Screen on exterior of front slider window

[Alley-Kat]

As I have a solid rear window on my truck, i.e. thus no pass thru to the camper from the truck, I'm getting ready to make and mount a screen over the exterior of my front slider window on my ATC Bobcat shell. That window is great for getting fresh air into the camper and it's also very secure, so I can leave it open when I'm away from the truck. I just want to keep the bugs out.

Anyone put a screen on the exterior of the front window before?


Seems easy enough to make one for about $15 in materials.


Two possible sizes to make it...

I) Small, to fit inside the aluminium window frame, but larger than the glass. Mounting options seem to be... 1) semi-permanent with silicon sealant, or 2) velcro strips. I don't think I want any screws into the window frame that holds the glass.

II) Larger than the window frame (outside of it, actually), with mounting... 1) via a screw or two on each side, thru the aluminium skin and into the aluminium camper frame around the window (seal the screw holes, of course), or 2) velcro strips.

I'm thinking that the screen will need to be removed to clean the screen and the glass of the window every now and then. Like when I take the camper off or just before I put it on the truck. I don't expect to be able to remove the screen when the camper is on the truck.

Any other mounting ideas or techniques? Or, a preference of one of my ideas?

Thanks in advance.

 

[pods8]

Mikeb built a screen for his back in February: http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/4284/

 

[Alley-Kat]

Thanks, I do appreciate the knowledge of vetran members remembering past threads.
And, I do try to search using what I think are good search words.

It seems that Mikeb has deleted the images of the screen from his Photobucket album (or did my browser, just not load them?) and there's not much of a written description of the thing. Bummer.

Here's the parts I've purchased...

The kit was $13 and two feet of 48" wide plastic screen material at $2.

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And, the INSIDE mounting placement...
Screen would stick forward a tiny bit (not a problem).

VS, the OUTSIDE mounting placement...
Screen would be pretty tight to the rest of the window frame.

I would allow for some spacing either inside or outside to make a "not too tight a fit" to the window frame.

 

[pods8]

I'd shoot him a message to see if he can send you the pics, it was a fairly easy install if I recall. He build a quick frame out of ABS plastic and had it attached on the interior.

 

[Alley-Kat]

Well... I "dreamed" last night of various ways to install the exterior screen on the front slider window (I dream up solutions a lot). And, what I dreamed was the little holder that ATC installs to hold up the front push rod on the front lifter panels when the top is up.

And, as I needed to go to the hardware store for something else this AM, and decided I'd look around and see what was available... and, there they were in the screen section. I call 'em screen anchors, for lack of a real name on the package.

I also had some of the Velcro dots, that I was originally thinking of using (more of these later).

When I got back I pulled one of the original front slider window screws to check for length. Then checked my shop bins and found something that I thought would work and not be too long, yet still grab the metal.

Here's the original screw (short) on the bottom left, and the (longer) replacement screw on the top left. Then a quick look at how much the the screen anchor was going to use up and it still looked like I was going to be OK for length (photo on the right).

Next step was to measure and cut the aluminium screen sides, assemble the screen frame and attach the screen. As everyone knows how to do that sort of stuff, no photos.

The one thing with this screen kit, is that the aluminium screen sides are not very rigid (but, I am saving weight!) and the long side wanted to bend in towards the center on the top & bottom parts when I attached the fiberglass screen. I think I'll make a bar for the center to hold the screen apart, however, for now, I've just got a wood dowel in that spot.

And, I did try the velcro dots as the first way to mount the screen, but it didn't seem that secure to me (but it probably was going to be OK).

Here's a photo of the screen being held in place by the velcro dots. Pretty clean looking and I'm saving weight (tongue in cheek!) over the aluminium screen anchors that are going on next. Once again note the wood dowel as a middle seperator, soon to be replaced with something that won't swell up when wet (I just need to "dream up" what I want to use).

Ok, so for the time being, I just left the Velcro dots in place and pulled the original window screws, forced some sealant into the vacant screw holes and carefully used the longer replacement screws with the aluminium screen anchors.

I could have (and may go back) and make the screen frame a little larger to get a little more overlap of the screen frame with the screen anchors, but, it looks pretty good for holding power. I only used two of the four aluminum side pieces supplied in the screen kit, so I've got the parts to remake the screen frame and the corner pieces are re-usable. Also, I thought I might have to shave down the height of the screen anchors, however, with the Velcro dots still in place the fit is pretty tight.

