Weep holes in sash

[2002sheds]

Hi All,
In a departure from my usual thread over in Floor and Frame, I am hoping to get a "ruling" from this crowd as I rehab the window sashes on our 1970 Ambassador.

I have gotten great info from the Vintage Trailer Gaskets website, but I'm thrown by one detail: When I look at the cross section drawing of the awning window frames I see weep holes in the outside of the movable sash, but have found none on the awning windows that I have inspected so far.

Weep holes in this location make perfect sense to me, since there is already a channel surrounding the location of the vinyl glazing -- and, unlike weep holes in the stationary frame, these direct water away from the interior.

Since my window sashes do not have these weep holes, I'd like to ask the crowd if their vintage trailers with single pane awning windows DO have these holes, and if so, how tiny are they?


Thanks,
David

[2002sheds]

Hi All,
It looks like I am answering my own question…

I decided last night to drill 2 tiny holes in the bottom of one of the frames that I am working on. This morning it finally dawned on me to check the other Airstream that we have, a 1978 Sovereign.

Sure enough, there are 4 weep holes on the bottom outside of each of the movable sashes on that coach. While I was super careful and used a 1/16” drill bit on the Ambassador sash, it was very clear that the holes on the ‘78 were 1/8” and probably done with a bit more speed than my process, given that the angle of entry varies on every hole .

So I’ve concluded that even if they weren’t yet a feature in 1970, it is a good practice to add these weep holes for additional protection against the inevitable failure of the vinyl glazing channel.

Thanks,
David

[dhbinkley]

Great timing, I'm in the middle of redoing all the window glazing on my 76 Argosy and saw the same thing on Vintage trailer gaskets. I came out here to see if others had done it...I think I'll do the same thing as you and drill 2 holes in each sash.
Question 1: I have 5/32 single pane glass in the awning windows as well as the Vista view, so I'm using the option 2...It said in your post that you are using the vinyl gaskets...what is your window thickness?
Question 2: There are 2 holes at the bottom of the window frame that rivets to the skin. If water were to get into that area it would run down in the wall, not sure why they are there, but I'm going to plug the holes. Did yours have the holes?
Thanks,
David

[2002sheds]

Hi David,
Sorry about the delayed reply, and I hope these responses help.

As far as the windows I am working on, two are fixed (a skylight window and a stack window, both with the original 3/32” single pane Corning glass). Those received the corresponding 3/32” vinyl channel glazing from Vintage Trailer Gaskets.

The remaining two windows that I am currently working on are 1/8” plexiglass panes. I am using the 1/8” vinyl glazing channel for those, and I am drilling 1/8” holes in the location described on the Vintage Trailer Gaskets website.

Regarding the weep holes in the fixed part of the awning window frames, I intend to leave mine unplugged. They may allow for the drainage of the condensation that may form on the inside of the window, and/or an escape for water vapor as a result of condensation from the wall cavity below. Other people on this site may have much more informed answers than mine.

I hope this helps!


Thanks,
David