Help needed for window leak (1 Viewer)

[TheWM]

hi guys,

On holiday and woke up to soggy duvets today. Got a leak on the rear window. We can see where it is coming from.

If I cannot get sikaflex to repair, any ideas on what I can use that I can buy in a b&e or similar? Is there a guide somewhere that someone can point me to please?

Bit of a dampner!

 

[GJH]

As a temporary measure, you could put a thick bead of sealant round the outside to deflect rain.

 

[DavidG58]

Gaffer tape on the outside of the whole window frame, wait till home get it resealed then, when the window can be removed and check for where the water is getting in

At the moment you only know where it is coming out

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[Rob and Val]

We had exactly the same thing happen on a side window in June when we were in the Mosel! As DavididG58 said, we used gaffer tape as a temporary measure until we got home. Back home, I couldn't remove the window, so put a new seal around the outside of the window with this: -

 

[Ber090]

The Gaffer tape solution will be probably your best bet till you return home. You will be able to get it dry enough to stick. Sealant will struggle to adhere unless you use a specialist under water type.
Good luck
Bernie

 

[Hydrocell]

Try to see if it is coming in though between the glass and the frame or from around the frame itself. if its from the frame you will need to take the frame out and clean and reseal it, this is not as hard as you may think, as long as you take you're time and you have the tools, screwdriver with changeable head a sealant and sealant you will be fine.

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[TheWM]

Thanks guys. With my leg being what it is I haven't looked at it yet. En route to Weston super mare where hopefully it will be drier and we can put on a temporary gaffer solution. Was thinking plumbers mate or similar on the inside?

 

[TheWM]

@Hydrocell from what my missus has told me, there is water pooling around the inside of frame (externally). Will investigate further when we stop.

 

[Badknee]

The problem won't be at the bottom it will be at the top or higher up that the bottom sill I would think. A mighty pain in the bum in this damp weather to get it dry enough to re-seal.

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[TheWM]

Here's what I managed to do missus can finish it later as I can't reach with my dodgy leg.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Don't put anything on the inside. If your temp repair on the outside doesn't hold you're better off with the water coming into the van where you can see it and clean it up than it coming in and getting trapped between the inner and outer skins where it will end up soaking the body of the van doing damage you might not notice until it's too late.

 

[Speve]

STIXALL is pretty good you can use it even when it's wet and it will seal it.

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[madgeD]

When we had this problem with a newish caravan we had to replace the rubber all around window, a Dealer not the one we bought the van from contacted the maker and managed to get us the rubber free of charge , hubby and I managed the job on our own.

 

[MitchandJenny]

Had this problem on both side windows in Greece and stopped for the remaining 4 weeks of the trip using gaffer tape as mentioned. Windows renewed by Autotrail on return under warranty though van was over a year old. As said, DO NOT seal the inside, but do seal the complete window surround till you return.
Good luck.

 

[TheWM]

Hi guys - back from hols. The leak was more or less sorted by putting gaffa on the outside of the window (albeit, there was one or two drips coming through, but 95% less water at least). So, now I'm back. How do I go about fixing the window..?

I have a friend who does double glazing who is happy to help me, if I can tell him what needs to be done. I'm assuming, remove the window and sikaflex the seal?

So, how do I remove the window, inspect and seal? And are there other things I should be considering (i.e. whether I need a new rubber seal?) The van is 6 years old.

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[tonyidle]

The inner & outer parts of the window squeeze the van wall between them. Undo all the inner screws (they may be hidden under trim caps) whilst your helper outside the van leans gently on the window to stop it falling out. Remove inner frame then from the outside remove the window. If it is stuck to the van wall it may need gentle pressure from the inside or the use of a broad plastic kitchen spatula to free it. Clean off old sealant - white spirit will clean off remnants - then allow window cutout to dry if still wet. Use the type of mastic linked below this message. Do not use Sikaflex (the variety most people mean is a polyurethane adhesive which will make an excellent seal but will also prevent future removal of the window). No sealant should be used inside the van.

Broken Link Removed

............... which is also available in various widths from most caravan / MH accessory shops.

