Westy window tips
Before the Westy louvre/jalousie windows were put back in place, I stripped them down and replaced all the internal rubbers with more best quality German replacements. A time-consuming process that leaves you with sore fingers, but well worth it in the end!
Helping hands
It helps a lot if you have another pair of hands when doing this, so I must say a massive thanks to my loving and very patient wife for her help in getting these done! It also helps a lot if the rubbers are warm (more flexible) so doing them inside is also a good idea!
Another tip which may (or may not?) help if you are doing a full rubber replacement on your Westy louvre/jalousie windows, is in regards to the internal rubbers that run vertically under the louvre opening/closing mechanism.
Shaped rubber ends
We found that it really helped if you trimmed the leading edge of the rubber with two staggered angled cuts before trying to get the rubbers initially through/under the very tight gap of the opening mechanism.
Obviously, before cutting the end, double-check you have sufficient spare rubber to spare before doing this!
We found that by doing this, there was less rubber to get through initially, so it was a much simpler process. Once the initial stub of the rubber was through, you could then carefully pull it through using a pair of long-nose pliers.
Lubrication
Another top tip is to use some silicone spray to add some lubrication to the frames to help pull the rubbers through the channels. It’s designed for use with rubber (unlike washing up liquid) as well as being excellent lubrication, waterproofing, and corrosion protection product for most surfaces including metal, wood, rubber, and plastic.
amazing attention to detail with these polished SO42 Westy louvre windowsOnce all the internal rubbers had been replaced, the outer window to frame rubbers could be fitted and the completed Westy louvre/jalousie windows fitted back into place.
