Installing more windows

After installing the round bullseye windows in the front, another set of windows needed to be installed. This time these were "real" camper windows, made of glass and with an opening mechanism. Due to the limited space I opted for 35 cm width and 50 cm height.

The windows are of an excellent quality. They are very sturdy and appear to be lighter than the piece of aluminium that I had to cut out. They can be tilted outwards, and can also attached in a position with a very small opening, just to let some air in.

But problematic was the approach of affixing the windows. 

First there is no template provided. I had to draw myself the opening onto the vehicle outside, and also had to draw the corners with 7 cm radius manually. 

Then the frame has an uneven top: there is the hinge, which protrudes about 1mm into the otherwise smooth frame. Which means that be default there is no tight fit of the window frame onto the vehicle wall.

There was no rubber seal provided. Instead one is supposed to use SikaFlex glue for sealing the frame.

The fixation of the window is also not ideal: there are quite small metal brackets which are supposed to keep the window attached to the wall which needs to be at least 30mm think. The screws go into the window frame, but they are self-taping, instead of providing a proper threaded hole for the screws. The short brackets require the wall to be very close to the windows, which is not always possible due to the specific situation at the Luton box of my van.

I did manage to get the windows affixed, but I am not yet sure if they really will be tightly sealed. Will see when the next big rain storm comes.

Here are pictures of the installation process.

It is very hot in the camper. Soon I need to install the insulation, otherwise it is unbearable in the Luton box during sunshine.

First I remove some old cabling which is not necessary. I also removed the rotting boards at the bottom.

Then the same procedure as for the bullseyes: cutting through the wooden boards to make space for the window.
 

The shipping box of the window.

The window from the inside.

The window from the outside.

The hinge which protrudes into the frame and prevents a smooth seal.

First four pilot holes from the inside. There is too little space to cut the opening from the inside.

Window cutout from the outside.

Window is mounted into the opening.

Looks good.

Opening from the outside.

Completed mounting of window. Right side of vehicle.

This was done on Saturday.

Today I placed the 2nd window into the van, this time on the left side. Same procedure as before. There is a bit more space on that left side, because apparently the construction of the Luton box was not done very precisely.

Window cut-out on the left side of the van.

From the inside. The window is attached.

Window seen  from the outside.