Saturday, February 25, 2012

Creeping Window Seals

Do any of your RV’s dual-pane windows have creeping window seals? Creeping window seals occur when the spacing material between the panes of a dual-pane window begins to creep from the outside edge of the glass towards the center of the pane.

Dual-pane windows have a spacer and sealant between the two panes of glass. The spacer and sealant are located at the edge of the glass and create an airtight barrier that prevents ambient air from getting between the two panes.

The air space between the panes of glass is subjected to expansion and contraction caused by the changes in temperatures and elevations that an RV encounters. Apparently, over time, a seal can fail just enough to allow heated or expanding air to escape but, when the glass cools, prevents outside air from entering the space between the panes. The resulting vacuum slowly but surely sucks the seals from the outside edge of the glass towards the center of the window. Hence the descriptive term: "creeping window seals". Eventually the seal allows moist outside air to enter the air space. This results in condensation or fogging on the interior side of the glass. The remedy is to replace or repair the windows.



Over the years, our 1998 Country Coach developed creeping window seals in a number of windows. We finally decided to bite the financial bullet and have them repaired or replaced. A little research revealed that repairing would cost significantly less than replacement. We live on the west coast and had heard a lot of positive comments about Dave Root RV Glass Repair. Dave is based in Bend Oregon but travels and works in Southern California and Arizona during the winter months. We corresponded by e-mail. He gave us an estimate for the repair of 12 windows. We made an appointment for a time when our motorhome would be on a friend’s lot in Yuma, Arizona.


















Dave and his assistant, Nathan, arrived a few minutes early. They were towing a trailer workshop with two work stations inside. They immediately set to work removing the window cornices and blinds. The cornices were removed in one piece leaving the blinds intact inside of them. Next, the window frames were taken out and then the dual panes removed from the frames. It was obvious from the way Dave and Nathan worked they knew what they were doing and had done this a number of times before.
















The windows were taken inside the trailer and secured to a special work platform. Separating the panes of glass on a dual-pane window is not an easy chore. Part of the task involves hammering wedges between the panes as the sealant is cut away. The strength of the glass and the skill of the person wielding the hammer and wedges is the only thing that prevents the glass from shattering.



Once the panes are separated they are meticulously cleaned and prepped. Sealant and a spacer are applied to one pane of glass and then the second pane is carefully mated to the first. More sealant is then applied to the outside edge of the window.




















The dual-pane is returned to its original frame. Sealant is applied to the frame. The window frame replaced on the RV. More sealant applied to the outside edges of the window frames and the cornice replaced inside the RV. Twelve of our windows were removed, repaired and replaced in twelve hours time.

Dave and Nathan were professional, super competent, conscientious and pleasant to have around. I would highly recommend Dave Root RV Glass Repair to anyone whose RV is suffering from creeping window seals. Contact Dave at http://www.daverootrvglassrepair.com/ or 1-541-280-3612.

















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