How To Remove Caravan Window Stay

Water ingress into caravans can be a huge issue as it has the potential to cause expensive impairment to your pride and joy. Window seals are a common culprit of leaks but, luckily, they're quite piece of cake to fix. It's a do-information technology-yourself task most people could manage with a few ordinary tools and a couple of spare hours. Glynn Magain from the RV Repair Center in Bayswater North, Vic, said there wasn't much that caravan owners could practice to prevent window leaks, every bit it really came down to how well the window was sealed in the factory. Re-sealing a leaking window involves removing the window from the van, removing the old sealant – whether information technology's silicone, cream tape or both – cleaning the window, re-sealing and re-inserting the window.

ON WITH THE Chore

First, assemble the equipment you'll need (see list below) for the job and then information technology's all close to paw.
The windows on this van weren't actually leaking but the RV Repair Centre, who helped with the preparation of this commodity, even so offered to testify us how it'due south done. The van had new Dometic windows, with the glass on the outside and a cassette containing the blinds and insect screen on the within. According to Glynn, these windows should be less prone to leaks than older current of air-out-style windows. Caput within the van and start popping off the plastic coverings, which comprehend the screws on the window cassette. Yous should be able to pop these off easily with your fingers but if they're tight or for those hard-to-reach ones at the peak, utilize a apartment blade to carefully dig them out.

Side by side, remove the screws with a drill fitted with the appropriate bit. You can then lift off the window cassette and put it somewhere secure. Attach the Torx fleck to your drill and use it to remove the window clips that hold the window in place. The blazon of clips used differs between windows, brands and van, and some will only require a regular screw fleck. Others, like these Dometic windows, are secured with Torx screws because they're more tamper-proof.

Once that's done, y'all can head outside and remove the window from the outside. This window was sealed with foam record and a tiny bead of silicone. The foam tape has a gluey back that adheres to the caravan's cladding, and then you may demand to pry the window out. Work your style around the edge of the window with a apartment blade, being very careful non to dent or bend the aluminium cladding.
Peel any remaining foam tape or silicone away from the van, scrape away whatever stubborn bits with a plastic scraper and clean off the residue with methylated spirits and a clean, soft cloth. If you don't properly clean this surface, the new foam tape and silicone won't stick properly, endangering the integrity of your seal.

Repeat this process on the window itself – remove any remaining cream tape/silicone and clean it all down with metho and a cloth.
Use a atmospheric condition-resistant cream tape to re-seal the window. Brand sure your roll of cream tape is the correct width and utilize it past starting at the bottom of the window in the middle. This way, the bring together y'all create with the tape will allow any water or moisture to run off downwards. If you start taping from the superlative, you adventure creating a leak with your join, which volition allow moisture to drip within the caravan.

Keep the line of foam tape shut to the window and as neat equally you tin. Just follow it around the corners, moving the window as needed. Keep the backing paper on the foam for every bit long as you lot tin can, equally this will prevent the foam from stretching. Only y'all'll need to remove it as you lot go around the corners.

In one case yous get dorsum to your starting point, utilize a actually abrupt blade or Stanley knife to cut the cream tape a picayune longer than needed. And so butt it up against your starting point to form a flush bring together. Some people may overlap the foam, simply this causes an expanse of double-thickness, affecting the quality of the seal.

A neutral-use silicone can exist used as a 2d line of defense. Neutral-employ means information technology is non acidic and won't affect the metal on the window or van. Run a tiny bead of silicone on top of the foam tape, around the perimeter of the window. This will aggrandize to make full any imperfections in the cladding. Inserting the window back into the van may require two people, depending on how snugly it fits. Sit the bottom of the frame in the hole, and button the window in.

While ane person holds the window in place, the other should head back inside and start screwing the window clips back in with the Torx bit. Do one on each side and piece of work your way evenly around the window, making sure it remains in place. Go the person on the outside to push it in firmly to compress the cream, so the screws tin can pull the window into place.

Once all the screws are in place, ask the person on the outside to bank check the window is flush and perfectly square before you tighten everything up. Be conscientious not to over-tighten screws in an aluminium frame or they'll but pull out.
Now is the fourth dimension to make certain the window works properly. Push it out and in and make sure it locks correctly. Put the cassette in identify and screw it back in, roofing the screws with the picayune plastic clips. Clean any scuff marks off the plastic cassette and clean the window inside and out.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

• Drill (with screw bits)
• Apartment-head screwdriver
• Torx drill bit
• Apartment metal blade
• Plastic scraper
• Methylated spirits
• Clean, dry out rag
• Cream record in correct width
• Silicone (neutral-use/non-acidic)
• Sharp blade/Stanley knife

DIY WINDOW RE-SEAL: STEP BY STEP

Pace 1: Remove the plastic plugs to expose the screws backside.

Step ii: Remove the screws.

Pace 3: Remove the window cassette and store in a flat, secure place.

Step iv: Remove the window clips. This window required a Torx bit.

Step 5: Remove the window from the outside. If information technology's stuck, use a apartment bract to carefully pry it out by levering around the edges. Store on a flat, clean, dry surface.

Stride 6: Use a plastic scraper to carefully, gently remove any remaining cream tape or silicone from the van's cladding.

Footstep 7: Make clean whatsoever rest off the van's surface using methylated spirits and a make clean, soft rag.

Step 8: Lay the window on a make clean, flat surface and remove whatever remainder from foam tape with methylated spirits and a soft, clean rag.

Stride 9: Re-seal the window with new foam tape. Start at the bottom of the frame, in the centre, and work your way around the window frame.

Step 10: Just follow the corners with the tape, moving the window as you go.

Step 11: When you reach your starting indicate, cut the tape very slightly longer than needed. Use a very sharp bract or Stanley knife to cut the tape.

Step 12: And so butt the end of the foam up confronting your starting point then information technology'southward flush.

Footstep xiii: Run a tiny dewdrop of silicone on top of the foam, around the perimeter of the window.

Step 14: Insert the window carefully dorsum into its hole. Sit the lesser edge in and push it in gently.

Step 15: With someone holding the window in place on the outside, head back within and screw the window clips back in with the drill and Torx bit. Piece of work your way evenly effectually the window.