will pick some pipe cleaners today.

[mossemi]

I wanted to offer a few suggestions for removing the window seals and tracks.  Please read the entire message first as my writing style is a little disjointed.  And if you think it tough to read, you should be grateful you don’t have to think like this.?

 

First off, only do this if you feel you can’t clean the tracks and drain slots with brushes, vacuums and compressed air.  It takes me about 30 minutes to remove and replace the seals, minus the drying time for the seals.

 

Removing the outside seal for the fixed glass track is pretty simple, I used a metal pick to raise the seal enough to grab it by hand and then pulled it out.  The sliding glass track has a different seal that is actually 5 individual pieces.  Without looking closely you would think that it is all one piece.  The top and bottom horizontal pieces are straight and run the length of the track.  The curved corners are two separate pieces with a short straight vertical piece between them.

 

My trial and error procedure is to remove the window shade assembly first and then the screen.  The screen has spring clips on the top.  Slide the screen open enough to grab it on both sides and push up while pulling the bottom out.  With the screen out, remove the sliding window rubber stop.  I think a piece of masking tape on the window frame will prevent the sliding window from scratching the frame with window stop removed.  Wish I had thought about that before scratching my frame.

 

Working from the outside, remove the outside seal.  Next remove the short vertical seal between the curved corner pieces in the sliding window track using something like the pick and a butter knife.  The seal is U shaped and it is necessary to fold either of the side portions into the middle and then carefully remove the entire piece.  Removing the short vertical piece first will allow you to slide the bottom corner piece upward into the space created by removing the short vertical seal.  Do not remove the corner pieces as the are very fragile due the the cuts is the sides which allow the seal to fit the round corners.  Now begin removing the long bottom seal by folding both sides in and lifting it out of the track an inch or so at a time.  After you get about half of it out you can begin sliding it out from under the window.

 

Now you can clean the seals, tracks and slots by which ever method you prefer.  Allow the seals to dry if you cleaned them with soap and water.  I treat mine with 303 protectant before reinstalling them.

 

If you are any questions, please ask and I’ll provide any help I can.

 

Mike

 

 

[DavePhelps]

Just got to wondering if maybe kerosene lantern wicks may do an equal if not better job than pipe cleaners. Plus no metal wire to poke you or leave rust stains.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Paraffin-Kerosene-Lanterns-Genuine-Superior/dp/B01BYLYQYY/ref=cm_wl_huc_item

 

I might give it a try.

 

Dave

[Frank C]

New to the forum.  Just ordered our Elite II on November 2nd.  Won’t be delivered until May 9th, but yeah, I had the same thought about using fiberglass lantern wicks.  I plan on trying these when I get my trailer.   Should provide good capillary action to wick water through the weep slot and out of the track

 

Legends Direct Premium Long Lasting 18-Pack 1/8" x 6" Round Fiberglass Replacement (Tiki) Style Wicks https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008FP73LG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_B5l6BbVAPFHT7

 

 

[mossemi]

I haven’t seen any rust issues during the 3 months I have been using them.  As I mentioned in the original post, it takes about an 1-1/4” of pipe cleaner to reach the middle track and I then bend it down to about a 45° angle to facilitate the water flow.  I also try to keep the drip off the side of Ollie.  I use half of a pipe cleaner in each slot, which makes them very cheap.  And the travel well.

 

With that being said, I don’t think the wicks that Dave mentioned would work because the wouldn’t be stiff enough to stick into the middle track and I don’t know if the ones Frank linked to would bend.

 

My thinking may be all wet?, so let me know how they work.

[Frank C]

I did finally receive those fiberglass wicks. They are extremely flexible.  See photo.  I did some quick tests with a glass of water and they do provide a good capillary action.   So I have a pack of them all ready to install when I pick up my Elite II in May.

 

Legends Direct Premium Long Lasting 18-Pack 1/8" x 6" Round Fiberglass Replacement (Tiki) Style Wicks https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008FP73LG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_KNC.BbRPWHWXF

 

 

[mossemi]

They sure look flexible and now all you have to do is wait until May to use them.  We’ll see you at the rally.

[KountryKamper]

Seems like anything stuck in the weep holes would cause a partial blockage of the drains and not allow them to drain as good as if they are clear.

[mossemi]

I would almost agree.  Any debris would slow the flow, but the pipe cleaners start flowing water as soon as they get wet.  So far the have prevented the water from topping the inside wall of the middle track and filling up the screen track.  That is where my water leak entered the cabin over the curb side bed.

 

This does not mean that window track maintenance can be ignored.  The are just less likely to leak if they have a chance totally dry out between rain events.

[Frank C]

Seems like anything stuck in the weep holes would cause a partial blockage of the drains and not allow them to drain as good as if they are clear.

 

The capillary wick material can actually help the drainage.  The weep holes by themselves can sometimes not drain because of surface tension of the water. And given that the windows are tilted inwards, the tracks won’t drain completely because the outer weep hole is actually a little higher than the bottom inside track surface.  A capillary wick material can actually get liquid to flow uphill (just like it does in a wick lantern) to help drain water out of the track. Just have to position the outside end of the wick a bit lower than the end inside the track.  As mossemi mentioned, the pipe cleaner works as a pretty good wick as well. I just went a little further and figured I’d try a fiberglass lantern wick material as an experiment, just because I like tinkering.   No metal wire to rust.     ?

