Side windows are fogged up

[Tom_in_Tulsa]

Hi all. I have a 2008 Georgetown Class A and the drivers side and the passenger side windows have fogged up to the point to where it is difficult and dangerous to see out the side mirrors.

I was originally told it was the tint on the windows that went bad. My RV tech says it is the inside of the windows between the double panes.
The replacement is $1400 for the 2 sides (4 windows).
Any explanation or other ideas? Is it the tint or the panes?

[BobsYourUncle]

It is not the tint, zero chance of that.

Well outlined in post above, no going to repeat good information.
But I would like to add something based on my 45 years in the glazing / solarium business.

I have cut apart and repaired many failed units over the years. The actual cause of the fogging is a failure of the seal between the 2 panes.

I really wouldn't just try to remove 2 pieces of the spacer bar (sorry garyemunson 🙂 ) it is important to remove all the spacer bar, that is completely separate the glass panes from the spacer bar. Biggest reason is it is all old and it is sometimes difficult to pinpoint exactly where the failure is. And also near impossible to properly clean the glass inside. Reusing spacer bar is a recipe for failure. And the stuff left there is ready to fail.

This can be done at home, but I recommend leaving it to a pro.
The glass needs to be completely removed from the spacer bar, very thoroughly cleaned with glass cleaner only, no wax, polish or any foreign substance at all. Now here is the kicker - if the unit has been failed for any length of time, the inside of the glass will be permanently etched from being fogged up. There is a strong possibility that you may have to replace the glass. The etching cannot be removed.

The glass is tempered, heat treated for safety. This means you have to order the new glass. That's a whole other process. Local glass shops cannot temper glass in shop. It requires a special oven to do it.

If you get through all this yourself and still go ahead to do it, you need to have all new spacer bar on hand, be it superspacer or metal. I would match what is there. The spacer bar has it's own adhesive strip for the initial bond to the glass. Once assembled it then has to be sealed around the outside. Polysulphide is the standard basic stuff they use. It's a 2 part seal, mixed together like epoxy and it cures only when the 2 components are mixed. Better sealing is silicone glazing, made for longer lasting applications. Not to be confused with trying to seal your roof with the stuff.... Different application.

I have a friend with a glass line and when I redo a unit I bring it in to his shop and ask him to seal it for me or if I can have at his equipment. It's a special process.

Personally, I would let a pro do it. It is involved and you need to know your way around, and understand how this stuff works. If you leave even one little pinhole in the seal, it will fog up again.

Then there is the obvious. You need a clean environment to do this, without a dust storm blowing by.

Another thing is to be sure the unit is done at your level above sea. Huh? You say?
Contrary to what a lot of people believe, it is NOT a vacuum in there. If you live at 2000 feet above sea level and the shop sealing the glass is 8000 feet above sea level, the difference in air pressure will push the 2 panes towards each other in the middle. Not that much of an issue on small units, but on big ones it is noticeable. We used to order windows from a place years ago. They would come with a small needle sized tube in the sealed unit to equalize the pressure at the destination. It would have to be sealed shut prior to installation.

Food for thought....

[DC_MC]

A few years ago we were getting our windshield replaced and the glass guy said that when our side windows were bad enough to impair sight that our insurance would fix them, just like a cracked windshield. So if you are talking about the windows along side the front seats this may apply. Certainly worth checking.

[Big_Katuna]

Sun last Design in Hudson FL did mine. A few hundred per window.

You can ship the windows to them.

[DFord]

Take your RV to the RV Fog Doctor in Searcy, Arkansas. https://www.facebook.com/pg/RVFogDr-686463821403421/about/
Call them to make an appointment, the drive will be easy from Tulsa. Park in front of their garage and connect to their full hook-ups. Spend the night. They'll pull you inside the next morning, pull your windows and have them fixed in a few hours. Spend another night (no charge) and head back to Tulsa the next morning.

They did mine a couple of years ago. $300 for the first window and $200 for every window after that. 2 year warranty, Cash or check only - they do not take credit cards.

[garyemunson]

It is inside the double pane window. Fixing them is an easy but time consuming project. You have to remove the window so you can open the frame up to remove the glass assembly. I used a razor knife to cut the spacer out of the top and bottom of the glass and use a wire coathanger to pull a rag between the panes. I found Turtle Wax Chrome Polish (in the green container) works well to remove the deposit on the inside of the glass. Once clean, you use "Super Spacer" to replace the top and bottom piece you removed. This stuff comes in different widths. The link may not be the width you need..you have to measure the distance between the two panes and order the correct spacer.

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Wide-Edgetech-Super-Spacer/dp/B00UVUUU5Y/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=super+spacer&qid=1573220572&sr=8-1

You set the spacer in about 1/4" and fill the remaing gap with the proper sealant, also resealing along the 2 edges you did not remove. I did have one glass assembly come completely apart due to the spacer and sealer failing. Did make it easier to clean that one!

https://www.amazon.com/C-R-Laurence-Super-Spacer-Sealant/dp/B006JFKTUQ/ref=pd_bxgy_2/136-4484974-8224667?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B006JFKTUQ&pd_rd_r=ab6b6bba-0bfc-4679-b6d5-b337b4295e28&pd_rd_w=IvrR2&pd_rd_wg=MPdrr&pf_rd_p=09627863-9889-4290-b90a-5e9f86682449&pf_rd_r=62R4RXDC144N15H9DNCD&psc=1&refRID=62R4RXDC144N15H9DNCD

While commercial companies tout "argon gas" filling, for an RV it's not going to make ANY difference. RVs are so poorly insulated the efficiency loss with normal air will not be measurable. Just do the repair on a dry day. The spacer itself has some desiccant in it to absorb any stray moisture you trap in the window assembly during repair. Usually the two sliding front windows are the worst as they get opened and closed the most causing the sealer to break loose and allow moist air into the glass assembly. More and more RVs with double pane glass are coming with single pane on the driver and passenger windows because of this. Resealing will cure the problem for another 8-10 years. Double pane are a "pain" but they are even more important in an RV than a house, especially if you camp in cold weather. In your house, you don't sleep as close to a window as you do in an RV and there is a HUGE difference in the cold air sliding off a double pane compared to single pane making the RV much more comfortable.