Dometic Seitz Windows

[RickA]

G`Day all

Has anybody out there converted there Dometic Seitz window fly screens to Midgee mesh?.If so who,where and how much (ball park figure)for 4 square and 4 long windows. Thankyou.

Cheers

Rick

[Col and Debbie]

Hi Lea and Rick,

Have a look at the link http://www.dreampod.net/boroma/dometic_windows.html.

I have just checked the site to make sure it still works and all seems OK.

This is a detailed description of how to replace the standard screen with the midge screen with lots of photos etc.

The intro to the article says;

"Over time the original Dometic-Seitz© white nylon roller screens get very grubby and shrink away from the edges allowing insects to bypass the screens and invade your space. I have replaced the originals with black midge screening giving a better look and they shouldn't have the same shrinking problems as they are made from fibreglass. This is an economical upgrade as replacement screens from Dometic© are around 10 times the cost of DIY. I did try the Dometic© modification with adhesive fur sealing tape but it made the screens sluggish and interfered with their operation so much that I have concluded that it is a waste of time and removed it, the real problem is the poor fitting nylon screens. You need to make your own mind up on this but if you are going to do that modification you need to do it at the same time and you may need to increase the tension on the rollers because of the extra drag."

I hope this is useful for you.

Regards

Colin

[Col and Debbie]

Lea and Rick,

I just tried the link I pasted into the previous post and it did not work.

You may have to enter it in manually. It worked for me when I entered manually.

www.dreampod.net/boroma/dometic_windows.html

Regards

Colin

[RussnSue]

Hi Lea and Rick

I have done the mod as described in the linked article. It is easy enough to do, BUT, I find that the furry catepillar that is used to keep the bugs from coming in the sides of the screen, does add significant drag to the screens and makes them harder to retract. I tried the idea of carefully tensioning the screws that mount the inner window frame to the outer frame and this helped, but even at the point where the screws are so loose that they will most likely vibrate out on gravel roads, the screens still don't retract easily.

I have tried adding addional tension to the spring inside the roller, but this hasn't really fixed the problem. Even with the modification, small insects are still finding their way in through the windows. I have the furries on the sides as well as the ones that run along the rollers (which, of course, only rub on the midgee mesh when the mesh is fully wound onto the roller. When the mesh is extended, there is not enough contact between the furry and the mesh due to the reduced diameter of the roller once the mesh is rolled out.)

I honestly think that these windows are a design failure and if I were to ever build another van, I would definitely specify that these Seitz (Dometic) windows are not used. In sand-fly country, this is a real issue and something I gave no thought to when we purchased our van. With the benefit of hindsight, this would have been a dealbreaker and if I couldn't have got better windows, I would not have purchased the van. I hope that the mod works out better for you than it has for me.

Cheers

Russ

[RickA]

Hi Russ

You are right about these windows,they are a major PIA. We have been mucking about with them since about a year after purchase. We filled the slots (or bug highways as we called them) first, then a few months ago fitted the furry catapillars top and bottom and sides.Also supplied were fancy stick on silver plastic strips to cover the holes. Now the bloody fly mesh is shrinking and the strips keep coming unstuck and tangle in the curtains I lined up one of the Dometic managers at the last Brisbane caravan show about them ,and his answer was "thats the way they come from Europe and they refuse to change them coz the market is not big enough"

Cheers

Rick

[Gordon and Chris Carter]

Gordon has successfully replaced the screens in the dometic windows, they look so much better, the first one took a bit of time once that one was done the others were a lot easier, I stitched the pockets for the cord to go through, even though the instructions said that it was not necessary, it was not hard to do. We knew the white screen were dirty, did not realise until they were pulled to pieces just how bad they were, we do not appear to have any problems with the screens going up and down

[RickA]

G`Day Gordon

Might have to drop round to your place when we get back down to Brissie, and you can show us how to do it.

Cheers

Rick & Lea

[Westy51]

Can anybody please advise where we can but the furry self adhesive seal that is fitted internally to these windows to seal the sides of the blind or flyscreen? - Australia

[TonyH]

G'day Westy,

I purchased mine at the Big Green Shed (Bunnings)....you'll find it in the door/window seal aisle.

Cheers