[Steve-Gwenne]

2 things:

 

1)  Today, May 14, 2019, I sorta followed mossemi's instructions for cleaning out window weep holes & the tracks. I removed the white external seal without a problem. I then soaked it in a solution of a lot of water & a good slug of bleach. I let the seal sit for about 30 minutes. Then I sorta scrubbed the indentations. All results were quite satisfactory. While not 100% clean & white, it does look a whole heck of a lot better.

 

While the seal was soaking, I washed exposed gap. Here is where I hesitated. I had already removed the shade & screen & removed the window stop rubber thingy - not easy to remove or return! I planned on removing the sliding window 'seal'; the black pieces. In looking at them, & following mossemi's directions, I decided to stop as I could not see how I can easily reinsert.

 

However, I did note that the weep holes were clear.

 

2)  Steve, husband, had blown out weep holes & I had inserted pipe cleaners in weep holes last week. We had water on the dinette floor prior to this. We had another big storm. Due to the blowing out & pipe cleaners I did not expect any leaking. Well --- on the driver's side bed, there was water this am. Fortunately I had all the cushions out as I have been cleaning. There was no water on the dinette floor.

 

So, why did we get water? We have had water in the bed area once before. There has been a great deal of rain here in the last several months & this was the first time water in bed area. I did have water in dinette area several weeks ago.

 

Any ideas on what we should/can do??

 

Thank you.

 

Steve & Gwenne

 

 

[stlipa]

We experienced the same problem:  the weep holes were clear, as were the channels, but still had a wet bed  on the driver's side after a storm.  Yesterday, I pulled the Ollie to our house, and my wife trained a hose on the suspect window.  It took a while, but rivulets appeared in several spots running down the side of the interior below the window frame.  The frame is caulked, but there were several breaks in the caulk through which the water ran.  I cleaned out the existing caulk as well as I could, and re-caulked the entire bottom of the window frame.  We had a storm last night; this morning, the bed was dry.  It's a small sample size, but I'm hoping this solved the problem.  I don't understand enough about the window frame's structure to understand how the water got to where it did from the channels; I had checked the exterior caulking of the window, and it appeared to be intact.  We're going to Hohenwald in a couple of weeks for some odds & ends, and I'll ask.  Anyway, you may want to check the caulk on the underside of the window frame.  Good luck!

 

 

 

 

[rideandfly]

We have early style porch lights, not sure if this would apply to later style porch lights.

 

Water was coming in from the porch light between shells dripping from the top of the dinette window. When we resealed the porch light over the window, fixed the problem. Saw another leak from the rear Oliver sign, leaking between shells traveling around the rear window and dripping from the bottom of the window on the curbside bed.

 

Once we found the leaks, fixed them without further problems.

[stlipa]

I had previously applied Capt. Tolley's  crack sealer to the gasket around each porch light (to stop streaking), and a second time to the porch light above the window that leaked, before going through the above exercise.   Is that what you mean by 're-sealing', or something else?

[rideandfly]

I had previously applied Capt. Tolley’s crack sealer to the gasket around each porch light (to stop streaking), and a second time to the porch light above the window that leaked, before going through the above exercise. Is that what you mean by ‘re-sealing’, or something else?

 

 

Water was coming in between the porch light and hull probably entering through mounting bolt holes or hole for electrical wire on our older style light.  When sealing the older style porch lights like we have, 3M 4000 Marine sealant or Marine silicone sealant can be used. This sealant is not used on black gaskets that I believe you have.

 

Your porch lights have a black gasket between the light and hull. It's possible water could enter the hull if your gasket is not sealing properly and Captain Tolley's might stop it, after reading information about this product.  When you visit Oliver they can replace the light's black gasket over the area where the leak is located. We find leaks with a water hose pouring over the area that might be leaking, like you. Oliver can test for leaks, but if you know where the water is coming in, will be helpful information for Oliver.   Care needs to be taken when tightening screws on fixtures with or without gaskets on the outer hull to prevent damage to the gel-coat around the fixture.

 

When camping, if I'm not prepared to permanently fix a leak, also keep a roll of white electrical tape. Used this tape on the exterior where the water is coming in to temporary stop the leak.

 

Believe SeaDawg recommended another kind of tape in another thread they keep on hand for temporary repairs, too.

 

We purchased Ollie used and found a few leaks. Once the leaks were corrected, have hardly had any issues with Ollie.

 

Main thing for us now is keeping the weep slots clear!!!!

 

Here's the style porch lights we have:

 

 

 

[Steve-Gwenne]

stlipa & rideandfly: Thank you very much for responding. I did not know if I would get a response due to the age of the thread.

 

Steve re caulked around all the windows this am which we are assuming is where the water would come in??

 

I will make sure we have a roll of white electrical tape with us; we leave Monday for 6 weeks.

 

Again, thank you. I am going to maintain my subscription to this thread. :)

 

 

 

Gwenne