Dual pane windows....

[KKELLER14K]

Well having a great holiday season hope you are too. Well a discussion came up about winter camping and if you RV camp year round should you have them? My experience is that it really does help out actually all year round IMHO...keeping heat in and keeping the hot out..would like to hear some input...just sound off if you have them. What is your take on the extra insulated option?..I know some builders offer it now as a just do it..it comes as standard. Just want to have a new thread as to everyone's opinion.
Oh and by the way..check out my dual pane conversion in the camper door...no one makes this... at least the last time I checked....it is in the university...sticky. I mean why have dual panes and a door that does not?

Sorry still trying to figure out Photobucket....All my Pics are blurry. Trying to find a solution.

[brholt]

We are also a fan of dual pane windows. Besides insulation and sound reduction we really like the reduction in condensation. We do a lot of camping in the PNW, think cool and wet, and moisture is an ever present issue. The camper door windows (single pane) tend to fog up a lot when cooking etc. It is relatively easy to keep the dual pane windows clear.

7 years and no failures after some pretty rough roads

[Bedlam]

Our last two campers have had dual pane windows and we like them over the single pane of the past. Arctic Fox used to a have storm window option but you could not open your windows with them in place. I think these would provide even better temperature and sound insulation but the hassle was not worth trying them.

[Geewizard]

DWeikert wrote:

bighatnohorse wrote:
I've had two campers with dual pane windows and none failed.
Dual panes reduce condensation, reduce outside noise and provide greater temperature comfort.
BUT, dual panes add additional weight to the camper.

My Dometic windows are plastic. I suspect they actually weigh less than a single pane glass window.

They do weigh less. And the Dometic/Seitz dual pane windows help a lot with heat loss. Plus, they have built-in screens/shades and an opening system that is far better than other RV windows I'm aware of.

Yes, I own a pop-up with insulated fabric. Yes, there's heat loss. And yes, every little bit of insulation, including dual-pane windows helps keep that heat loss down.

Mine have never leaked in 15 years.

My 2 cents.

[KKELLER14K]

MMM...good debate so far. I have had singles, a front window, single pane door, storms and dual panes. Glad to see the diversity of opinion. I only wanted to see your experience with what you have had and this is good info for this time of year...Me personally had no issues with fogging. I once stayed overnight at Timberline lodge where it was -50 wind chill overnight...It defiantly helped on that trip from my observations.

[Big_Katuna]

I wouldn’t consider an RV without dual pane windows. I have had both.

The noise and condensation alone make it worth it.

All the failures you hear about are almost always SEGI (bankrupt) in the 2000s.
They had a near 100% failure rate and almost everybody used them except higher end brands.

[DWeikert]

bighatnohorse wrote:
I've had two campers with dual pane windows and none failed.
Dual panes reduce condensation, reduce outside noise and provide greater temperature comfort.
BUT, dual panes add additional weight to the camper.

My Dometic windows are plastic. I suspect they actually weigh less than a single pane glass window.

[kohldad]

My camper doesn't have thermal pane windows so I made a storm window for the windows I want to see out. Just bought a piece of acrylic then cut/sanded it to fit inside the window frame. But a piece of foam seal around the edge then tape it in place when I want to use it. The rear one by the back door hasn't been removed in 3 years. The large dinette window gets removed in the spring when I want to open the window, it is removed and stored behind the dinette cushion. While it isn't exactly dual pane, it does virtually stops the condensation, definitely stops the cold draft, and rarely fogs up.

For the ones I don't care about seeing through or want light in, I just cut/sand a piece of 1/2" foam board. Even better than the acrylic.

When boondocking down to 0* F, these mods sure makes it a lot more enjoyable.

[DutchmenSport]

Photobucket? Once you pay their ransom price to use their site, the photos will probably clear up.

[bighatnohorse]

I've had two campers with dual pane windows and none failed.
Dual panes reduce condensation, reduce outside noise and provide greater temperature comfort.
BUT, dual panes add additional weight to the camper.

[DWeikert]

I have the Dometic dual pane windows on my Northstar. I've camped in temperatures in the teens and was very impressed at how well they kept the cold out. If, for whatever reason, I got another camper I'd get the same windows.

[ScottG]

I would not have ordered them with our trailer because of their terrible history but it was a standard option. We have three seasons on them and they really are a huge improvement over standard windows. Much more quiet and the AC doesn't struggle like the old trailers did even though this RV is much bigger.
Our rig is protected from the sun when not on a trip though. That may be why the windows are holding up.

[HMS_Beagle]

I've had dual pane windows in 3 RVs now and have not had the seals go. I'm familiar with the problem as I have had them go in my house. Two Bigfoot campers, both with dual pane everywhere, not one failure over 25 years. Had them in my Safari motorhome too, no failures, but only owned that for 6 years. Maybe the brand/manufacturer makes a difference?

I like them, partly for the thermal insulation, but not mentioned so far is the noise insulation which is very noticeably better than single pane. In today's crowded and noisy campgrounds I'd buy them for that alone.

[Kayteg1]

KKELLER14K wrote:
I mean why have dual panes and a door that does not?
Because when you camp you have a curtain in this window most of the time.
Sorry still trying to figure out Photobucket....All my Pics are blurry. Trying to find a solution.PAY THEM

I have winter-rated camper with heating duct going into holding tanks compartments, but no return duct.
Meaning my furnace blows the air via the compartment into the woods.
Than cable compartment was open to the interior, allowing air flow.
The battery compartment has venting holes outside and no insulation inside. Similar for propane and generator compartments.
WH insulation has lot of big holes.
Why worry about dual pane windows when so many holes are coming straight from the manufacturer?

[chast]

Yes, less condensation with dual pane, but you can control moisture even if you have single pane windows.

[schlep1967]

Question about dual pane. Do they help reduce condensation? I've seen units with rotted out walls below the windows from the condensation on the inside.