the Wiley Window and a simple DIY "leak proof" door

[rowerwet]

some sketches to help anyone interested understand the details
view cut in half

view from inside looking out

outside looking down and in

outside looking in: make sure the inner lip is higher than the outer one, your drain holes may get plugged, but the gutter will still drain outward that way.

top view

lying under the window frame

[michaelrsydney]

My question would be why have an outer lip at the bottom of the aperture? Eliminating this means that the inner lip can be smaller and there is no need to drill drain holes as the bottom of the window is open to the outside. The major advantage is that is is then much easier to seal the bottom ledge and to keep it clean.

There is a security problem in that it is possible to lift the glazing up when the window in the closed position (though this is true with any Wiley window) but I overcame this by adding a stop bead at the top.

[rowerwet]

I believe the window will have a better water and dust seal by having an inch overlap all the way around the glass, but I could be wrong. for my design the bottom lip is needed for the screen to be secured, around here you will get eaten alive without them. Back home in Maine the black flies area a serious issue, around here misquitos.
I didn't draw a screen into it just to keep it simple.
I believe you plan to have a screen on the outside, in that case a lower lip may not be needed. .
that is the beauty of it, there is no wrong way, as long as it does what YOU want it to.

[angib]

The old yacht window technique was to move those drain holes down by half a diameter and then cut a tapering groove (gutter) across the inside bottom piece to line up with the hole, so that water would drain fully out of the recess. Water collecting in there is not good for the long term rot avoidance.

[rowerwet]

thanks angib!

[KennethW]

I vertical sliding Wiley style twinwall polycarbonate door would cut the cost of building a tear a lot. But how to do the top?
It would cut the support needed in a foamy.

[rowerwet]

not really sure what you are asking, how to do the top of the window, or how to do the top of the door?
do you want to do the door out of something other than wood?

[KennethW]

I was thinking a door out of the same stuff on the on the bottom of the first page of posts with it all painted but for a window. If a door opening could be framed in the same way as a wiley's window but slide out side the top of the wall a teardrop door would be easy and low cost to do. Just looking out for those that would like to build on a very limited budget and still like to teardrop camp.

[Mary C]

KennethW Could you build a mock up of what you are talking about? That will help. I did not understand the Wiley window until Josh put the drawings of the angle of looking into the window corner or as he said the cutaway. That made the mud perfectly clear. The reason I want the little ledge at the bottom of the window is to be able to "seal the window up against the frame to keep dust from getting in and so that "no see ums" and mosquitoes will have a harder time getting in, If cleverly done I can put a little screen over the drain holes too. If the window is thinner plexie-poly it will also keep it from bending out at the bottom.

Thanks for the drawings.

Mary C.

[KennethW]

I was just thinking out loud that the wiley's window design is simple and low cost. If it could be modified as the whole door the cost and difficulty of door building might be eased. That would made first time builder less apprehensive to start. Maybe a inside sliding door with the wiley's wedges and a step on the bottom track to locking it in place ? Just thinking out loud again

[rowerwet]

while you might be able to make an overhead opening sliding door (one that opens by sliding straight up) figuring a way to seal it at the top is the challenge. having to raise and lower a panel to get in and out seems to me to be extra complicated and rather likely to be noisy. Not to mention the issue of weight. If you try it let us know how it goes, some of the ideas that seemed crazy to the rest of us have worked out nicely after all.

You did just give me an interesting idea, a rolling door. the forward lower corner would be a right angle sitting in a "track" on the forward and bottom, the rest of the door would be round and roll back in a channel to open. the channel would be tilted toward the front to help the door close. there would have to be a rail near the top running all the way back to keep the top of the door from falling away from the tear...
now how do you latch a door like that...

[KennethW]

Your ideal has merit. The upper door support could be a t slot (like the bunk bed post) leading back from the rear of the door with the T part mounted on the rear of the door. Like a rear of a minivan door. It would take forethought not to interfere with the tire. Too clarify the front and bottom of the door would slide into a channel mounted on the wall on the camper. The top and back of the door opening would have a rain gutter that a flange on the door would fit over when closed.

[rowerwet]

I think it would be mostly for the cool factor, kind of like Lambo doors, the Lambo needed them to be able to open the door next to an average curb, the rest of the cars getting them put on are just for looks. It could look cool or be just plain neat, but practical? you just can't beat two hinges and a latch...
Not to mention the wiley window doesn't take to well to being turned upside down, any window used on a rolling door would need to be flush on the inside to clear everything, the same issue coming up with a good latch would have.
It's fun to brain storm about though

[rowerwet]

some pictures borrowed from this blog http://lawrencewcheek.com/news/ of the wiley windows being used on a sailboat. Notice the builder used the normal wiley window and a variation that can only be removed or shut



also notice the lack of a window seal, this is a 19 foot sailboat in the Pacific NW, those windows will see waves at some point. Other than the lack of a large inside channel they should work just fine.

Also notice the shape of the sailboat bed, that is a V-berth, very common on boats, plenty of people have sailed around the world with a bed shaped this way, don't be worried about a few inches lost to wheel wells on you teardrop bed. Unless you are shaped very weird you don't need the width for your knees and feet that you want at your shoulders.
(I wouldn't want that brace in the middle of the bed myself... )

[rowerwet]

if you end up using a wiley window, help keep this info around, make a donation to this site with some of the money you saved over RV windows, the button is at the top of the page
(I don't get anything for saying that)