Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I am trying to order windows now for the CT and I am certainly in an area I know little about. I am looking at insulated awning style, but I find many on eBay that I like do not have trim pieces. I realize that the trim rings give you something to screw the windows to, but what do you do without them? Has anyone installed windows where the trim did not come with it?

If so, what did you do for the inside in place of trim ring?

I'm not sure what size window you are going for, but I have this link saved on my checklist for places I've researched to buy a window:

http://teardroptrailerparts.com/Windows___Doors.html

I had more, but a few don't work anymore.
I also found this other blog with some ideas:

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fusea ... 562771.cfm


Ryan

Thanks Ryan,
I sent an email off to the first link this evening already asking them questions about theirs and I will take a peep at your other link.
Please keep in mind, the one issue or question I have is what have others done with windows that come with no Trim pieces. What look like many good buys in eBay have no trim pieces with them and I cannot visualize what the work around is for those windows.

I installed a door that didn't have trim. I glued it to the outside,amd added small pieces of alumimun angle screwed on the inside sides to act as partial trim ring.
kinda hard to see, I have 2" foam walls and the angle sandwitches the wall.

Thanks tac422,
I think I can make out how you did it.
Also to answer my own question, I found this link, viewtopic.php?f=42&t=32504&hilit=No+window+trim&start=45 where this question was basically addressed before. I even had some comments made in it, but I have no recollection of it.

Anyway, with your idea and what I could get out of this link above, I now have some ideas. So now I will go back and compare the windows one can get with trim to those without trim and see if the cost difference is with the extra work.

When I bought mine they did not come with the inside trim ring so I screwed thru the outside lip with self drilling screws and then wrapped rope around the frame on the inside to cover the gap after I caulked it in

PaulS,,
That is an interesting solution. I will add that too my options. Do you have a photo of the final result?

Drilled holes through the exterior trim ring. Used S/S screws.
Used butyl rubber sealing 'tape' under the rim that contacts the exterior panel.
The 'tape' is better than caulk as it makes window removal / replacement easier.
Trimmed the interior with wood (pine) to fit.

Thanks, MtnDon,

How about a silicone sealer instead of the Butyl Tape you mention?

I did go back to your build post and see what you did with your windows. So now I have another way to consider .

In your build post you added a 48" wide egress window. I was worried that such a size would overwhelm the trailer. But it looks good on your trailer. Now that you have spent some nights in the trailer, would you use that size again, or would you go smaller?

Another question: in the photos on this part of you build, viewtopic.php?f=42&t=58336&start=165, what size is your shower pan? 32 x32? Are you satisfied with it?

The reason I don't like silicone caulk for this is in case I need / want to remove the window for any reason. New silicone does npt stick to old silicone. That is one of the few faults with silicone caulk. Every last bit has to be cleaned away in order to re-use silicone again.


Shower pan is a 24 x 32 Kinro I found on Amazon. There are models with right, center and left side drain, as you face the open side. It works for us. I'll be honest and say it is tight, but it does work. I would like 32 x 32 as I used in our compact bathroom in our cabin. However the trailer does not have sufficient width to use anything wider than 24".

lrrowe wrote:PaulS,,
That is an interesting solution. I will add that too my options. Do you have a photo of the final result?

No pics of and I am going to be removing them patching the big window holes with some diamond plate aluminum. Then reinstalling them up higher on the trailer. I'm not sure if I will the same rope as it was the scratchy kind. I got the idea from old boats

Yeah, I kinda of thought of boat rope myself when you mentioned it. Why are you moving your window? Is there some advice there for we who have not cut our window openings yet?

I forgot to answer the ? about liking the size.

That is an absolute Yes!. We both are quite pleased with it. I'd do it again.


I did use some foam in a can (the windows & doors variety) tp seal and fill around the windows and the RV door.

As for window placement before we ordered our trailer, I placed at strip of painters tape at the calculated height of the insulated ceiling on a wall in one of the home rooms. I then cut a piece of cardboard the size of the window frame and also drew a border to indicate the size of the free glass area of the window. That cardboard was taped to the wall at various heights and we played a game of "trailer house". We stood. We sat on the stools we intended to use for dining on the fold down, under the window shelf. When we thought we had a workable position we recorded the data. That was used to order the trailer with the window framing welded in place. The hole was left uncut.

I'm not sure exactly what type of RV sealant tape I used on my teardrop windows; however, the type I used "squished" out beyond the window frame from compression of the fasteners (screws). After a few days to let it set, I trimmed off the excess "squeeze out" and ran a bead of OSI gutter sealant around the edges to keep the RV sealant tape from drying out.