Progression of Fogging Windows

[Algoma]

Got all mine done at Suncoast and they now give a 10 year warranty (5 when I had mine done). This problem affects all motorhome manufacturers, so don't blame Newmar for this one.

[Clayobx]

Originally Posted by Algoma

Got all mine done at Suncoast and they now give a 10 year warranty (5 when I had mine done). This problem affects all motorhome manufacturers, so don't blame Newmar for this one.

Your correct. We had a 2003 FW Excursion 39P. Three were bad when purchased in 2011. So it's not the builder but the vendor.

[Scottybdivin]

A trip to Florida is not on my short list. I was reading on another thread about another reputable repair company in Arkansas, but I can't seem to find it again. Anybody know of that business?

I will make my claim to the dealer tomorrow that all but 3 windows need to be replaced/repaired and see where we go from there.

[Sky_Boss]

Let me ask what may be possibly a stupid question...

When repairing a fogged window are they torn apart to clean them up or are we talking replacement?

Told you it might be stupid.

[Dwight]

At the very first sign of internal window moisture, identify the window with a piece of masking tape. Sunlight brings the moisture out to the glass and it will dissipate back into the moisture absorbing window seal when the glass cools and sunlight is no longer present. Depending on sunlight and temperature the moisture may or may not show itself again for a period of time but it will reappear and start to etch one side of the glass. This problem has been with us for many years and my local glass business has kept up with the latest resealing materials and I don't experience a second failure. For the past 40 years I have not purchesed new glass. I remove, disassemble and clean the glass until spotless and take the glass in to be resealed at a cost of 40 to 50 dollars.

[bruceisla]

Originally Posted by Scottybdivin

A trip to Florida is not on my short list. I was reading on another thread about another reputable repair company in Arkansas, but I can't seem to find it again. Anybody know of that business?

I will make my claim to the dealer tomorrow that all but 3 windows need to be replaced/repaired and see where we go from there.

Might be these folks:

RVFogDr.com

[bruceisla]

Originally Posted by Dwight

At the very first sign of internal window moisture, identify the window with a piece of masking tape. Sunlight brings the moisture out to the glass and it will dissipate back into the moisture absorbing window seal when the glass cools and sunlight is no longer present. Depending on sunlight and temperature the moisture may or may not show itself again for a period of time but it will reappear and start to etch one side of the glass. This problem has been with us for many years and my local glass business has kept up with the latest resealing materials and I don't experience a second failure. For the past 40 years I have not purchesed new glass. I remove, disassemble and clean the glass until spotless and take the glass in to be resealed at a cost of 40 to 50 dollars.

Yup ... if the latest version of the sealer/desiccant/spacer is used, they seem to last much longer. If the windows were mounted like older windshields (a big rubber gasket) they would probably last longer. Chassis/body flex is killer ...

[garymunson]

It's not too difficult to fix them yourself. Search Amazon for 'super spacer' and the butyl sealer that goes with it. Be sure to buy the correct width. I've found if the fogging hasn't progressed too far, you can 'cheat' and cut the sealer away from the top and bottom edge of the window, leaving the vertical sides to maintain the 'structure' of the window. Tie wire to each end of a rag and 'saw' it back and forth between the panes to clean with windex at first, then dry rag, then replace the top and bottom spacer and seal it up with the butyl sealer. I also use 'canned air' to blow out any lint before resealing. This way you do not have to wait 24 or more hours for the buytl to cure and provide strength and you can reassemble as soon as the butyl is dry to the touch. I don't think any double pane window will last as long in a motorhome that's bumping down the road compared to a house. I see the manufacturers have responded by no longer using double pane on most new coaches, instead changing to single pane tempered glass windows that tilt out a little at the bottom. A serious downgrade IMO. Pretty hard to get cross ventilation on a nice day with those obviously cheaper windows. Having moved up from a couple class c coaches with single pane glass to a class a with double, my take is that double pane windows are much more important for campers than 'real houses' since in an RV, you are sleeping just a foot or so from the glass and a double pane window is WAY better at keeping you warm on a cold night.

[bruceisla]

Originally Posted by garymunson

It's not too difficult to fix them yourself. Search Amazon for 'super spacer' and the butyl sealer that goes with it. Be sure to buy the correct width. I've found if the fogging hasn't progressed too far, you can 'cheat' and cut the sealer away from the top and bottom edge of the window, leaving the vertical sides to maintain the 'structure' of the window. Tie wire to each end of a rag and 'saw' it back and forth between the panes to clean with windex at first, then dry rag, then replace the top and bottom spacer and seal it up with the butyl sealer. I also use 'canned air' to blow out any lint before resealing. This way you do not have to wait 24 or more hours for the buytl to cure and provide strength and you can reassemble as soon as the butyl is dry to the touch. I don't think any double pane window will last as long in a motorhome that's bumping down the road compared to a house. I see the manufacturers have responded by no longer using double pane on most new coaches, instead changing to single pane tempered glass windows that tilt out a little at the bottom. A serious downgrade IMO. Pretty hard to get cross ventilation on a nice day with those obviously cheaper windows. Having moved up from a couple class c coaches with single pane glass to a class a with double, my take is that double pane windows are much more important for campers than 'real houses' since in an RV, you are sleeping just a foot or so from the glass and a double pane window is WAY better at keeping you warm on a cold night.

We just need some of these

[Hugmongous]

Scottybdivin,


I think you are thinking of RVFOGDR... below is an email I received from them. Seems like a good shop from what I have read.


Thank you for your interest in our company. Yes, you are able to send in windows to us and we ask that you make sure that you package the windows very well, insure them, make sure the package can be tracked (UPS, Fed-Ex etc) and put all of your information into the box so we can get a hold of you when we receive them. The send to address is: 2210 Dodge Avenue, Searcy, AR 72143; our phone number is: 501-278-3015.

The average cost of repair for your windows (per frame) to send in a window for repair is $160 per window (plus shipping back to you), if you don’t have to have any glass replaced. There is a possibility that the glass has etched if it has had moisture in it for too long. We can, at times, get these only 80 to 90% clear, but that can be determined when you get here. If you do need glass, you can figure around $100 more per window (within the frame) for the replacement pane and generally only one need be replaced. We generally have the more popular sizes in stock and if we do not, we will make a pattern and have it sent out to our tempering company and that usually takes 10 to 13 working days to get back to us.
The average repair takes approximately 2 to 3 hours per frame and our turnaround time is normally a day or two.

We do have 9.50% sales tax. We accept personal checks and MasterCard, Discover, and VISA. We do have a 3% surcharge for a credit card.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to give us a call (501-278-3015) or email us back.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Take Care
Cheryl



RVFogDR.
rvfogdr.com

[Scottybdivin]

Yes, I believe that is the one. Thanks.