Wet wall under window but not leaking from window

[Chuckm-HILO]

Hello all,

Recently purchased a 2007 22ft hi lo. Sadly we were too eager and didn't do a great job of inspection. But here we are. We live in Oregon...so it wet outside..and there was some wallpaper water damage around the windows. Minor it seemed. I have resealed all the windows and the trailer has not moved since it's been done, so no vibration. The wall was getting wet above and below the window some. The plywood under the wallpaper is damp in spots. After resealing everything I see the water beeding on the outside and no more damp ply wood above the window. Below the window however it is still damp.when it is raining. No moisture on the window edge itself and no moisture where the window curves. The weep holes at the bottom of the window are all clear. It really seems to be 2 inches below the window and mostly near the middle of the window. I can not for the life of me figure where the water is coming from. Any suggestions from those of you with experience would be awesome.
Chuck

 

[campthewestcoast]

Water works around in funny places
I would work on the roof to wall seam above the windows
You should remove the trim clean all old caulking and brytil tape ( gasket material )
Replace brytil gasket material re attach trim with caulking and new screws
I use sikaflex 1a. For caulking
Fortunately with my 2206 by doing this I haven’t had water in my walls
I think the water is collecting at the bottom of the window working it’s way down

 

[campthewestcoast]

I seen the britil gasket material boil out of my roof to wall seam at the trim on a hot day pass the caulking turning it black

 

[campthewestcoast]

By using sikaflex 1a I only have to recaulk every6 years

 

[Chuckm-HILO]

Thanks for the info. Just curious. The strip at the bottom of the top half, does that have any sealant? My hi lo doesn't look like it does anywhere.

 

[Usagi5678]

Good News Bad News

I owned a 1990 25FT. Classic HiLO that we bought used. No one told us that after year five the windows need to be taken out and religned with butyl tape and fresh caulk on the outside. Ended up with wall damage..major repairs that took five month of part time work and about $1,000 in materials. You Tube has a tutorial on window removal. While you have the window out you will be able to see the wall layers. This will determine if you need to replace the wall layers. You are not the first person to do these repairs. We now have a 1996 26FT. Classic. First thing we did was remove the windows and reseal with butyl tape and Lexel caulk. All windows taken out except the huge front curved window as it is covered with a rock guard. Our exit window.wall was starting to delaminate. DH glued and clamped it. This season DH will check every inch of the exterior to see if any caulk needs to be renewed. When you start repairs take pictures and post. We will advise you on repairs. These trailers are very sturdy as compared to the shoddy RVS that are being manufactured today.

 

[campthewestcoast]

Yes the trim strip on bottom of the top half should have caulking
To keep the water out
I also bought my trailer used and the pass owner caulked this as I did too
Not sure how it came from the factory

 

[Chuckm-HILO]

Usagi: thank you for your input. Appreciate it.

 

[Carver-HILO]

If I dont sound silly, I love Flex Seal ! I know, I know...but by God...IT WORKS. Spray all around your windows and roof seams. AC unit, antenna base...everything!

 

[Danapangle]

Front window leaks?

I'm wondering if anybody has had to take out their front window because of leaks? I just redid the two side windows with butyl tape, and I'm about to redo the back window over the sink. I'm not sure if I need to because it's recessed, but the tape has turned black and it's ugly. Just wondering?

Also, I'm about to grease the lift lines with lithium grease, does anybody have any hints as to the best way to go about it?


---------------------
Dana Angle
Ione, CA
2000 Hi-Lo 17RK
2001 Toyota Tundra Camper
1 wife, 1 dog, a whole lot of firewood

 

[JackandJanet]

Dana, my HiLo manual says to lubricate the lift cables with WD-40. It will run down the cable if applied at the top pulleys and then "kind of solidify" on the cable to protect it. I've also used other spray lubes such as garage door lube. I think a grease would be hard to apply to the entire cable.

- Jack

 

[rogerssj]

Seal trim on bottom of top half.

While reading your question and the follow up answers, I can understand your problem. As stated before, the bottom seal does need to be caulked. Living in Ohio, I have been able to use J&R Trailer repair many times. The last repair was for the area you have described. After talking with Jim and Rob, I found that they have located a larger metal trim to replace the factory trim along the bottom edge of the top. I had them replace all the trim and caulk. You really can't tell that it is larger and allows for extra caulk to be used. This area has turned out to be my largest problem since purchasing the trailer 15 years ago.

 

[oldcarguy]

Couple of thoughts on your leak
- If the windows have one-piece rounded corner frames, there will usually be a single joint in the frame in the bottom center - it's possible that water is collecting in the bottom of the frame and leaking out of that joint. If your window has a large fixed center piece of glass, check the seal around the perimeter of the glass for deterioration for spots where there isn't a good seal to the frame where water could be getting in.
- If your trailer has a "porch light" high on the outside wall above and to the left of the main door, check that for a good seal as well. Not too likely it's coming from there, but water leaks can take weird paths, especially inside walls.
- If you wind up taking the upper rain gutters and/or lower trim off to reseal those joints, you might want to consider replacing all the screws with stainless steel. All of the exterior screws on our trailer are round-head #8 "Robertson" square drives - identical screws in stainless steel are readily available on the web, and they're not expensive.

Hello all,

Recently purchased a 2007 22ft hi lo. Sadly we were too eager and didn't do a great job of inspection. But here we are. We live in Oregon...so it wet outside..and there was some wallpaper water damage around the windows. Minor it seemed. I have resealed all the windows and the trailer has not moved since it's been done, so no vibration. The wall was getting wet above and below the window some. The plywood under the wallpaper is damp in spots. After resealing everything I see the water beeding on the outside and no more damp ply wood above the window. Below the window however it is still damp.when it is raining. No moisture on the window edge itself and no moisture where the window curves. The weep holes at the bottom of the window are all clear. It really seems to be 2 inches below the window and mostly near the middle of the window. I can not for the life of me figure where the water is coming from. Any suggestions from those of you with experience would be awesome.
Chuck

 

[oldcarguy]

Lubricants specifically for wire rope & cable are available from multiple suppliers (google "wire rope lubricant") - most come in spray cans and are designed to penetrate into the cable, leaving the outer surface dry so the cable doesn't attract dirt & grit.

Not sure how well lithium grease would penetrate into the cables between the strands, and with the cables exposed under the trailer, I'd be a bit concerned about the cables getting grit embedded in them if there's any grease on the exposed surface of the cables.

I'm wondering if anybody has had to take out their front window because of leaks? I just redid the two side windows with butyl tape, and I'm about to redo the back window over the sink. I'm not sure if I need to because it's recessed, but the tape has turned black and it's ugly. Just wondering?

Also, I'm about to grease the lift lines with lithium grease, does anybody have any hints as to the best way to go about it?


---------------------
Dana Angle
Ione, CA
2000 Hi-Lo 17RK
2001 Toyota Tundra Camper
1 wife, 1 dog, a whole lot of firewood