Solarfry wrote: Check for leaking tanks, shower pan or sinks. Water drips onto inner (under) floor and flows to rear where it wicks up into insulation.
Good point. In my case the tank compartment has always been dry.
There is actually a semi-permeable foam gasket around the tank compartment. The tank compartment is only semi-sealed from the external environment. Plus the 'heated tank' option blows air around that area whenever the furnace is on. So it stays fairly dry.
Thanks,
-Eric
Eric & Lisa - Oregon
'97 Silverado K2500, Torklifts, Airbags, anti-sway bar
'03 Lance model 1030, generator, solar,
Does this kind of damage also say that any one carrying a TC SHOULD also have mud flaps in the rear of the truck to keep the water/mud from kicking up into the rear of the TC?
Frank
sirdrakejr wrote: Does this kind of damage also say that any one carrying a TC SHOULD also have mud flaps in the rear of the truck to keep the water/mud from kicking up into the rear of the TC?
Frank
I do! They work great.
TCnTN bought them for me... as a thank you (me) for helping him on his camper.
This is just one more way that a camper owner can help protect his investment.
And... NEVER wash your camper with a power washer!
Solarfry wrote: Check for leaking tanks, shower pan or sinks. Water drips onto inner (under) floor and flows to rear where it wicks up into insulation.
Good point. In my case the tank compartment has always been dry.
There is actually a semi-permeable foam gasket around the tank compartment. The tank compartment is only semi-sealed from the external environment. Plus the 'heated tank' option blows air around that area whenever the furnace is on. So it stays fairly dry.
Thanks,
-Eric
Most of us do our traveling in warm weather when we don't use the furnace... hence no help with drying.
So more tha 6 months a year there may be water trapped.
sirdrake, had the Tire /water erosion problem ( oversized tires does not help )
I had delam of the ruberized coating and water soaking through into the rear corner of the wings,
Used plywood to Double the back and side .Sealant between layers.
(Black roof coating) than re did the new wood with same.
It has a fiberglass mixed in, squeegy several coats, sets up hard and easy to re coat. Much better than fact c**p.
( It can be painted on, but fiberglass starts to seperete out .)
I have been on vacation and just read this entire thread.
Eric & Lisa I totally sympathize with your problems. I have an '03 Lance 1121 that had skirt water intrusion problems. Lance stepped up to the plate and repaired those problems even though it was past the warranty deadline and I wasn't the original owner. Kudos to Lance for that. However it sure appears that a whole lot of these campers have this issue. To me, that speaks to a design flaw. The fact that it is happening so soon (relatively speaking) after the campers were built suggests that it is not a lack of owner maintenance, but rather a manufacturing problem as well.
I finished recaulking my camper completely about a week ago and interestingly the factory repaired area was exactly as your drawing showed. No caulking in that area at all. I crawled around underneath on a creeper and caulked many areas that Lance never bothered to. I am hoping that my diligence will payoff down the road. Lance has been building truck campers for a long time. You would think with all of that experience and knowledge they would do a much better job of sealing their campers against water intrusion.
I really like the design of my Lance, but I doubt very much I will buy another unless they drastically improve their materials and manufacturing techniques.
2002 F-350 CC 4X4 PSD, Stage II Injectors, Garrett BB Turbo, AFE Air Cleaner, Chip, 4" Exhaust, Gauges, Extra Leaf Springs, Air Lift Bags, Hellwig Sway Bars, Rancho RS9000XL shocks, American Racing Wheels, Toyo M/T Tires (4,300 lb rating),
2003 Lance 1121
Wasatch lance.... appears I should have made more noise. We have the same model and year of camper but I had to shell out $1200 on labor. When did you have yours done?
'03 F350 CC 6.0PSD DRW Firestone Bags Superhitch
2003 Lance 1121 Fully Loaded incl. Solar
'94 Grand Touring SkiDoo, '95 Touring SLE SkiDoo
16 ft Northwood Troller
Crestliner Serenity 1800
Sleepy says... I am using your quote partially.. sorry. Now as you said:
Wasatch Lance wrote: I have been on vacation and just read this entire thread.
"I finished recaulking my camper completely about a week ago and interestingly the factory repaired area was exactly as your drawing showed. No caulking in that area at all. I crawled around underneath on a creeper and caulked many areas that Lance never bothered to. I am hoping that my diligence will payoff down the road. Lance has been building truck campers for a long time. You would think with all of that experience and knowledge they would do a much better job of sealing their campers against water intrusion."
One thing to consider... if the underside of any camper is sealed too well there is no way for water to get out when you eventually have a leak from aging or the rigors of bumpy roads over miles and miles.
You may create more problems than you prevent. It's kind of like wearing fishing waders in a hard rain. The boots fill and you can't dump them. Your feet still rot!
I think (for what it's worth) that diverting water, mud, salt, etc away from the underside might be more important.
HarryBB, my camper was produced in April 2003, I bought it used in February of 2005.
In late July of 2005 I noticed two small "bubbles" in the Filon of the right skirt which were each about 1 1/2" in diameter. I asked the local dealer and they were doubtful about any type of repair under warranty, but suggested I call Lance directly.
I did so (roughly early September) and Lance offered to repair it free, if I brought it to them. It's a long one day drive to their factory from where I live and I thought it would be worth it. I set up an appointment in early November and they fixed it.
Sleepy, I undrstand your concern about over "caulking", when I added caulk to the lower rear of the camper I was careful to leave some small "weep holes" for any moisture to drain out.
While on vacation with the camper we ran into some pretty hard rain a couple of times. I looked in the rear view mirror while driving and the lower skirt area gets a considerable amount of water kicked up from the road, both on the inside and outside areas of the skirt. I do think that the idea of adding caulk to the joint of the inner piece of moulding to the inside of the camper was prudent.
Lance uses oriented strand board (OSB) for their structural siding. When that stuff is made all four edges of the sheet are coated to prevent water from wicking in. OSB is designed or intended to be used in areas where it is exposed to moisture for longer than "normal construction delays". Just how tough or expensive would it be for Lance to seal the edges after they have cut the OSB to shape? The mills that make OSB think it's worth their time and expense to do so.
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