How to repair the window seal?

[Vand]

The seal (or "gasket" – not sure what the exact name would be) of my aluminum windows is deteriorating. See pictures attached.

What would be the recommended approach for rejuvenating this seal? Eg. Is there a recommended sealant for this purpose, should I remove the existing seal or apply over the top, etc? Cheers!

[EricL]

Hello @Vand

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's a pleasure to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about replacing the seal in your aluminium window.

Finding the exact rubber seal that was used on your aluminium window is like a needle in a haystack. In an ideal situation, you would use a rubber seal that has the correct shape and size that will fit into the gap of your window. I recommend having a look at the Moroday Rubber Seals and see if any of them fit the profile of your window.

However, if after an exhaustive search and you can't find a similar rubber seal, I suggest using Selleys 310g Roof And Gutter Silicone Sealant - Translucent. It's applicable to all kinds of surfaces including aluminium and glass. The best feature of this sealant is that it is non-acidic and will not harm your window's paint finish.

The technique is to first remove and clean the bottom and top seal, but leave the old side seals in place. Fill the gaps with the silicone sealant and allow it to cure in full. Once the silicone has achieved full strength clean and remove the old side seals. You can then fill in the sides with the silicone sealant. The reason for this is that, if you removed all of the old seals the glass would move and you won't be able to get a proper square seal.

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to silicone seal a bath (the technique used can also be applied to windows)

Let me tag our experienced members @TedBear and @tom_builds for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Vand]

Thank you, Eric! That's a great tip to do it in stages to reduce the likelihood of the glass not moving out of place, I don't think I would have thought of that, cheers!

[EricL]

Hello @Vand

My only other tip is to ask the paint team member for an extra nozzle so that you can seal the silicone for future use.

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your window seals repaired.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric