rebuild

re-sealing a fixed window
By Carole & Robin Baldock

All the information on this page has been supplied by Carole( Cazanne) and her Husband Robin

*Tools needed for the project*
Caravan window seal Mastic on a roll tyre levers a knife	washing up liquid white spirits rags two people
and Lots of strength!

Removing the window

Step 1

Robin removed the old window which came out without any problems

First Robin Removes the outer thin rubber from the thin channel this is what holds the window in place.

Step 2

Using the two tyre levers, place in the corner under the window glass and start to lift. as in picture.

Step 3

Now gently lift the window out of the rubber seal and prize it slowly towards the corner were you started and it will come out

Step 4

The Window is now out, carefully store the window in a place where its not in any danger of getting damaged. it would be wise to wrap it in a blanket for protection against scratches.

Step 5

Find the seal join which is normally at the bottom centre of the frame. Start lifting the seal away from the frame but be sure to do this very slowly, if you remove it to fast you could damage the wooden framework.

TOP TIP use a blade as you pull the seal away use the blade to cut the mastic off as this reduces the pressure needed to remove the seal.

Step 6

Now remove all the mastic from the frame. Removing all the old mastic can be a tiresome time but the more you put in the better the new seal will be so its essential to get all the old sealant off. Using white spirits with a rag and sometimes a scraper will get it all clean . At this point its worth checking the wood frame around the window for damp or wood rot and treat it if needed.

Re-installing the window

We decided to use W4 mastic on a roll as it had been recommended to us

	We put the mastic directly on to the window frame, making sure we got right into the corners. when placing the mastic on the frame remember to leave the backing paper on the mastic until your ready to fit the rubber seal.
	We also purchased A new rubber seal. Putting the seal on is not an easy job! The seal comes in two pieces , the main seal and the outer locking key.

Step 7

If you look at the seal you will see two big lips the larger one goes on the out side frame opening them up as you go round. this job requires two people, one person to hold the seal and remove the backing paper as needed and the other too feed the seal onto the frame and press it down , this must be done slowly, and make sure you push firmly, as you go along. I was elected to the removing of the mastic paper and supporting the weight of the seal while Robin fed the seal into place.

We started at the bottom centre of the window frame, first I removed some of the mastic backing paper and my husband opened the seal and fed it onto the frame, slowly we worked our way up, then it got harder to do, I didn't have the strength to continue so I called my dad! (Derek). Dad took over my roll of holding the weight of the seal and removing the seal paper.

It is worth mentioning that you must get the rubber seal tight into the corner of the frame, to do this takes a lot of pressure.

Step 8

I went to the www.ukcampsite.co.uk to ask the fixed it club for ideas on how to fit the window back in.
It was suggested that we try putting string into the rubber and feed the window in as the string should pull the rubber outwards. We tried but were unable to get it to work that way.

We managed to put the bottom of the window in just using our fingers but as we got higher the seal got tighter and eventually we could go no further. It was at this point that the two tyre levers came in, Robin was inside and my dad was out and then with body weight and the levers working their way around bit by bit the window went back into the seal.

Step 9

The next job was to put the thin rubber locking key rubber into the small groove, bet you think that was easy but no, we got some washing up liquid on a cloth and ran it on the inside of rim then using the levers and the washing up liquid the job got done.

Step 10

Finally we started to remove all the mastic of the out side of the frame with white spirit, and do the same for the inside, we then stood back and admired our hard work feeling very proud of ourselves.

Job Done!

Robin Baldock - (Dad) Derrick - Carole Baldock

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