Sealant or Caulk for Fixing a Leaking RV Window Frame

[mjschocken]

One of our windows in the new travel trailer is leaking water from a heavy rain. It is wet under the bottom part of the window frame on the inside of the rig. Can you guys recommend a sealant or caulk to use to fill the gap at the bottom of the window frame? Also, should I seal only the inside or is it worth doing the outside of the window as well?

Thanks.

[stinger608]

First of all, I would suggest pulling the window out of the travel trailer and sealing all the way around the window on the outside frame of the window.

Secondly, if you just caulk the inside, water will still intrude the wall and WILL eventually damage the inside of the wall and wall studs.

If your new travel trailer is still under warranty, I'd recommend taking back to the dealer and letting them deal with the reseal of the window.

[craigd853]

Hello, are there any slots on the outside portion of the window frame? Take a look on the outside of your travel trailer, and there may be 2 and they will be approximately 1/2 to 3/4 long. If so these are drain slots and they may be clogged with dirt or debris. Blow them out with compressed air. If you do have them one way to tell if they are clogged is to run water over your window and make sure the drain holes are weeping water. If not then, this could potentially be your problem. Good luck and let us know what you find out.

[computerguy]

There is no mention on the type of vehicle. My Fleetwood has flush mount windows. The factory never installed them correctly and I found the leak after it was out of warranty. I have a thread that is pinned to the top in the Fleetwood forum on how to fix it. May want to take a look at it.

[mjschocken]

This morning I used a GE silicone indoor/outdoor sealant to seal the window frame on both the outside and inside. Tomorrow I will use a hose to see if it stopped the leaking. I will update afterwards.

[62Morgan]

Op: you’ve made a mistake in your caulking the inside edges. as you were advised by another, the exterior edges are the proper remedy. You got and then ignored sound advice! Any seasoned handyman will tell you to remove the frame, dry-out the moisture already inside your wall, and then, lastly, use new elastomeric seal around the exterior rim flange “before” reinstalling the window. Only after doing these key “best practices “ steps do you begin the “caulking” phase. You, instead, ignored well-seasoned advice and resorted to your preconceived “caulk-it” remedy. FWIW, the elastomeric tape “seal” is the primary waterproofing; caulk sealant is done along the top edge, only ( and down a few inches along the top corners on each side) to divert falling rainwater to shed left & right in-lieu-of getting a full 360degree caulked surround. The elastomeric seal is the paramount water stop. It doesn’t not deteriorate nor suddenly fail. Never. My guess is that window unit might be installed upside down & water has entered the weep holes of the frame.

[THenne1713]

INSPECTION/ PICTURES OF OUTSIDE OF FRAME may reveal the cause? Color of existing sealant may dictate brand/color/ type of new? Working blind is not helpful to either

[Bill Gail]

Never use silicone sealant on a RV , never , never , never .

Once Silicone is applied it's properties doesn't allow it to bond to other sealants or to itself once it cures . Plus it's difficult to thoroughly remove it to allow new sealant to adhere for sealing .

As previous post has recommended , the only reliable and correct way to fix a window leak is to remove the window frame .

Then clean off the original Butyl sealant tape and clean the surface with Mineral Spirits .

Then after the wall dries , install new Butyl sealant tape and reinstall the window .

Anything other than this is nothing more than a band-aid , which will fail in short order .

Originally Posted by mjschocken

This morning I used a GE silicone indoor/outdoor sealant to seal the window frame on both the outside and inside. Tomorrow I will use a hose to see if it stopped the leaking. I will update afterwards.

[62Morgan]

Bill, you’re absolutely correct. My bad not to have added that to my opinion. Far too many men have “defaulted” to using silicone-based caulk…. Apparently unaware that silicone will separate along the feathered edges and render the repair totally dependent to adding “more” silicone in subsequently repair. My beef with the OP is that he was fail-safe predetermined to seal “all” edges without first removing the previous moisture. He further compounded the repair by ignoring sound advice from seasoned owners to “repair it right, and do it once”.

[THenne1713]

Originally Posted by mjschocken

This morning I used a GE silicone indoor/outdoor sealant to seal the window frame on both the outside and inside. Tomorrow I will use a hose to see if it stopped the leaking. I will update afterwards.

Did inspection during caulking reveal CAUSE? USUALLY OBVIOUS? e.g. cracks, missing, or gaps?

[Gary P.]

Originally Posted by mjschocken

One of our windows in the new travel trailer is leaking water from a heavy rain. It is wet under the bottom part of the window frame on the inside of the rig. Can you guys recommend a sealant or caulk to use to fill the gap at the bottom of the window frame? Also, should I seal only the inside or is it worth doing the outside of the window as well?



Thanks.

Stinger is right, imho. Pull the window and examine the area around it. If it’s leaking to the inside, there may be damage within the walls. It may still be wet inside the walls. If you don’t dry it out and deal with what may be wrong, you will regret only sealing the window. Ask me how I know.

[Gary P.]

Originally Posted by mjschocken

This morning I used a GE silicone indoor/outdoor sealant to seal the window frame on both the outside and inside. Tomorrow I will use a hose to see if it stopped the leaking. I will update afterwards.

How frustrating it is for experienced, knowledgeable members to offer sound advice only to find the person asking ignores it all and does all the wrong things.

[mjschocken]

For the record, I appreciated the advice I got on the leaky window. However, pulling out the window frame, replacing the butyl sealant and then replacing the window may be above my confidence level. The "caulking" I did with silicone sealant seems to have worked. The window hasn't leaked since I used the silicone sealant. The wall is dry. I also asked a mobile RV repairman and he thought I was okay with the repair. If it occurs again, I would probably get the RV repairman back but, for now, I'm good. Thanks to everyone who provided comments. I learned a lot from you including what I'm willing to do and what I'm not willing to do.

[Sangster]

Originally Posted by mjschocken

For the record, I appreciated the advice I got on the leaky window. However, pulling out the window frame, replacing the butyl sealant and then replacing the window may be above my confidence level. The "caulking" I did with silicone sealant seems to have worked. The window hasn't leaked since I used the silicone sealant. The wall is dry. I also asked a mobile RV repairman and he thought I was okay with the repair. If it occurs again, I would probably get the RV repairman back but, for now, I'm good. Thanks to everyone who provided comments. I learned a lot from you including what I'm willing to do and what I'm not willing to do.

You'll be back when the silicone fails (when, not if). When that happens....scroll up and read again the correct way to fix it.