The problem with changing out the windows...

So, as I was advised, if I changed out the window gasket material, at some point I'd run into a problem with the wood on an RV this old. So, today was that day.. I changed out the left front bunk window without problems and also the kitchen window -- no issues there either. However, we decided to do the window next to the dinette after the first two.. I had to remove the curtains, valance and window shade in order to gain access to the upper screws holding the inside frame into place. Once the screws were removed however, indications of problems started showing up -- debris coming out from the window opening.. Uh oh..

Once the window was removed, this is what I found...

Notice the damage in the front lower corner -- all of it is dryrot that is due to water infiltration. Interestingly enough, even some of the interior wood panelling is in poor shape but I had not even noticed it.. I'd suggest that if you're going to look at an used RV more than 5-10 years old it might be a good idea to press on all panelling around every window to ensure no rotted panels that are hiding.. Had I done this I might have changed my mind for buying this particular RV -- even though it was in better shape than many others we looked at.

Below is a photo showing the mock-up replacement wood we fabbed up. We found something similar to the original 1x3's used in the window framing and made up a few replacement pieces. I used a Fein Multimaster tool to cut-off the end of the bad area on both the horizontal piece and vertical side beams. The vertical material is not 1x3 -- something much more substantial, which we trimmed off enough material to shove a 1x3 in place and anchor it to the old material on the end with a thin strap tie (e.g. Simpson StrongTie).. More photos to come once it's installed. Meanwhile here's the mock-up below...

In the picture to the right you can see what I ended up with -- using Simpson StrongTie connectors to tie the old to the new..

Rebuilding Windows that have shrunken gaskets..

So some of the windows on our LD have severely shrunken gaskets that I'm sure are the original OEM stuff from '85. The prior owners over the years have applied black caulking to combat leaking -- from afar you don't really notice this unless you're specifically looking for it.. However, it's pretty noticeable up close. What does it look like? Unfortuantely I do not have any photos of our rig's issues but a picture I found at VintageTrailerSupply (a site for Airstream owners) had a photo showing what the issue looks like on a AS trailer's windows and this pretty much sums it up for my LD as well -- unfortunately I'm not sure what the replacement gasket material looks like.. Anyone know?

I'm figuring that IF I'm going to remove the window anyway to replace the existing Butyl rubber caulk that adhere's & seals the frame to the chassis, I might as well fix the other issue with each of these windows since I'd rather do everything at once instead of the possibility of doing it twice..

Lazy Daze being tented for termites this week..

So.. For this week, we're doing tenting.. for termites! As I'd hope most of you know virtually all RV's, trailers and whatnot are made using wood! As with anything made with wood, eventually those pesky termites will find their way in and setup their own all you can eat buffet on your RV. The Lazy Daze is no different! When we purchased ours we knew it had an issue with the bugs as we saw tell-tale signs of their presence -- the salt-n-pepper stuff they left behind in one of the storage bays. We knew we wanted to nip them in the bud by having it tented. We checked with one local place we've used before and got a quote of $550 for the job but they had issues with doing it on their property and were taking their time which I read to mean that they were not as interested in doing the job.. So, I contacted another local firm that does tenting -- Andy's Termite in Lomita and they did the job for less than the first place -- a very reasonable cost I think..

As with tenting a house the termite place must follow the required regulations and the tenting process takes 3 days here in California. Below is a picture showing the rig all buttoned up being fumigated.

To me this seems like something that ought to be done about every 15 years give or take -- assuming you keep your RV that long. Keep in mind that many termite places will NOT fumigate any structure (house, RV, etc) if there are no signs of activity so keep an eye out for that. One other thing to note about having an RV tented -- you may want/need to remove the propane tank(s) from the rig prior to doing the tenting to ensure there's no source of combustibles -- this is the same thing now required by law for doing home tenting -- the gas meter is disconnected from the house and left outside of the tent to ensure no source of gas in the house to combust -- see this story for the background if you like...

Window R&R -- right bunk window

Ok.. Got some pics of the next task I tackled with some help from the kids. This time I thought I'd tackle the window replacement to ensure the weather seal is good and strong to keep the rain out. Since these two front windows are nice-n-small I thought they'd be good first candidates. Taking the old window apart was easy after reviewing the overview here. We visited the MotherShip last Friday 7 minutes before closing to get some "D" gasket which can be used as an alternative to the older style of sealing the windows to the cab using butyl rubber "tape".. I gather that using the butyl rubber tape is a messier endeavor and needs to be done about every 5 years or perhaps a bit longer. Supposedly if you use the "D" gasket you only need to do it once assuming all of the rubber gasket is concealed by a good quality Polyurethane caulking such as 3M's 5200 Marine sealant (make sure you get the "fast cure" version which dries in 24 hours instead of a week) -- you can get this sealant at places like Home Depot (cheapest I gather per a comment from my LD buddy Ramon), West Marine and various other places online.

