After a change of plans due to my windows still leaking, I left Littlefield, Texas, Monday morning without getting to go to the Waylon Jennings museum. The gorilla tape that my neighbor and I put on the leaking windows, see previous post, did not keep the water out during the rainstorm Sunday night. I woke several times to be sure towels were still catching the water coming in, mostly over where I sleep.
Monday morning it was still raining hard and water was still leaking in. I decided it was more important to get the windows fixed than visit the museum. So I called a few places in Amarillo and finally found one that said they would look at it and they should be able to stop the leak. I had not planned to go through Amarillo on this trip but God had a different plan. I drove some back roads to get there which was good since it was raining hard and I didn’t have to drive the interstate.
It was still raining when I got to the RV place called Custom RV. Justin was really nice and got me connected with a repair person upon my arrival. Between the periods of rain they worked on my windows and when they got done the windows still leaked. They didn’t have an empty bay to put me in or the repair could have been done better and faster than waiting for the rain to stop. I ended up staying there overnight in hopes the sun would be out in the morning… no such luck. It looked like rain for several more days. I made several phone calls to other RV and glass places and found one called Bill’s Auto Glass that said they would try to fix my leak. They had a bay to put me in out of the rain to work on my windows. I was glad after making many calls to find someone willing to help me. All the RV places I called said they either didn’t work on windows or couldn’t get to me for over a week. Some glass places I called wouldn’t work on camper windows.
It turns out that the continuing leak is due to the extremely bad repair job done by Waits RV in West Palm Beach, Florida. Do Not use them for repairs. When Mike the Custom RV guy was assessing my windows to figure where it was leaking from, he noticed that the screws holding the window frame were not fully tightened, so he tightened them and putty came out around the frame. He scraped the excess putty and put silicone around the edge of the frame. Waits RV should have done this when they put the window back in and told me the leaks were fixed. Then Mike put more silicone around the window and gaps that were left from my bad repair job. It was still raining and water still was coming in, not a little, but quite a lot. When I left to go to the glass place, I asked Justin what I owed for the work they did the day before. He said there is no charge since they didn’t fix the problem. If you are in Amarillo, Texas, and need RV repairs go to Custom RV at exit 76 off Interstate 40.
Since Custom RV still could not work on my camper because of the rain, I drove to Bill’s Glass Repair which was only about 7 or 8 miles away. I explained the problem and the very kind and knowledgeable workers looked at the windows and discussed the best way to fix the leak and they put more sealant around parts that are missed from the previous places. I waited in their shop for the sealant to dry because it was still raining periodically. Delores the owner was really nice and she got involved asking her workers what they thought would fix the leak and she explained it to me. I was assured they think what they did should fix my problem and the windows should not leak now.
Delores and I had a nice talk while I waited and it turns out we gave some similar life situations and we were able to share our stories. I feel like I have a new friend. There are no accidents in God’s plan. I was lead to this repair shop. I kept praying for guidance to find a place to help me and I kept calling places when I called somewhere and they couldn’t help I asked if they could recommend any place that could. That’s how I found Bill’s, and Custom RV. If you are in Amarillo and need glass repairs go to Bill’s Auto Glass at 2403 E Amarillo Blvd.
After the rain stopped temporarily, and the sealant had time to set up, I thought about staying in Amarillo overnight in case I still had a leak, but it was still early afternoon and Delores and her workers felt confident they fixed the leaks, so I headed west so I could drive about 100 of the 300 miles I was away from Albuquerque. It rained periodically as I drove and I stopped after a while to see if there was water in the window tracks, praying there wouldn’t be which would mean the leaks were fixed. The passenger side was dry but there was a little water in the driver side track. I dryed it and thought it could be left from the earlier leak. When I stopped again there was more water. I dryed it again and stopped for the night in a city park in San Jon, NM.
I continued to travel west the next morning and when I got propane in Moriarty I asked if they knew of a glass place. There was one called East Mountain Glass in Edgewood, a town west of where we were which was on my route. I found the glass repair and explained my problem. Phil the owner looked at the window and agreed with me what a bad repair job was done on my windows. He got a strong sealant and put some where he thought the water was coming in and said that should fix the problem. I offered to pay him and he said there was no charge because it only took a few minutes and he didn’t know if it fixed the problem.
I continued on my way. I was only an hour or so from Albuquerque. I stopped at Hidden Valley RV Park in Tijeras, NM. I have stayed there before and they are very nice. I didn’t need to stay there this time since it was early in the day. I did want to exchange some paperback books of ones I read. This campground has a book exchange area, I’ve swapped books here before. I asked if I could use their shower since I hadn’t had one in a week and it’s been raining so I couldn’t wash my hair at campground faucets like I do often. I was told I could and they didn’t charge me. It felt good to take a nice warm shower. I think of a nice warm shower as a luxury, especially when I’m camping. When I was using my hair dryer to dry my hair, some hair blew into the end of the hair dryer and I smelled the burnt hair. The hair dryer got hot and stopped. I thought I need to buy another one. This happened last year too. I try to be careful but long hair blows and gets caught in things. I stopped at a few stores to get food and a new hair dryer and arrived at the Balloon Fiesta office late Wednesday afternoon and then went to the camper area and got plugged in to electricity.
As I was plugging my electric cord into the camper I noticed a burnt spot on the end of the connector. I showed one of the men and we agreement it should be replaced. One of the men was going to a RV store and said he would pick up the part. Another man put the new connector on the power cord and I watched and helped. I like to watch as any repair is made, I always learn something new. The RV guys here told me when I connect to power to be sure the breaker is off before connecting the power cords to the camper and outlet and to always plug the end to the camper first, then the other end to the electric box, then turn the breaker on. If the breaker is on it will cause an arc and it can blow out or damage electric items like the fridge, lights, electric outlets, etc. I know there have been several times I felt a zap of current when I connected the power cord to the camper, now I know why. That is what evidently what caused the end of my power cord plug to be burnt. So now it’s fixed and I know the proper way to connect. No one ever told me this important info. After having my camper for 10 years I am still learning.
The day after I arrived in Albuquerque we had some rain in the evening. I checked my window tracks on both sides and there was water in both trackswhich means that there is still a leak. A spot or spots have been missed with the sealant. Gene one of the other volunteers took me to Home Depot and I bought a silicone sealant that is flexible and says it has maximum flexibility for extreme joint movement. That sounded like what I needed. Gene put the silicone around all the edges of where the glass meets the frame and around the outer edge of the frame. It went over the other silicone so there is now a fairly thick strip of sealant around most of the windows. It doesn’t look very good, but if it works to keep the water out that’s what counts. I let the sealant dry overnight and in the morning let water pour over the windows and thankfully no water in the tracks. I think it’s finally fixed as far as the leak is concerned.
I miss having windows that open, especially on cooler days, but I’m managing okay without it. Thankfully I have electricity although I usually turn it off at night when I sleep.
Wednesday and worked in the Balloon Fiesta office Thursday and Friday, and will from now until Fiesta. I do all sorts of projects. One day I taped LED fairy lights in three dozen clear quart jars and then tied different colors of raffia around the rim. These will be used to light tables in a tent during Fiesta. They really looked festive and pretty. I was surprised how bright the fairy lights are.
I will add more to this story, and perhaps a few photos soon. Check back in about a week.
