Critical Window Modification

 

I'm a fan of tip-out style windows

like the old jalouisie windows on Grandma's summer-porch.

Granted those have fallen out of favor in the US (but is still common in many other parts of the world) because of all the moving parts and less-than-perfect seal, but there's nothing better for being able to leave your windows open in all sorts of weather. And what's  a window for if not to be open?

I went so far as to install

two expensive RV escape windows in the cargo trailer and modify them with holes and a pin so I could have secure tip-out openers. (Being designed for the passage of human bodies - well, reasonable porportioned and/or motivated ones - without the pin it's easy for someone on the outside to crawl inside.)

Single panel tipouts similar to this, but with better operating mechanisms, are common on European RV's and are starting to become available, with a premium price tag, on some high-end US RV's,

but that's not what came on my mid-priced teardrop.

There's lots of windows, four in total, on this tiny trailer, but all of them are vertical sliders, with the bottom panel sliding up to open the window.

They provide plenty of ventilation, I'm not complaining about that, but when open they suck in anything more than the lightest of breezeless rains. That I'm complaining about!

And I'm not alone. Because of that shortcoming you can buy

all sorts of these aftermarket window visors in an attempt to improve the situation.

Not a perfect solution, but better than the original window alone.

The smallest one I could find fit on the door and "protect" the window. (I only open the door windows because they are easier to operate than the side-wall windows and, along with my powered roof vent, provide plenty of ventalation in just the right spot.)

I say protect in quotes because, since the opener is at the bottom, so far away from any door-mounted visor, it actually sucks only slightly less than nothing at keeping rain out.

The visors would do a much better job if they were mounted on the horizontal midpoint frame-member of the window, just above the opener itself, but are way too long to fit here, interfering with the door-latch and, because the window sits proud of the door and not flush, leaving much of the visor hanging unsuported out in the air.

So, naturally, my first instinct was to take a saw to my brand new and expensive (nearly $40 apiece!) visors, cutting the middle out of each one!

I put my finest-tooth blade into the tablesaw and carved a length of scrap wood to the inside profile of the visor as a backer as I very carefully guided the precious plastic through the blade while holding my breath.

Because I knew that no matter what I did, the resulting seam would be visible, I very carefully measured things so that the seam would be centered in the revised visor.

While I was at the saw I also cut several half-inch wide splice-plates out of the leftover middle. (One is just barely visible in the top left of the photo)

Now I had to find an adhesive that would splice all the bits back together, experimenting with some extra splices and scraps of visor left over from my butchery.

Tried canopy glue first because it's concidered a 'bonds all' and dries crystal clear.

Nope, that didn't work at all!

Next up was styrene glue - good ol' plastic model cement - but, although that created a bond, it was a very weak one. So that wasn't going to work.

So, good ol' superglue it is.

Well, Gorilla Glue's modified version, which is much less brittle and more impact resistant than straight cyanoacrylates.

After some very carefull work (I certainly didn't want superglue fingerprints all over my brand new, if hacked up, visors!), and almost $100 dollars in costs, I had two visors of just the right size

to fit on the window frames and do a fair job, not perfect but the best I can expect within my budget, of keeping rain out of the open windows.

That was a fair few miles, a handfull of rains, and many camp-nights ago and so far they are working and holding up just fine.