3/4 or 1' butyl tape?

wopachop wrote:
My 2013 trailer has lots of butyl shrinkage. Every single compartment on the trailer i can find cracks.

My friend has a 2004 weekend warrior. Never maintains a thing. Zero leaks. No major cracks in the butyl tape.

Did they adjust the formula of the tape?

Are you sure they used Butyl? My son's windows seals are all cracking in his FG cap and starting too leak. When I looked real close it was some kind on a foam rubber gasket.

My 2013 trailer has lots of butyl shrinkage. Every single compartment on the trailer i can find cracks.

My friend has a 2004 weekend warrior. Never maintains a thing. Zero leaks. No major cracks in the butyl tape.

Did they adjust the formula of the tape?

I like the black Butyl tape 3/4 in wide because my window trim is black. Also the tape is a little firmer and less sticky than the white tape, but I have used both and both work. After you clean the old tape off dry fit the window without the inside retainer frame and make sure the cutout in the wall is even around the frame itself, you may have to put extra tape in areas where the opening is too large or cut out is uneven. The window will shift down due to the movement of the sidewalls and vibrations on rough roads so putting spacers at the bottom of the side wall sill will prevent the downward shift causing a leak in several years. If you install it correctly the seal will last for years because the tape will stay pliable. The two windows that I had the most problems with were for leaks were the driver and passenger windows. The ones in the rear have never leaked in 25 years of service.

Butyl tape is what they originally used because it was EASY! I have personally seen all kinds of water damage when the tape was installed incorrectly or shrinkage that left no sealant on the corners.I personally use automotive windshield urethane.Might be a little tough to remove the window but I won't ever have to unless it breaks.

You are going to be trimming off excess with either width tape. If 3/4 is all you need than get that, if you do not know then 1 inch will work no matter which of the two sizes u need.

If you end up with high spots where the window is farther away from the wall in places (maybe the wall is not perfectly flat) then you might need to shove some extra butyl in that space, but before you do this DO loosely tighten the frame as the window frame might help flatten things out.

Tighten some, then a day or two later tighten a little more to give the rubber time to ooze into crevaces at its own speed.

Black streaks? I do not know, coulbe be the pain on the window frame too. You cannot get white rubber, that would be called silicone (what they make white tires out of).

Slightly off topic, but I've read that it's the butyl tape (or any butyl sealant) that produces the infamous "black streak" effect. Any truth to that?

I have some spray cleaner called "Black Streak Cleaner," and it does a great job of easily removing those bad boys.


-Speak

Lynnmor wrote:
Buy the width you need, just be sure it is butyl and not putty tape.

Thanks for the advice. Im seeing a lot of them advertised at butyl/putty.

If butyl is in the name does that make it ok?

My trailer had problems even at 3 years old. I really hate forest river. They didnt even screw my roof together properly. THe techs who installed my windows were completely high, I hope. Im talking up for 3 days on meth high. Still learning about trailers but i think they must have used self leveling sealant on my windows. That has been self leveling its way down the sides of my trailer since i bought it.

Tighten the window screws every year. Replace butyl tape every 10. The flexing of the coach will compress the tape necessitating retightening. After 10 years the tape is fully compressed and dried out hence replacing.

wopachop wrote:
Do some choose non sag sealant instead? Could be more forgiving to changes in gap size.

Risk may be that it acts like adhesive, if you're talking about putting it around the window cutout and bedding the window in it. Then you'll be in a real pickle. :)