 

[TheWM]

The inner & outer parts of the window squeeze the van wall between them. Undo all the inner screws (they may be hidden under trim caps) whilst your helper outside the van leans gently on the window to stop it falling out. Remove inner frame then from the outside remove the window. If it is stuck to the van wall it may need gentle pressure from the inside or the use of a broad plastic kitchen spatula to free it. Clean off old sealant - white spirit will clean off remnants - then allow window cutout to dry if still wet. Use the type of mastic linked below this message. Do not use Sikaflex (the variety most people mean is a polyurethane adhesive which will make an excellent seal but will also prevent future removal of the window). No sealant should be used inside the van.

Broken Link Removed

............... which is also available in various widths from most caravan / MH accessory shops.

Thanks for this - appreciated.

A couple of questions:

Am I right in thinking that the mastic will be placed over the rubber seal and then pushed into place?

The width of the tape, can I tell what width is required, or is it a case of removing the window, measuring the seal and then going with that?

 

[mitzimad]

they should be fitted on non setting mastic ribbon tape dont use silicon of any sort as they are very acidic and can cause corrosion problems

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[TheBig1]

if you use 20mm mastic and its too wide, you can just trim off the excess with an old credit card etc. it always oozes a little anyway just dont be tempted to overtighted the screws and force all the mastic out

 

[funflair]

If the gaffer tape virtuall cured it suggest the water is coming between the window plastic and the seal and not between the window frame and the van, it will be worth checking that the drainage channels are clear.

And gaffer tape can be an absolute sod to get off after some time so don't leave it any longer than needed.

Martin

 

[TheWM]

@funflair my missus said that she thought it could be a blocked drainage hole due to how the water was pooling. How do I inspect said drainage hole?

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[funflair]

@funflair my missus said that she thought it could be a blocked drainage hole due to how the water was pooling. How do I inspect said drainage hole?

There should be a couple of little slots in the bottom of the frame, just poke them clear.

Martin

 

[toyota]

if you have a high level brake light above window clean old seal out and reseal,had a problem on my autotrail like this and it was the high level light that was leaking and running down to the window.

 

[Terry]

Hi get some Puraflex 40 from toolstaion and simply let your mate mask up (1 to 2 mm) all around the outer edge of frame and van then seal it all up-smooth with wet finger remove tape and clean off any access with frame cleaner -No need to remove window -They are sealed with a rubber gasket that should be renewed when taken out but I don't know anyone who does this
They simply remove window ,clean and put sealant around(either tape or mastic gun type) then refit and clean off excess doing exactly the same job as your mate with masking tape then charge you a small fortune
BTW even on new windows that have rubber seals we still stick them in with Puraflex 40 and clean off simply because with PVC they get odd shaped side with slight bends in them so don't trust the rubber gasket to make the seal
If it's leaking on the inner gasket to perspex window(glass) then a black single sided draught excluder tape stuck to the gasket can be used until a new gasket can be bought -the new gasket simply pulls out and pushes into the groove but we find the draught excluder works and most don't bother to order a new gasket
terry

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[TheWM]

Cheers @Terry.

To be honest, that is what he suggested as a first fix. I was tempted with taking the window out, if only to increase my knowledge of doing such tasks, but whilst I'm brilliant at taking things apart, the same can't be said about putting them back together.

My missus has also recalled seeing the drainage holes @funflair so we will be inspecting them later today with something appropriate to push through them.

 

[TheWM]

So - got out today to look at the drainage holes first as suggested by @funflair one was definitely blocked at the same side of the leak and we cleared the gully which was full of crud. As you can see from the pics there is some kind of black sealant around the frames. Does anyone know if this is factory sealant or has someone added these due to a leak previously? I sprayed a hose all around the area after cleaning and on initial inspection no water coming through should I go ahead and seal to be on the safe side and if so should I remove the black stuff in situ or just go over it?

 

[funflair]

Looks like original factory non setting mastic with a bit of mould to make it black, I did around ours a couple of months back, just carefully take it back to the frame edge and the go around with the non setting stuff finish it with a cloth and white spirit, if nothing else it will look better.

Martin

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[TheWM]

Thanks Martin, and to everyone else that has contributed. Very informative information that I couldn't get elsewhere

 

[Terry]

That's the factory tape mastic JUST shows how much faith they have in the window rubber seal I also have little faith in the rubber so do as I said in my other post
terry

 

[TheWM]

That's the factory tape mastic JUST shows how much faith they have in the window rubber seal I also have little faith in the rubber so do as I said in my other post
terry

Understood

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