John J Thompson Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I have one window in my Motorhome that is misting between the skins of the double glazed unit. There are two holes with bungs in them. I know that I can use a hair dryer to dry out the moisture between the skins but have had no luck in finding replacement bungs. My Motorhome is a Hymer and even the local agent (Brownhills) or the nearby Discover Site are unable to help. The nearest I have come is a small caravan dealer suggesting squeezing out silicon from the tube and letting it set then use a Stanley knife to cut small pieces to fill the holes. All of the bungs look fragile so I would like to replace all of the bungs. Does anyone know where I can obtain the proper bungs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Unless you know water is actually getting into the void between the panes, the condensation should not cause alarm: it is quite normal for some misting to happen. The window panes are not hermetically sealed together, and the space between can breathe. That is the function of the bungs. They are to allow air pressures to equalise between the void and outside air (in fact air from inside the van, which is inevitably warmer and moister that external air), but in doing this they allow some air-borne water vapour into the void, and this is what condenses from time to time on the inside surface of the outer pane. A bit like breath on cold glass. With warmer, dryer, weather (Oh yeah!) the process will gently reverse and the condensation will disappear all on its own. With the prolonged wet we have had this autumn so far, coupled with mild generally temperatures, I would expect lots of folk to notice this. The best approach, unless the condensation is severe, is to leave well alone and let it sort itself out. Just leave the bungs in place and above all, do not try to seal the windows, they are not designed to work that way.If there is actual water ingress into the void, on the other hand, the only remedy will be to eliminate the leak. It may be possible to take out the window glazing unit, identify where the leak is, dry it carefully, and then re-seal the joint with a solvent type adhesive. It would be worth checking if the units are made by Poly-Plastic, as they have a known problem with de-bonding of the two sheets. Google polyplastic for more on this. Otherwise, is it isn't one of theirs, and you can't re-seal, a replacement DG unit may be required. However, even that will mist up as above from time to time! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 In my Hymer, sometimes the living area and the kitchen DG steam up between the two sheets of plastic when I wash the van. This side doesn't get the sun as much. As the day warms up, the misting disappears. It doesn't happen when it is raining so it is not a water leak. I suspect that as one side gets more sun, and is thus warmer, this heat finds its way into the van. Then I get a warmish interior and a cold side being sprayed with cold water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John J Thompson Posted December 9, 2009 Author Share Posted December 9, 2009 Thanks for the reply Brian. The problem is that at least two of the bungs (grommets - they have a fine hole in them) are missing. When I touched another it began to crumble, so I need to source new bungs for these windows. The windows are sound and the ones with intact bungs do not mist up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 You could try anywhere that scraps caravans, the bungs are, so far as I know, pretty standard and are universally used. Failing that, you might try Dometic, who own Seitz, makers of such windows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 John It should be simple enough to make DIY replacements. All you'd need do is drill some holes in a piece of hard material, squirt some good quality clear silicone sealant into the holes and wait until it sets. If the hole is of a slightly greater diameter than the holes in your windows, then you should end up with a suitably sized 'rivet-shaped' bung. I'd choose hard plastic material, say, 5mm thick and I'd drill right through it. This would ensure that all the holes would fill completely and facilitate removal of the hardened silicone plug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John J Thompson Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Brian Kirby - 2009-12-09 11:37 PM You could try anywhere that scraps caravans, the bungs are, so far as I know, pretty standard and are universally used. Failing that, you might try Dometic, who own Seitz, makers of such windows. Thank you Brian. I have tried the scrap route. The windows with good bungs they do not want to split. The other are no good anyway. Thank you for your suggestion of Dometic. If I have any luck I will post it here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 It's worth emailing Hymer direct they usually respond well & will probably send you some FOC. If you are going to have a go at making some I would recommend Pacer Pro-Seal Clear Silicon RTV it cures completely clear. Available from http://www.motoressentials.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John J Thompson Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 Brian Kirby - 2009-12-09 11:37 PM You could try anywhere that scraps caravans, the bungs are, so far as I know, pretty standard and are universally used. Failing that, you might try Dometic, who own Seitz, makers of such windows. I contacted Dometic (Seitz) who passed me onto Leisure Spares Ltd Received this reply this morning Hello John, sorry all part for Birkholz windows are no longer available, only place you would get spares would be from caravan breakers I am afraid. regards Kevin Wells Leisure Spares Ltd Wetherby Road Boroughbridge North Yorkshire YO51 9UY Tel:- 01423 321108 Fax:- 01423 321104 e-mail:- sales@leisurespares.co.uk So it would appear that Hymer Motorhomes fitted with Birkholz windows are going to have to look for breakers if they develop faults or get a broken window. Anyone know of a specialist Hymer Breaker in the UK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 You can get replacements made for both caravan and motorhomes. They use your broken/failed window as a mould and reproduce another one. There was a company in Brum "Injector Mouldings" or something like that, they was doing it a few years ago and may still be operating, so I guess there must be others. If I couldn't find a manufacturer I'd speak with a small independent caravan/motorhome servicing bod, you know the type they fix a few, repair a few, sell a few. They seem to know all kinds of people. You could do a lot worse than speak with Peter Hambilton Engineering in Preston , they are proper Hymer dealers/repairers/importers. There is also the rental market, they often get m/h's returned damaged, so they get them fixed somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 starvin marvin You may be thinking of the "Exhaust Ejector" company (though they are based in Halifax not Birmingham). See: http://www.eeco-ltd.co.uk/ John is due to visit Hambilton Engineering next month, so the window issue is something else to address. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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