Aluminium window frames

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

it sounds to me like these window frames are faulty with what richard has posted. he doesnt get pools of water like alan, jan and myself so what is different?.

i would love to know.

we are going away in a couple of weeks so i will this time take my camera and take some pictures im sure alan will be doing the same.

jo-anne

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

alan, im so glad that bailey are taking an interest in the window problem.

jo-anne

 

[Dustydog]

Royston

I've been caravanning for years, since 1978. I got married young , had kids and couldn't afford holidays unless they were under canvas. My then wife was an asthmatic and hence we bought a second hand caravan, which was extremely basic. As the years progressed , I've worked for 38 years, paid the mortgage off etc, caravanning is still our main hobby. So we have gradually improved our caravans by hard work and free choice. The fact at last I now have a top of the range caravan DOES NOT mean I am a snob!

I drive a Korean car , not German, am I a snob, no.

Compared to most of my earlier caravans your Ranger is sheer luxury, Just shows how far caravan development has progressed over the years.

Cheers

Alan

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Jo-anne

Richard's comments are interesting re his Oklahoma and Spectrum. My previous Bailey Pageant Vendee never had the condensation issue and it came with "standard" window frames.

I'll be going to Wilkinsons some time this week for the sponge strips.

Mickey, You are probably right but on the other hand it was disgraceful for Swift and Polyplastic to slam the door in our faces.Polyplastic made their initial statement and then wouldn't answer genuine posts. That's why I smelt a rat. And note the information given on their website is apparently wrong.

Hopefully the problem is restricted to winter touring. We shall see.

Cheers

Alan

 

[Hamer_5041128]

I have a 2007 Swift Conqueror,which is used throughout the winter. Never had any problems with condensation.Have had a Bailey with alloy windows again no problem with condensation. I keep the heating on day and night, even when out for the day. Always put the extractor fan on before i start cooking and keep it on untill cooking is finished.No matter how cold it has been never had condensation.

The only person i have known with condensation was not using his extractor fan when cooking and switched his heating off when he went out. Since he has changed his ways he hasn't had condensation.

Also do not leave the caravan door open for any longer than absolute neccersary.

Hamer

 

[Royston]

Attn, Jo-anne and Alan,

Sorry if i have offended you in any way.

Jo-anne re your comments your last van was in the lower range and was crap, The point I was trying to put over(failed obviously)

was that the complete range of Baileys have the same external body shells same sides, roof, ends, and flooring, the only difference being the internal parts including external windows are different depending upon the range.

Not sure why they have alum windows and not the plastic as in the lower range, which i have never ever had any problems, which was why i used the snobbish comment.

 

[Dustydog]

Thanks Royston

No hard feelings. I see your point.

Chers

Alan

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

royston, no hard feeling's mate x.

jo-anne

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

everyone big roy has put a posting on the condensation about his 2007 swift challenger having pools aswell.

jo-anne

 

[Hamer_5041128]

Jo-anne,

There must be an underlying reason why some people with alloy windows suffer from condensation and many do not.

It has got to be how the caravans are stored in winter, or how they are used on site in winter. I can only repeat that i have known people suffer with condensation but when they changed the way they caravan in winter. and the way they store their caravan in winter the condensation ceased.

However one friend could only fully cure the problem by putting absorbant crystals in the caravan when in storage, i assume this was because the farm on which he stored his caravan was in a low lying damp area.

When walking round sites in winter,especially in a morning, you see some caravans with water streaming down the windows. As i have said previously people have commented on how dry our caravan is. By changing a few ways in which they caravan their caravans become dry. As a friend has just said to me on the telephone it is not rocket science.

I would sum up the motto as--- keep cold damp air and steam out of the caravan, and keep the caravan warm 24/7.

Hamer

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

hi, im going away soon and i will take everyones advise on the heating and heki etc. if there are still pools in the frames in the mornings and in the lockers after the changes then i will be taking it futher.

i will be taking my camera with me so im sure if it happens then i will get some pics.

i just cant belive that i didnt have a problem with the pools in the avondale and i go and spend

 

[Wendy-Norfolk]

I put the heating on in our 'van yesterday morning, as we are going out for the weekend, the interior weather station indicated the temperature was 4 degrees, so pretty cold!

I went to make up the bed up yesterday afternoon, it was beautifully warm, no condensation on the window frames and no extra ventilation, only that which is naturally in the 'van.

 

[Wendy-Norfolk]

hi, im going away soon and i will take everyones advise on the heating and heki etc. if there are still pools in the frames in the mornings and in the lockers after the changes then i will be taking it futher.

i will be taking my camera with me so im sure if it happens then i will get some pics.

i just cant belive that i didnt have a problem with the pools in the avondale and i go and spend

 

[Hamer_5041128]

Jo-anne,

If you cook in the caravan do not forget to switch on the extractor fan before you start cooking and leave it on untill you have finished cooking.

Also do not leave the caravan door open exept for entering or leaving the caravan. It never ceases to amaze me how many people leave their caravan door open in winter allowing cold air, laden with moisture into their caravan, and then wonder why they suffer from condensation.

Have a good holiday. We are going to Blackmore (Malvern) Caravan Club site on Sunday for 8 nights.

Hamer

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

wendy and hamer thanks for the advice we will take it on board and see how we go.

hamer ive never been to blackmore whats it like?. alan says its beautiful and very pretty.

jo-anne

 

[BigRoy]

I took my van in for servicing yesterday (07 Swift Challenger) and took the condensation problem up with the manager, I showed him where the water had been pooling (on the rear frame only) and interestingly there was a few water droplets on the bottom of the frame, that's without any heat on and had been unoccupied.

