HSIKES
Wilmington,NC
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Joined: 12/02/2007
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I guess I missed this episode.
There has been a leak between the fiberglass cap and the roof. The inside of my right front wall is rotten for about 24". I started tearing out the upper cabinets and found out that part is not rotten. The damage is in the lower part of the walls.
How are they constructed? It looks like 1/4" luan with an imprint design, then foam insulation and the outer wall. Are they made into one piece? I have not cut into this yet so this is a guess.
Any suggestions on how to fix the interior? I'm not worried about the design paper as I am in the process of painting the interior walls. I was thinking about cutting the luan with skill saw. Trying to remove it and replace it with another piece.
Horace & Bobbi
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adondo
Pasco, Washington
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Joined: 07/28/2004
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Not sure the brand etc. but... a lot of RV's are/were made with a process called ''Vacu-bond'' The wall's framing is laid out, wiring etc. added, then the inner and outer layers and insulation added, then the entire thing sealed in a vacuum chamber, and glued together as a unit. i know Monaco does it that way. (took the factory tour) The entire completed wall section is craned onto the chassis' floor.
Water leaks tend to follow inner surfaces via capillary action. Sometimes the leak is nowhere near where you’d think. The water may have missed everything above, and ended up soaking things below because it couldn’t escape.
FMCA# F355513. 40 foot, one slide, Cat powered Magnum Blue Max chassis, PAC brake PRXB, Allison MD3060, Aqua-Hot, 7.5 KW Quiet Diesel, Howard PCS, Velvet Ride suspension. 2006 Jeep Commander attached via a Blue Ox Aventa II; stopped with a Brake Buddy.
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Fulltimingman
Livingston, TX, USA
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One common source of leaks is where the outside mirrors attach to the body. With time the vibration can break the seal and water will slowly leak in. The seam between the front cap and the roof is another good place for a leak.
Michael Day
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SunflyerA
Andover, Minnesota USA
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This is what it looks like....the luan can be peeled away , just be careful. less than 1/4 inch thick....I had the same issues your experiencing.
sunflyer
2005 Fleetwood Excursion 39S
350 Cat
If you are what you eat; then I am fast, cheap and easy
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Deen
Vancouver, WA
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SunflyerA wrote:
This is what it looks like....the luan can be peeled away , just be careful. less than 1/4 inch thick....I had the same issues your experiencing. On your 2005 Excursion?
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halfcab
SouthEast
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HSIKES wrote:I guess I missed this episode.
I was thinking about cutting the luan with skill saw. Trying to remove it and replace it with another piece.
I not sure I would use the average 7" skill saw.
Not knowing anything about your MH, there might be steel ribs or wiring behind the luan. Sight unseen I would try using a case cutter agents a straight edge first...it's only luan about three good passes with cutter should do it.
Besides, the a large skill saw (with the wrong blade) can leave some ugly/nasty looking edges that can be harder and wider to repair.
Good luck.
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kd8wdave
Middletown,OH
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Joined: 06/06/2006
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HSIKES wrote:I guess I missed this episode.
There has been a leak between the fiberglass cap and the roof. The inside of my right front wall is rotten for about 24". I started tearing out the upper cabinets and found out that part is not rotten. The damage is in the lower part of the walls.
How are they constructed? It looks like 1/4" luan with an imprint design, then foam insulation and the outer wall. Are they made into one piece? I have not cut into this yet so this is a guess.
Any suggestions on how to fix the interior? I'm not worried about the design paper as I am in the process of painting the interior walls. I was thinking about cutting the luan with skill saw. Trying to remove it and replace it with another piece.
Sometime back, I found the leak that was between the cap and roof on my unit. It was at the place where the rubber should have been overlapped with the cap and then properly sealed. It was a 1/4 in gap between the rubber roof and the cap. I peeled back the rubber roof to expose the bad wood etc. I don't know how they put it together, but I think the so called vacuum seal is plain 'hype'. I peeled the old wood out by hand, used a sharp carpet knife to trim it out so I didn't damage the styrofoam and filled the joint with new wood and a product called 'great-stuff' available from HD, Lowes, Menards etc and then used 'eternabond' to seal over the joing. No more leaks and the rig has been thru some major rain events. Hope this helps
cheers
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SunflyerA
Andover, Minnesota USA
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Deen wrote:SunflyerA wrote:
This is what it looks like....the luan can be peeled away , just be careful. less than 1/4 inch thick....I had the same issues your experiencing. On your 2005 Excursion?
leaked from the day it was made....Fleetwood was unable to repair it while it was under warranty and when it was out of warranty it became my problem.....it doesn't leak any more.
finished job
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HSIKES
Wilmington,NC
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Looks like you were able to replace the damaged material with 1/4"Luan. I have only cut out a small portion about 24" from floor to cabinets. I can't use luan on the accout of it being too thick. Any suggestion on a filler material 1/8". I'll fill the seams with putty and sand smooth. Remember "Putty and paint make a carpenter what he ain't!"
Horace
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SunflyerA
Andover, Minnesota USA
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It is 1/4 inch maple....the reason I took so much is so I didn't have any visible seams.....you could use any wallboard from a dealer if you are going to paint...this should match in thickness. The only problem I see with putty is cracking from coach movement.
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