Just bought- Leaking window (s)- WHERE to get it fixed?

lcds1

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Messages
25
Location
Fremont
We had been looking at Rialtas for some time.


Excited. 2nd night in our new home. Big rain storm.


Leaking windows! I have read about them on here and understand the problem that many have-


My question is - WHERE should we get it fixed? RV places only?


We are in Michigan- traveling south to Florida.


Any recommendations of Michigan places? This is all so new to us that I feel a bit iffy about just


going to "any old place."


Hubby's idea of watching the weather and just staying out of rain- Doesnt work!


Ideas/Suggestions, Please?


Thank you Muchly.
 
I would fix it myself .....


not that hard to do either ...


probably the sealer around the window that is dried out .....



Dan ,
 
Welcome to the Rialta experience. Like many owners, I have been battling leaks around the crank out windows. Using a good clear sealant around the windows is a good first start. I used a caulk gun and painters "blue" tape to get a nice clean bead. After doing that, I discovered that I STILL had leaks.


I determined through trial and error (getting on a step ladder with a jug of water and pouring water onto the roof letting it wash over the window) to determine where the leaks were coming from. In my case, the joint between the roof shell and the side wall had opened up. Water would roll of the roof and "walk uphill" finding its way into that gap and run inside the wall down inside the window frame and drip inside. I think Winnebago originally used some type of liner in the joint but overtime it has opened up and is now useless. I used clear sealant along this gap for the entire length of the coach and that has solved the problem. A steady hand is needed to get a good job. After the sealant set for about a day, I then used a tube style foam insulation strip with an adhesive backing from Home Depot and ran it in that groove along the entire length of the coach. I have the gold package, so the black color looks nice. It also comes in white. It doesn't really stop the water but it makes a nice finishing touch and covers any inconsistencies in the caulk line.



Also make sure your weap holes at the bottom of the crank out window frame is not clogged up.
 
You need to go to this URL for the correction of the leaking rear windows.


http://www.rialtainfo.com


Look under modifications, VW and coach.


Look under sagging Rear side windows for the PDF file that shows how to remove the side windows and reseal them from water leaking. Winnebago did not place any shims under the side windows to keep them from sagging over the years. When they sag, it looses the seal of the butyl tape and therefore leaks at the top of the window.


Many members have done this repair over the years and has proven to be the correction of leaking side windows.
 
leak

Harve is correct, fix the seal between the roof and the side wall. I have replaced the complete side wall and there is a rubber seal. The windows are not hard to remove, it will do a better job.
 
I just had rain leak into my rear side window on my '99 Rialta HD. They had not sagged and the seal-to-the-body looked fine. BUT! I did notice the horizontal vinyl seal between the top fixed pane and the middle louvered glass had shrunk and was now a bit over an inch too short. (My Rialta has the double crank out jalousie glass). My windows were shut tight during the rain storm which allowed the rain to enter that missing gap and go to the inside of the glass. This spilled into the inside of the glass and to the bottom of the metal sill, then down the wall onto my bed pillow....lol I have been researching to get new vinyl seals and have posted recently on trying to find them. It seems, so far, that no one has them or can get them, i.e. Winnebago.
So, this is another way these windows can leak and in my case; did. It turns out that I am going to have to find used window units at a salvage yard but longer windows so the already shrunk vinyl from those can be cut to the exact 36 inches I need.
Paul
 
many window seals are made by steele rubber products- check the website for sizing and profile.
there are automobile AND RV sections of the website-

fabric store on cave creek just south of Bell rd on East side on road stock ALOT of seals- I did my '66 caddy trunk with rubber I bought there.
just in case you are up in PHX in the next while

mike
 
Update on window leak. I found original horizontal seals at an RV salvage yard. Helped a lot - kept rain out and made it much quieter -HOWEVER- my most recent outing encountered very heavy rain. Just a few drops trickled from behind the inner metal frame inside. The inside sill barely got damp so the previous topic of taking the entire window assembly out, replacing the butyl, and installing the shims is my next step. You can see that the window has come down about 1/8" or more. My roof panel to side body seal is still good; no cracks. The passenger back side window has no leaks and looking at my old paperwork (I am 3rd owner) I found they removed that window and resealed it. The driver's side (the one still leaking) was not done. Makes sense now. Thanks!
 

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