He seems to think there is a problem with the seal so is replacing it so I will see if it improves matters and will keep you informed

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Big Roy

It is no secret I and a few others , Jo-anne, have been plagued with this problem.

Whilst protocol and confidentiality preclude me from naming, I can tell you my investigations lead me to believe the source of the problem rests with the window frame manufacturers, Polyplastic.

And you will recall it was Swift and Polyplastic who slammed the door in our faces.

I invite Polyplastic or Swift to correct me if what I now say is incorrect but I emphasise it is all based on my own personal investigations and no one else.

It seems the window systems are thermally broken during manufacture. This is an expensive process but the intention is to isolate temperature transmission from the cold outside to the warmer inside.

This is supposed to stop condensation.

Somewhere during the production process the thermal breakage is not being done correctly or some other intervening factor is causing partial bridging leading to the condensation.

It may be the rubber seals are acting as a bridge but in my view as rubber is not a good temperature transmitter I cannot follow that logic.

Aluminium is probably not the best material to use although aesthetically it looks pretty. That doesn't bother me and would not even be a minor issue in choosing my caravan.

I can only conclude a batch of Polyplastic aluminium window frames sent to Swift and other manufacturers are faulty . However short of removing the frames myself , which I am not qualified to do, I cannot prove my thesis is correct.

It will be interesting to see if your dealer's solution works.

Meanwhile I can only reiterate my extreme disappointment that Polyplastic will not take an active role and try and help those of us who have a problem with their aluminium frames.

Hopefully the problem will subside in the spring and summer but then we have the autumn and winter again.

Finally, yes I know I can pursue this further with my dealer but quite frankly I doubt this is one for them at the moment.

Until Polyplastic come up with an admission and proposal for resolution we are wasting our time.

This is the 109th post on this thread and I think Polyplastic should now show us what they are made of.

Cheers

Alan

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

hi everyone, i totally agree with alan on this subject. i think there is a faulty batch but im willing to try the heating 24/7 when we go away on the 24th march. im taking the camera with me to take pics is there is any pools on the frames. Yes i agree you will get some condensation on the windows themselves but theres that much water in the frames that you could use a straw to suck it up ( no need to take a drink to bed).

jo-anne

 

[Conquerorman]

If this is supposed to be a faulty batch then there must have been a helluva lot made. These windows have been like this since they were introduced in late 2003. Never mind the warm days are coming and youll have something to discuss.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi John

I'm not sure I fully understand your point here.

Honda have just rolled out their 2,000,000th car at Swindon.That doesn't mean they aren't made in "batches". In manufacturing jigs and tools are changed regularly and it is usual if you are a BSI accredited company to keep an audit trail of each items manufacturing process. This is certainly true for example with two caravan manufacturers I can name. Thus my referral to "batch" is based on the genuine belief our window frames may have come from a faulty batch where the manufacturing machinery may have gone out of tune.

Cheers

Alan

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

alan is correct mine was the december batch and i got it feb . they only make so many in a batch at a time thats why there is waiting times.

sometimes they stop making a particular model to start another model and hae say a month two months break. alan and i received our vans near to each other and we could be two out of the faulty frames batch even though our vans are different manu's.

jo

 

[Dave_374330759]

I am amazed that so much can be made of something as relatively trivial as condensation on windows, if its cold we even get it indoors. Its a fact of life, just live with it

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

dave, im sure if you had just spend

 

[Conquerorman]

Hi John

I'm not sure I fully understand your point here.

Honda have just rolled out their 2,000,000th car at Swindon.That doesn't mean they aren't made in "batches". In manufacturing jigs and tools are changed regularly and it is usual if you are a BSI accredited company to keep an audit trail of each items manufacturing process. This is certainly true for example with two caravan manufacturers I can name. Thus my referral to "batch" is based on the genuine belief our window frames may have come from a faulty batch where the manufacturing machinery may have gone out of tune.

Cheers

Alan

Hi Alan, my point is that Swift have been fitting these aluminium windows since late 2003. Iwas one of the first purchasers of a new Challenger with these windows fitted. As a winter seasonal caravanner at Braemar in the Highlands of Scotland i encountered problems with condensation very early on. I changed this van for another Challenger early in2006 and the windows were exactly the same. What I was trying to get across to you that these windows have condensated badly in cold weather from day one and not by a bad batch produced 3 years later.90% of the winter seasonal vans at Braemar [it gets really cold up here in the winter,sometimes in the -20's] are modern Swift Group vans and none of us has made a big deal of it. We just put in down to a design flaw. It certainly would not put any of us buying another Swift group caravan.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi John

Thanks for your reply.

Now , to put things in perspective my very first caravan was a Ski, made by a breakaway group of employees from Knowsley in the early 1970s.It came with aluminium window frames and single glass glazing. As expected condensation , in the winter , was rife.

I then had a Castleton Rovanna with plastic window frames. A cold caravan but relatively little condensation. I gradually moved on over the years with various makes and in later years had Elldis models and then a few Baileys . The last but one Bailey was a pageant Vendee. We used her extensively throughout a few winters with no condensation problems whatsoever.

Fantastic! The manufacturers had solved the problem by the removal of aluminium window frames.

And yes , I got married in Pitlochry on the 24th December 19??. Thus we spend many winters in the Highlands . We are not afraid of teh cold. Neevr once did my last series 5 Pageant Vendee suffer condensation on the window frames.

Now without wishing to be rude I am amazed you can now state that you have known of this "design flaw" to use your words since 2003. If only you had said something to the manufacturers you could have saved a real problem.

As Jo-anne says she has spent over