So, in the picture to the left is the window opening with window removed, old caulking cleaned off and ready for re-installation. Make sure to follow the directions outlined in the link provided earlier -- at this point mineral spirits were used followed later by an application of Acetone to make sure things stick really well.. Did I mention I messed up the first time and had to pull the window off after >12 hours of set time with the 3M 5200 sealant on the gasket. Needless to say it was a PAIN to remove the not completely cured sealant..

In the photo to the right you can see what the window opening looks like with the window removed -- all of the wood is in good shape -- no issues here.

Here's the removed window that's been cleaned up -- no more old gasket material here. I did have to fix a few stripped out holes in the frame -- I could have used a larger screw (#10) but decided to just drill a new hole near the old stripped one. This worked out well -- I used two drill bits - one for the hole through the outer frame where the shank of the screw must pass and then a much smaller hole through the bottom part where the screw must grab. I just wanted a hole to allow the screw to start but something much smaller than the screw needed to ensure a good grab occurs. If you work on the windows on a wall such as I did, make sure you put a few rags underneath to avoid scratching the metal surfaces.

In the photo to the left, you can see the "D" gasket applied to the bottom of the window frame -- the reason it's called "D" gasket is because it looks like a hollow-"D" from the end.

In the photo below you can see the seam of the gasket where the two ends meet. Per the directions, you're supposed to put some sealant in both ends prior to pulling the backing off the last couple of inches. Make sure on each edge that you make at least two (if not four) 1/2" slits to allow the air to escape as the gasket is compressed into the opening during re-installation. Make sure the slit is on the inside edge of the gasket -- NOT the outside edge which could allow the gasket to fill-up with water IF water were to able get in there... Sorry -- I forgot to take some photos of the small slits..

In the photo to the right, you'll see the same window with the 3M sealant applied to the top-center of the D-Gasket per the directions. I put the sealant on a bit heavier than I did the first time to ensure a good seal.

In this photo you can see the finished product -- note that while the top of the window had almost all of the black "D" gasket covered with sealant the rest of the window was spotty at best so I went around the window with the sealant and added more followed by cleanup with Acetone to cleanup any mess-ups on the frame or nearby paint. Too bad the 3M product isn't available in tan with the fast cure feature (they offer a slow-cure version in tan). Unfortunately the documentation for their product doesn't really call out the option for painting but this document does indicate it's possible but that it may crack due to flexing of the material..

The 'first' post.. How it started..

Hi all.. So our family purchased an old '85 Lazy Daze motorhome (the Multi-plan model) from a local family in our area of Los Angeles after having looked at several in the greater LA area -- most were not in very good condition despite being newer models -- most of the 89-91 vintage. Most had issues with the passenger side step for getting into the cab -- they were detached and re-attached with angle iron.. Other issues included broken fridges (~1-2k replacement), filthy insides and broken stoves and various other issues that would lead most people to believe that they hadn't been well taken care of.

So, this older (older than I really wanted to get) '85 was a fresh find for us -- it was local, had been owned by the current owner for 10 years (she was the 3rd owner) and when things broke she had them fixed instead of allowing them to compound into a basket case. While this unit was taken care of, it was not free of issues. A few things I found when doing the initial & subsequent inspections were :

• exterior paint - chipping on both front and rear end-caps badly - with huge areas missing paint down to the aluminum sheeting.
• unknown condition of roof seams -- they didn't look that great but prior owner indicates no leaks.
• Oven not known if it still works -- prior owner only used once in 10 years.
• Evidence of termite damage in passenger side rear compartment -- the tell-tale salt-n-pepper left-overs.
• Bathroom sink missing -- a prior prior owner remove it in favor of a full-sized (full-time) bed. Plumbing is capped and hidden in a recessed compartment with a door.
• Bathroom van non-functional in roof vent
• A rear ceiling light not working (fluorescent bulb probably burned out)
• Squeaky belt issue in engine (fixed by tightening alternator belt)
• Left and right rear corners where vertical wall bends just above tail lights -- both sides have evidence of some sort of structural issue (dry-rot or termites) as the wood paneling is soft in both places -- will open up wall at some point to investigate..
• brakes - hydroboost system not working as designed -- brakes are very hard to press
  

Ok -- with that said, here are the good items to note:

• all appliances appear to work OK as far as I can tell -- fridge, plumbing, stove, roof AC, dash AC (frequently broken on these older rigs), swamp cooler, heater, etc.
• Escape hatch over front bunk area recently replaced
• Engine & Chassis well maintained and regularly taken care of.
• Interior was well taken care of -- almost immaculate!
• All paperwork -- dating back to ordering from the factory, manuals, etc..
  

I'll be posting some photos of the rig in its current state and some of the tasks I'm working on as time goes forward.. My kids & wife are looking forward to our first trip but a few things are needed prior to taking that first trip.