Best Way To Seal Trailer Window?

[Henry]

Just Bought A Used Skyline Nomad Trailer From A Friend. I've Isolated A Leak In The Front Window To The Seal. Is The Putty Type Sealant Really The Best Way To Go With All The Modern Sealants On The Market? I Would Like To Fix The Window Permanently! Suggestions Would Be Greatly Appreciated. Thanks In Advance Folks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hoefler]

The putty tape fills the voids on the windows that are mounted on uneven surfaces. Also on flat surfaces since the screw flange never stays flat. On some units that have deep ridges in the metal, we would flatten down the high spots some and use two layers of tape to help fill the voids. After installing the windows, you cut off the excess that has squeezed out, and run a bead of Par-Bond over it. Par-bond is made by Koch Industries. That is the way we did it in the shop I worked in. I know silicone or latex caulk will not work!!

 

[Matt42]

If you can find it, reseal it with butyl tape. It looks like the gray putty tape, but is usually bright white and much more expensive. When faced with this issue, I removed the window completely, and resealed it with butyl tape.

Depending on how long it's been leaking, you may find rot which will need to be addressed. A quick way to assess the potential for damaged wood, unscrew several of the 1/4 inch head screws holding the window in. (That assumes it's that kind of window. ) If the screws are heavily to medium rusted, you are in for trouble. It'll be the kind of trouble you need to get right on top of.

After a big-time leakage problem with a mass market trailer, we ended up buying a Play-Mor. It was constructed with butyl tape where the mass market builders used putty tape. It probably cost the manufacturer $100 more to use butyl, but the difference is worth it to the customer.

 

[steved]

How I sealed my slide in was I removed the window, peeled off all the old sealant, wiped it down with some solvent, and allowed that to dry (both the window frame and the hole).

I then used some GE-brand 50-year silicone sealer to glue it back together. I have not had a leak since... and the silicone will outlast the butyl tape by a long shot... butyl will eventually dry out, shrink, and leak again.

steved

 

[Henry]

I went with the Butyl Rubber tape by Kool Seal. It seemed to work pretty well. I've use the old puttty tape on my old POS S&S camper that leaked like crazy. This does appear to be a better product. I trimmed the excess, masked it off and caulked the entire edge ProFlex RV sealant. If it leaks, something is horribly wrong! Thanks for the input folks!!!!!!!!!!

 

[klenger]

I resealed all the windows on my 6 year old 5th wheel a week ago. One of the windows started to leak, so I removed the window, cleaned off the old sealant, and reinstalled using some 3/4" wide plumbers putty tape that I got from Ace HW. It's a bit pricey, but was available and seemed to work well. After reinstalling the window, I taped the perimeter of the window frame and the siding with Scotch blue tape and caulked with some window sealant. After quickly smoothing out the sealant, I removed the tape producing a nice "professional" look. I resealed the rest of the windows w/o removing the frames in the same way. I could do each window in about 30 min or so. I still need to do the same with the storage doors and other joints.

 

[Matt42]

How I sealed my slide in was I removed the window, peeled off all the old sealant, wiped it down with some solvent, and allowed that to dry (both the window frame and the hole).



I then used some GE-brand 50-year silicone sealer to glue it back together. I have not had a leak since... and the silicone will outlast the butyl tape by a long shot... butyl will eventually dry out, shrink, and leak again.



steved

I hope that works for you in the long term. The GE silicone is of good quality. The silicone itself will hold up a very long time. It can come unglued--slightly--from the surface it is applied to, over time. That slight loss of adhesion can cause a capillary action of moisture to slip by, almost as through osmosis. It's more of a problem in high vibration areas, or where two dissimilar materials are sealed, or they have much different rates of thermal expansion. The advantage of the butyl, whether as tape or as gooey caulk, is that if it loses adhesion through vibration or other mechanical action it will reseal itself.



Silicone sealants won't adhere well to petroleum distillates. That's why a gasket made of RTV silicone will likely leak unless the oil is cleaned off very well. Unfortunately, paint thinners are petroleum distillates. Lacquer thinner, is in essence, 00000 weight oil with lousy lubricity. Doing a final cleaning of the surface with denatured alcohol or brake cleaner will make the silicone seal much better.



In a prior life, I worked in mobile home service. That was 30 plus years ago, when most mobile homes were just really overgrown travel trailers.

 

[steved]

So I should spend the same money on butyl rubber tape that will dry, shrink, and leak every few years?

My entire camper is sealed with silicone... I took every piece of molding off it two years ago, cleaned it, and reinstalled using silicone (the GE 50-year stuff). I have had no indications of the adhesion failing, nor have I had a single leak... which is good considering it had been leaking previously.

Done correctly, and in this non-vibration and similar material situation, I have no doubt my sealing job will probably outlast any butyl tape (which I also have a roll of) that I would have used... it will probably outlast me.

I feel the main reason they use butyl tape is the fact it is easier to work with, there is no worry of the tape "setting up" before the parts can be assembled. And the manufacture could get the parts in with the butyl tape already installed for quicker building.

steved

 

[Matt42]

No, do what works. If silicone does the job, great.

The OEM putty tape on most RVs isn't butyl. I'm not sure what it is, but it acts like some sort of really fine clay material that's been mixed with oil. That junk dries out, shrinks, and leaks. The garbage putty tape that I've seen is a buff to gray colour, depending on the manufacturer. Real butyl tape is usually bright white, but it can have other colours produced for special applications.

I suspect that a slide-in camper may be a lower vibration application than a travel trailer. All I can draw on is experience. For example, I had a 1989 Yukon travel trailer by Fleetwood that was assembled with putty tape. Within five years, the putty tape had dried out, shrunk, and caused bad leaks and rot. I currently have a 1996 Play-Mor that was assembled with butyl tape. So far, no leaks I have found and the butyl tape is still supple.

The climate here is nasty, and if something will shrink and leak, it'll happen here. 119F, 7% humidity and direct sun take their toll.

Your mileage will, of course, vary.