tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208406.post6160533932642567866..comments2024-03-28T08:26:58.108-04:00Comments on Our Odyssey: FloodedLouisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06306854459459257368noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208406.post-22176989591131445932008-11-19T10:28:00.000-05:002008-11-19T10:28:00.000-05:00Ed and Tom,Don't think that we haven't spent hours...Ed and Tom,<BR/><BR/>Don't think that we haven't spent hours trying to find these leaks. Us, and two professional shops.<BR/><BR/>The windows on the Neoplan are unique -- curved at the top to match the roof line, and slanted at the sides. They cost $1,800 each, and can take up to three months to get from Germany. So we can't do anything that might risk breaking one -- including trying to remove it from the coach.<BR/><BR/>The windows are glued in -- quite unlike flat windows, such as Peninsula brand, which are mechanically fastened in place. The fixed, double-pane ones are glued directly, glass-to-metal. The single-pane emergency exits are in a metal frame, which is in turn glued into the coach.<BR/><BR/>The correct way to fix this problem for good is to remove all six windows, clean all the old glue off, and re-glue them, possibly with a different adhesive. However, in order to do this without risking losing the use of the bus (which is our only home) for, potentially, three months, we would have to order and have on hand four windows ($7,200) -- one each left and right fixed glass, and one each left and right emergency exit (there are two of each of those on the bus, but we could stop the show if one broke).<BR/><BR/>Since Neoplan USA is out of business, all parts are non-returnable, non-refundable. So now, if we don't use all the spares we had on hand, I need to pay someone to keep them for me until the day we might need one (there is no market for them here, so I can't just eBay them for 30 cents on the dollar, or whatever).<BR/><BR/>All of this work needs to happen indoors in a large shop. So, realistically, we would be looking at $10,000-$15,000 to do this job the right way.<BR/><BR/>Instead, what we have done is to apply spot fixes from time to time, having tried various sealants whenever we can actually find the leak. Water, of course, can travel quite a ways between where it penetrates outside, and exits inside, and so finding the actual source of the leaks is problematic.<BR/><BR/>Things are bad enough now that we will at least need to find a shop that can remove the rain gutters, and carefully excavate perhaps a quarter inch or so of the adhesive at the tops of the windows, then apply Sikaflex or Betaseal or some other commercial adhesive sealant in the area to try to stem the tide.<BR/><BR/>In the meantime, you'll probably continue to hear me rant about it here on the blog -- this is, after all, about our trials and tribulations as well as our adventures.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17930398671280529448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208406.post-10034202084280737642008-11-16T20:42:00.000-05:002008-11-16T20:42:00.000-05:00i replaced all the windows in my newell with new p...i replaced all the windows in my newell with new peninsula double pane windows myself. i had leaks around one of the old windows where the window had pulled away from the coach. the way the manufacturer recommends installing the new windows is simply a one sided adhesive foam strip on the window frame that is compressed by the inner window trim ring. then i caulked the outside of the window frame with a high quality exterior silicone caulk...quite a bit of work to look nice. the trick is to use automotive trim tape to put on the coach right next to the window so you can avoid the caulk getting on the coach. <BR/><BR/>another approach which some use is extremely goooky. it is a black gummy tape kinda putty stuff but it is really nasty to put but will really seal it up. <BR/><BR/>my two cents worth. the problem with not fixing the leaks is what damage it is doing on the plywood interior walls. i had some wood rot i had to repair on mine. <BR/><BR/>tomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208406.post-75152246425697609912008-11-15T13:40:00.000-05:002008-11-15T13:40:00.000-05:00y dont you take a garden hose and start on the sid...y dont you take a garden hose and start on the side of the coach and (work your way up) the side (s) not from the top down<BR/>water comeing in that fast would show up even faster and better to pinpoint look close at your A/C units <BR/>or move to a dry city have a safe day EdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com