Replacing single pane windows for dual pane windows

[matduf]

We all know the benefits of dual pane windows..  I am considering to buy a used fifth wheel equipped with single pane windows.  I am considering to replace all of them for dual pane.  Does anybody already made this replacement ? What cost (per window) should I invest (window and labor) ?  Does anybody know a dealer (in northeast) that can do this work properly ?

 

[Howard Kelly]

When I bought my unit ( 5th W )to live in year round, I had lexan storm windows made and installed them on the inside with 1/4 inch weather stripping, unfortunately the installer put the tape on the RV instead of the windows so they were messy to remove. had to leave the large opening window without a storm as it was deemed a fire exit. Worth doing but nice to be able to remove them in warm weather. I store them under the bed with sheets of kraft paper between them. Cost in BC was about $1000.00 total for 6 windows.
( had the dealer take care of it before I picked the unit up.)
Good luck
Howard

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I doubt if it is worth the expense. Figure at least $200 per window and maybe $300 for the larger ones. Plus labor, if you pay to have it done.

Replacing RV windows is generally not technically difficult, but you need to be careful about getting the seal (caulk) between frame and sidewall right. Duncan Systems is a major RV glass service and can do all your windows.  They have shops in IN, FL and AZ. Not in the northeast, though.

http://duncansys.com/glass/rv-side-glass/

 

[seilerbird]

I had dual pane windows in one of my rigs and I will never have them again. The rig was only four years old and most of the dual panes were cloudy already. The vibrations of a motorhome breaks the seals between the two panes and it fogs up on the inside. There is no way to fix it other than have the windows professionally removed and cleaned and resealed, which costs almost as much as replacing the windows. Most 5ers don't have dual panes because there is no springs and shocks in the suspension guaranteeing that they dual panes will fog up even sooner. If you install dual panes in your 5er be prepared to spend a lot of money repairing them.

 

[Marsha/CA]

We have dual pane windows in our coach which is a 2003 and has 80,000+ miles.  We love them and have not had a bit of trouble.  I wouldn't do without them.

If you are really interested in having dual pane windows, maybe you could keep looking for a 5th wheel that has them already installed.  The market is flooded with used RVs for sale.

Marsha~

 

[Ned]

If you're going to spend time in either very hot or very cold climates at all, dual pane windows are a good feature to have.  Ours are 14+ years old and the only sign of any condensation is the eyebrow pane over the passenger window.  It's not so noticeable that we would spend the money to replace it.  Otherwise they have been trouble free.  But I agree with the others, it's not worth the money to convert form single pane, find a unit with double pane windows already installed.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Just about every window on our rig has some degree of dual pane fogging. It comes and goes as the weather changes.  It has the crappy SEGI glass. Our previous coach (different brand of windows) had no problem with the dual panes.

 

[Ned]

I believe all our windows are Hehr.

 

[matduf]

Thanks for your answers..  And I have one more question.  When we take Dual pane window options with a new RV, is all windows that come with dual pane or only 1 kind, for example sliders windows ?  For those having dual pane in your unit, could you check if 100 % windows are dual ?

 

[Ned]

All of ours except for the windshield and door are dual pane, and I'm not sure about the door.

 

[Marsha/CA]

Ours are all dual pane except the windshield.

Ned, I think ours are Hehr also. 

Marsha~

 

[Jeannine]

Thanks for your answers..  And I have one more question.  When we take Dual pane window options with a new RV, is all windows that come with dual pane or only 1 kind, for example sliders windows ?  For those having dual pane in your unit, could you check if 100 % windows are dual ?

All of the windows in our 5th wheel are dual pane.  So far, we haven't had any problems with the windows.

Very few 5th wheels come with dual pane windows.  Unless you buy a used Teton, you will probably have trouble finding a unit with dual panes.  When we bought our HitchHiker we ordered dual pane windows as an option.  Many (most?) 5ers have springs and shocks.  Some have optional upgraded suspension systems.

Several years ago, we priced having the windows on another 5th wheel replaced with dual panes.  As I recall, the estimate was around $6,000.  We ended up adding lexan storm windows.  Since we didn't have a place to store them, we left them on year round, except for a couple of small ones we removed for ventilation.  We're much happer with the dual pane windows.

Jeannine