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camper16's avatar
camper16
Explorer
Feb 15, 2021

Help with window leak

Good day, I have a 16ft 2009 funfinder x-160, and noticed a water stain / leak coming from my window. I went ahead and attempted to repair it myself. I resealed the entire roof (Dicor rubber roof sealer) + resiliconed the entire trailer, then I removed the window and noticed the wood on the top part of the window frame opening was wet + slightly rotted. I resealed the window with new putty and sealed the window with RV silicone. Its stored outside for winter and after a few months I went in to check in on it and noticed water streaks in the same spot as before, I’m going crazy trying to hunt the leak, is there any advice at what I’m doing wrong, or how to fix this.
Thank you

5 Replies

  • ScottG wrote:
    And stop using silicone, it's no good for rv's. Plan on removing it and using the right products.

    Agree, I hope you are using the generic term "silicone" and not actually using silicone. If you are, I would strongly encourage you to remove it and use a caulk meant for RVs.

    When you say the "top part" of the window, do you mean the top of the window itself, or the top of the ledge that the lower portion of the window sits upon?

    If the wood is wet from ABOVE the window, that is a bigger issue. That means that water is getting in from above that opening, which could be anywhere. Likely it is the roof, the AC, plumbing stack or something else that the seal has failed. I might bite the bullet and get the trailer pressure tested, that is your best bet for determining the actual leak. Eternabond tape over the roof/wall seam is a great option, and Dicor (or equivalent) on the rest of the roof openings should help as well.

    If the wood is only wet where the window sits on that little ledge, it is most likely a window seal issue. Those are easy enough to fix. Hopefully you didn't use putty, but butyl tape. A good bead of butyl tape, topped off with a little caulk should seal it better than new.

    Good luck!
  • What kind of outside finish do you have?
    Aluminum panels, interlocked together?
    Fiberglass?

    Water could easily be coming from above. Is there a vent, light, or anything on the wall outside above the window? In the roof?

    Can you post a pic?

    I see you live at the Wet Coast in the Lower Rainland! I used live in Surrry til I moved to Calgary.
  • Did you slightly tighten up the four bolts holding the air conditioner on? It only takes a little bit of a turn to tighten it. Unless the bolts are finger loose I would not tighten more than 1/4 to 1/2 turn per bolt.
  • Somewhere in the extruded aluminum of the window frame is a joint where the two ends come together. That joint is sealed with some goop. Make sure there isn't any voids/bubbles/holes in that sealant.

    And stop using silicone, it's no good for rv's. Plan on removing it and using the right products.
  • Anything above the bottom of the window is suspect. Seams, anything on the roof, lights, etc. Not just in the window area - anywhere on the rig. Plus any bad wood means screws etc won't secure as they should.