Kitchen window leak

[dan23]

The kitchen window in my RV leaks. I'm sure it is the window that is leaking because I covered it from the outside with plastic sheeting taped to the wall and there were no leaks when conditions (i.e., it was raining) were such that without the cover it would leak.

The window is small, only about 16 or so inches wide and perhaps 24 inches tall depending on whether you measure just the glass or the frame too. It's a slide-to-open window with the lower pane sliding upward to open. The problem seems to be that the drain in the bottom rubber seal doesn't drain fast enough during rain, water backs up on that track and spills over on the inside of the window.

Have you ever faced this problem and if so, how did you solve it? I tried a deflector attached to the glass that would direct rain streaming down the surface out past the bottom track. Didn't work.

I've made sure the drain is open and I suppose I could cut a couple of additional ones, but I wonder if the water is drawn up the rubber seal on the inside by capillary action of water in a narrow space. Then it runs down into the inside of my RV.

Ideas? Successes?

[magik235]

dan23 wrote:
No more leaking.

Excellent

[dan23]

In the end, I made the drain hole to the outside larger and cut out a one-inch piece of the seal material inside the aluminum frame at the bottom so water could get to the drain hole better. Previously, the drain hole was only about an inch wide on the inside because of the way it was made.

No more leaking.

[dan23]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to put another drain toward each corner of the lower outside seal.

[John_Joey]

midnightsadie wrote:
JOHN @JOEY, well I,ve opened up a few over the yrs with much better flow and no problems. try it before you judge it.

Read what you wrote and what was said. You said to "do away with them" and also open them up. Opening them up is not the advice that is in question.

[ksg5000]

Pulling RV window, scraping out old buty tape and reapply new isn't hard and something that is common as rig ages. Nice youtube video - worth search.

[midnightsadie]

JOHN @JOEY, well I,ve opened up a few over the yrs with much better flow and no problems. try it before you judge it.

[Gjac]

If the weep holes are not plugged I would remove the window and install new sealing tape under the flange of the window on the outside. The old tape must be removed first.

[John_Joey]

midnightsadie wrote:
...even do away with them if you can.

That would be a huge mistake.

[midnightsadie]

if at all possible make the holes bigger, even do away with them if you can.

[Jack_Diane_Free]

Pull the rubber seal out and clean the track and weep holes. Sometimes the debris gets trapped under the seal and re-plugs the weep holes. That was my experience.

[John_Joey]

Mine would do the same thing and it was always the weep holes being plugged. I know you said you checked them, but take a tiny screw driver and from the outside clean out the weep holes once again. Those windows are made/designed to drain and not puddle up like that.