Front overhead window leak points

[Tahoe]

For the first time I looked at the front overhead window and why it might leak. Mine leaks from 2 sources. Thankfully it's not bad but every time it's washed or it rains you see leaks.

[The first leak source which is not an issue on mine is the seal between the window frame and fiberglass. Even though it's not leaking you can see that because the fiberglass is not perfectly straight there are some gaps all around in a few places. Before this becomes a problem I plan on running a bead of caulk at least along the top and partially down the sides.

The second source is the actual seal around the glass. I have 2 very tiny leaks there along the bottom. This seal can shrink and harden over time leaving a path to leak. I bought some Permatex black, non silicone sealant that is non hardening and flows into the voids. Not sure if it will work or not but that's what it's made for. Worth giving it a try and then testing in a day or 2.

The last source is a big one where most of my water is coming from. It's the weep holes on the bottom of the window. There are 4 of them and every time you see water from rain or washing there is nothing to prevent them from filling up. They don't drain because because the window is at an angle. Lots of water accumulates and can only go away with evaporation or leaking. The holes are only useful if the window is installed vertically and we're originally a way for condensation to escape. Why can't these be just plugged up? Does your coach have plugs in these holes? I'm going to either buy or make some plugs to see what happens because it's the biggest leak points I have.

I'll be trying to finish these fixes in the next couple of days and then do hose test and see if it works.

[Roger H]

My 2001 23RK developed a leak in the cab-over front window and I diagnosed it as the gasket seal strip shrinking away from the gasket itself. I used NAPA 4121 windshield sealant to flow into all of the gaps on both sides of the sealing strip, and it did the job.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/MSR4121

[Tahoe]

Thanks, I'll check out th NAPA product. What about those weep holes? That's where 99% of my water is coming from. As a temp fix this morning I cut very short pieces of round screen door rubber piping and inserted them into the slots. They seem to be perfect because the are slightly larger than the slot, they compress easy because they're hollow, and they have ridges to grip the slot. They do not seem like they will go completely through the slot unless forced pretty hard. I was going to put some sealant over them and test in a couple days. I know they serve a function on the side windows, but in front it just fills up the channel with a lot of water and I do mean alot. After washing the coach I put compressed air into one of the slots and it blew lots of water out the other slots and blew water onto the overhead bed area. I see zero function in these weep holes unless someone else knows of good reason to keep them.

[jlef123]

You should do a search for this topic on the forum. I had the window on my 2002 coach repaired professionally by a local RV place. He tried several times and failed each time. I finally took it to the factory where they took the window out and replaced it with a fiberglass panel. You no longer have that option but it is possible to have that done by a skilled technician, especially one who works with boats.

[Tahoe]

You should do a search for this topic on the forum. I had the window on my 2002 coach repaired professionally by a local RV place. He tried several times and failed each time. I finally took it to the factory where they took the window out and replaced it with a fiberglass panel. You no longer have that option but it is possible to have that done by a skilled technician, especially one who works with boats.

I love the window so don't want it taken out. I knew the factory had that option but we really like the natural light coming in. I just finished with the plugs and glass to seal sealant an hour ago. We'll see if I did any good or just made things worse by the end of the weekend.

[jlef123]

I can understand how you feel about the light from that window. My wife and I did not sleep up there and generally used it for storage more than anything else so the light was really never something we thought about. We actually always kept the window covered. The Florida sun would really heat up the coach if we didn't. Of course living in WA you probably look forward to the sun. I do like the large skylights that I have seen in european coaches. Makes the standard 14" fan openings we have look like keyholes. They also double as emergency escape hatches. Can not understand why american coach builders have never adopted them.

[Tahoe]

I can understand how you feel about the light from that window. My wife and I did not sleep up there and generally used it for storage more than anything else so the light was really never something we thought about. We actually always kept the window covered. The Florida sun would really heat up the coach if we didn't. Of course living in WA you probably look forward to the sun. I do like the large skylights that I have seen in european coaches. Makes the standard 14" fan openings we have look like keyholes. They also double as emergency escape hatches. Can not understand why american coach builders have never adopted them.

Sun? I haven't seen it much since moving from Tahoe. I like those large skylights as well. We live in the Olympic rain shadow so not too much rain, but it is overcast a lot. Not complaining at all, but we did have a very wet Winter and early Spring which made leaks hard to deal with, but we did very good preventing damage except for the carpet. No rain forecast for at least a week, and without shelter for the coach, now it's my time fix and clean everything while it's dry. I'm seriously thinking of getting an RV shelter so I can make more permanent repairs and keep the coach dry during the Winter.

[Roger H]

Thanks, I'll check out th NAPA product. What about those weep holes? That's where 99% of my water is coming from.

My 23RK was an '01, and I believe that the mount the factory used in those days was just good ol' fashioned auto windshield gasket. Granted, it's been ten years since I've had the coach, but I don't recall my window having weep holes. The water used to just puddle up on the window at the bottom which is how it began to seep through the gasket as the gasket material shrunk.

Sorry! It sounds like later on, for your coach, they began using some kind of commercial RV window.

[Tahoe]

Successful update! Fingers crossed I simulated a hard rain on the front of the coach for one hour. Just finished a few minutes ago and I had zero leaks

I tried yesterday to buy the NAPA sealer but it was going to take 2 days to get it so I went with the Permatex. It will hopefully work for a long time. I put it over the plugs I made for the weep holes as well.

Yes, my window is a Hehr RV window just like the rear non opening window, but a different size. The 4 weep holes are not at the low point because of the slant of the window. I don't know if the holes are/were a mistake because if they had used the same trim top and bottom there would be no holes and no water could get in. It was never a real bad leak, but it was annoying. We used to just throw towels up there and they would get damp, but never soaked. Typically we would see drips at the 2 bottom corners. Fingers crossed that's the end of the problem.