The screws are tight on the screen anchors, so when it comes time to remove and wash the screen and outside of the front window, I'll have to re-do the sealant for each hole, as I think I'll be completey removing the screws, instead of just loosening them up, then rotate the screen anchors to remove the screen. So, washing may not happen that often. But, still it's a quick job to do on the 8 screws that I have with the screen anchors.

I've got three screen anchors on the top & bottom each, and one each on the ends.
Here's the photo of the bottom section.

Here's the overall view...

Total time was about 45 minutes, not counting getting the materials.

I like it.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Very nice job.The screen I made goes on the inside,but after seeing how you mounted yours I think i will try to mount mine on the outside.As long as I don't have to take the camper off.It looks like I can use the holes from the window frame mount.

Frank

 

[Alley-Kat]

I should mention the thread "Sliding Window Screen" has some info on doing an interior screen, started by Mikeb, and Desert Rancher has posted the photos he received from Mikeb.

 

[chnlisle]

Here's the overall view...

Total time was about 45 minutes, not counting getting the materials.

I like it.
[/quote]


I'm interested in seeing how well it stays put on a dirt road. Please let us know.

 

[Desert Rancher]

Good job there! Nice to see the innovation that takes place here.

Is that a dab of RTV under the screen anchors? Kinda looks like a washer perhaps.

Not sure I could do this as my camper stays on the truck all of the time.

Thanks-

 

[Alley-Kat]

Desert Rancher...

Yep, plenty of RTV or exterior silcone sealant. Goes on white and drys clear.

I was thinking of using a washer below the screen anchor, so that the screen anchor might be able to rotate for easy screen removal, but that didn't work out, probably because I was going into holes that were already enlarged to the screw size and I needed to fully tighten the screws, otherwise they felt like that might fall out (even on pavement in California).

If they were brand new screw holes, drilled a little smaller, the screws might have "bound up", yet not be fully seated, thus allowing the screen anchors to rotate, without the screws falling out.

And, I'm sort of glad to have the Velcro dots between the screen & the aluminum window frame (provides a little compressible pad), and have the screen anchors screwed in tighly, as it really holds the screen in place pretty nicely. Without the Velcro dots back there, I would have had to shave the height of the screen anchors (more work) to hold the screen tightly.


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chnlisle,

It'll be a month or so before I get on any rough roads, if that's what you mean by dirt roads, however, I think it will hold up OK. I'll report back.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Found a solution for replacing the wood dowel seperator, more on that later today, when I get 'round to it. I may do a "speed re-build" (although I don't really like to do a job twice) with the extra or left-over aluminium screen frame sides and make it fit the window frame a little better. We'll see.

 

[Alley-Kat]

Well, the idea for the wood dowel, screen seperator, replacement I had "dreamed up" didn't come to pass.

My hardware store guy, Bob, saw me enter the store and asked if I had any issues with the long sides of the screen frame pulling in to the center and I told him I did, and that I used a wood dowel to keep them apart, until I figured out what to do.

He said, "Are you going to use crossbar clips?". And, of course I said "yep". Although I was looking for an aluminium tube that I could place where the wood dowel was currently and then put a screw into the top & bottom to hold it in place (I didn't tell him that was my "dreamed up" idea).

So I then continued, "Where do you keep the crossbar clips?"

These little buggers fit into the end of a spare piece of aluminium side frame material and then hook into the place where the screen gets attached to the side frame.

Seems to be pretty strong, and not bad looking...

And, this afternoon I did do a "re-do" and made a tighter fitting screen frame. Took me just about as long as the first time, as I more carefully measured twice and cut once to get the fit exactly right. In the process I found out that the window is just a little "out of square", the top is bigger than the bottom.

So, here's the first frame on the left, not very tight to the window frame, and on the right, the second frame, with all four corners, just like this one... a nice fit.

Turns out I added 1/8" to the length of measurements for all sides, which cut down the gap to next to nothing.

And, lastly, the overlap of the screen anchors are a lot better on the second frame.

And, the loose sized first screen (below, previously shown photo)...

My feeling is that the screen is not going anywhere, as I can't budge it much.

So, the exterior screen on the front slider window is done, if I encounter any issues in the future, I'll post them here, along with the durability report that Jay asked for after some time on dirt roads.

Now on to the next project, stay tuned.