Window glass removal for defogging

[Local 501]

Hello, Has anyone removed the glass from the window frame to separate the dual pane glass for defogging?

[theboondork.]

I'm not clear if you want to remove the window and defog the glass yourself. Or you want to take it somewhere and have a professional fix it. Now I'm just guessing here because I've never done what your trying to do, but If you want a professional to fix it it may be cheaper just to buy a new window. And if you want to do it yourself I'm not sure if that's possible without some specialized equipment and knowledge. But like I say I'm just guessing based on very little knowledge of the subject other than having a house with double pane windows, and my current Arctic Fox fifth wheel has double pane windows.

theboondork.com

[House Husband]

If the glass is just wet inside, you can separate the glass with a handy knife. Clean the glass and reassemble with new spacer and sealer. If the glass is fogged, that's called mineral etching and it won't clean off. New glass is required.

Richard

[theroc]

Congratulations on your first post and welcome.

I haven't done it myself but have watched two do it as a DIY project. There are kits available from several vendors. There are also a lot of videos out there on DIY too ...go HERE (duckduckgo search)

When Dave Root first started selling kits, a neighbor ordered one and had pretty good results. It takes patience and some amount of DIY skills and tools but, personally, I wouldn't want to do it myself. I just as soon take it to somebody that does it regularly. Lots of threads here on irV2 about happy Dave Root customers. Here's one of the more recent threads mentioning Dave Root: Seal creep

If you are on the west coast, Dave Root in central Oregon has had a long reputation in the business. You can 1) order the DIY kits, 2) take your rig to his shop, 3) take the window out and send it to him to do, or 4) schedule with him at a rally ...not sure if he does rallies anymore or not.

Dave Root RV Glass & Repair Service

There are numerous other places around the country that do that kind of work too but I think Dave Root may have been one of the first that specialized in fixing fogged windows specifically.

Pertaining to mineral etching, sometimes you can do some extra work and clean that up. Sometimes not, however, if it's too stained and been building up for awhile. The other guy I watched do it himself had badly etched windows and he patiently used a mixture of vinegar and trisodium phosphate and applied as a paste to the stain then used a small polishing head on a drill and did small sections at a time and had two windows just about spotless when he first thought that he'd have to throw the glass out and order a new panes.

[jacwjames]

I did 3 of my windows ~5 years ago, here is what I posted.


https://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/don...ng-246255.html


All 3 still look good. The drivers side window was the worse, could barely see out of it, had to slide the window to look out for traffic. I was able clean it up pretty good, if I hadn't waited it would have cleaned up like new.


If a window is etched really bad you can get new glass from a window/glass repair shop.

[barmcd]

I did mine myself too.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/200...ow-334706.html

[Local 501]

Finished my 7th window now. Worked out good. Pulled the window assembly out and disassembled the windows from the frames, split the window panes cleaned the inside the glass panels, then put it altogether back onto the coach. So far no problem. Thanks for all your advices.

[Domo]

I think OP is wondering how to get the glass out of the frame.

OP - every MH window I've seen requires you to REMOVE the window PLUS frame from the side of the MH - then, you can open the frame and remove the window and thus, get at the glass for having it defogged.

It's not a big job (since you own a MH, you get to enjoy lots of little tasks) - you'll need to remove all the old silicone caulk and butyl rubber that is round the window frame and then apple new butyl to the outer wall - then, using your extra pair of hands hold the window in place and mate the inner frame to the outer and attach the two by tightening around the perimeter equally so the the window seats square and plumb. Then, simply trim the excess squeezed buty - give it an extra day to squeeze out and then apply your manufacturer's preferred silicon seal (or similar) the the top and upper sides of the outside window frame. And, congratulations when you are done - you've just learned a bunch and save some money!

There are many videos of the process.

P.S. While you're at it - you should replace any old gasket/seal/flanges so that the window is completely renewed! Ask your manufacturer for the parts numbers and get enough to do the panes you're removing - when reinstalling, make sure you don't stretch the gaskets as you force them into place as they will tend to shrink back to their original length and may cause leaks - - -

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by Domo

I think OP is wondering how to get the glass out of the frame.

OP - every MH window I've seen requires you to REMOVE the window PLUS frame from the side of the MH - then, you can open the frame and remove the window and thus, get at the glass for having it defogged.

It's not a big job (since you own a MH, you get to enjoy lots of little tasks) - you'll need to remove all the old silicone caulk and butyl rubber that is round the window frame and then apple new butyl to the outer wall - then, using your extra pair of hands hold the window in place and mate the inner frame to the outer and attach the two by tightening around the perimeter equally so the the window seats square and plumb. Then, simply trim the excess squeezed buty - give it an extra day to squeeze out and then apply your manufacturer's preferred silicon seal (or similar) the the top and upper sides of the outside window frame. And, congratulations when you are done - you've just learned a bunch and save some money!

There are many videos of the process.

P.S. While you're at it - you should replace any old gasket/seal/flanges so that the window is completely renewed! Ask your manufacturer for the parts numbers and get enough to do the panes you're removing - when reinstalling, make sure you don't stretch the gaskets as you force them into place as they will tend to shrink back to their original length and may cause leaks - - -

Post #7

[Domo]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

Post #7

Ray ->Ooops - looks like OP figured it out and I had skipped ahead to answer without reading every single response... Ah well... let me see if I can find a closed issue from 2002 that I can respond to... (done that also!).