How To Repair Extreme Water Damage Class C Motorhome
Water Damage Repair Function I:
When Things Become Wet In The
Wrong Places
Nosotros experienced some water damage to our rig last January while staying at the Sonoma Coast State Beach (Wright'southward Beach). Continuing outside of the vehicle and looking above the passenger side door I noticed a problem with h2o intrusion on my Class C Tioga. This is non where you desire to discover yourself having to perform roof leak repairs.
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This water leak created a 1/2 inch separation of the fiberglass flooring from the side trim slice. This resulted in the flooring being pushed downwardly and away, leaving an unsightly gap. We had rain the night before, but but a small corporeality. Therefore, I'g thinking this was a problem that had been going on for awhile.
The rain became steady, and we decided it was fourth dimension to head back to Sacramento.
This is a 118-mile drive, so I was hoping that we could duck in between showers.
Equally a precaution against further water damage from this roof leak, I used a strip of EternaBond tape to make a temporary repair... I sealed it up as best as I could and made a run for it.
Our luck was not good, though. Not simply did information technology rain, it poured all the way home. It also rained nearly of the next month. I was reduced to putting a tarp on the thing and waiting until the weather improved before I could encounter the extent of the water damage. Needless to say, I was nervous because I really didn't know merely where the leak that caused the h2o damage was coming from.
Are Present... Only Be Careful
I did take my RV down to a local RV service center where they performed an overpressure test on the thing. It was pretty much a useless waste material of fourth dimension considering the but data I got back was that it was a "leaker". They wanted something like $3,500.00 to "fix it". I asked for a study showing exactly where it was leaking, just I simply received what looked similar a parts breakdown on the price of repair. Afterwards it was all said and washed, information technology seemed that their major focus was on selling me a new vehicle. I wasn't impressed.
I am but bringing this up because I feel that a good way to determine where water can penetrate whatever recreational vehicle is through the process of over pressuring the unit. It is a simple matter of creating ane or 2 pounds per sq. inches of atmospheric pressure differential inside the unit of measurement and then applying soap and h2o through a sprayer mechanism on the outside seams. In theory, if there is a potential h2o damaging leak, so air bubbles volition form along the fault line. Like I said, it is simple in theory. I have some ideas on how to develop such a water leak detection examination.
Having Some Water Damage Bug
As far as my leak was concerned, when the sun finally came out and the rain stopped long plenty to begin the repair process, I removed the tarp and looked things over.
The previous owners appeared to have damaged the forepart correct corner of the cab-over by colliding with something. A repair was attempted to prevent h2o damage, only the external caulking that had been applied may non have been up to the task of maintaining a water barrier. Upon removing the trim slice, I also discovered more that a few screws had rusted out. It was a mess.
The graphic above shows where the fiberglass was damaged. This appears to have resulted in the swelling caused past water penetration.
Some of the the swelling y'all run across in the graphic above was already on the unit of measurement when I bought the affair. At the time I figured that it had leaked; and after the water damage had occurred, information technology had been repaired. This analysis was based on the fact that there was nothing on the within showing water impairment problems. All my within panels were, and still are, dry out and firm.
1 of the primal lessons learned well-nigh a designed water barrier is that if the motor home is put together properly, there is much less of a chance for it to sustain water impairment from a leak.
The bottom line is that the engineering designs on most recreational vehicles are good. However, the manufacturers sometimes drop the brawl on assembly.
As an case, when nosotros pulled off the trim piece on the damaged corner, we noticed that when it was assembled, the trim was not configured to sit flush with the radius of the curve. There was virtually a i-inch gap that prevented a proper seal.
Believe it or not, I read an opinion about this in a mag on airplanes. The author made the instance that people who assemble and maintain airplanes take a love of their craft while people who assemble motorhomes are semi-skilled employees resulting in a greater potential of reduced standards. I'yard not sure that I buy all of his logic, only the manufacture does, on occasion, accept issues with substandard products.
I feel that when purchasing a unit, you want to look at the small things. It is easy to get overwhelmed with the glitz. Y'all desire to wait to see if the chiffonier doors align properly. Are the fitting on directly? These are samples of possible manufacturing sloppiness. Look at the screws on the exterior trim pieces. Were they "rounded out" during associates? Did the manufacturer use screws or staples to put the interior together? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to effigy out which process volition hold up the longest.
Anyhow, dorsum to the repair. I'm going to say up front that in almost every state of affairs, 2 minds are improve than ane. I probably would not have enjoyed a successful conclusion to this water harm repair project if I did non have the counsel and aid of my friend, Brian. Brian enjoys a good knack for out of the box thinking and the tools to back up his ideas. He has so many "tool toys", that he puts his garage together like a jig-saw puzzle. Simply amazing. Brian rules the garage, and his married woman rules the house. I simply exercise what I'm told... I have a wife, two daughters, ii grand daughters, and a female person cat. At least I'm well fed!
Due to the rain that delayed the repair on my water damaged course C, nosotros had a lot of time to think about after market repair products. We kind of mapped out what nosotros thought needed to exist washed. We compiled a list of what tools and supplies nosotros would need to complete the h2o damage repair.
Brian is a boat owner, therefore, he is e'er over at West Marine looking at stuff. On 1 of his trips, he noticed a wide variety of epoxy. After bringing this to my attention, we decided to bank check it out.
It turns out that Due west Marine carries a selection of Due west Organisation epoxies. We concluded that Due west SYSTEM'due south Thousand-Flex 650 epoxy would exist a suitable epoxy to repair my water damaged Grade C. Information technology may even make information technology structurally amend than new! I think this is true in big function due to the waterproofing nature of epoxy when applied to wood.
K-Flex 650 is very new stuff... it was introduced in June, 2007. What makes this epoxy appealing to us was its modulus of elasticity. It has a grip of 150,000 psi (pounds per square inch). Westward SYSTEM'south number one selling Epoxy, the 105 series, has a modulus number of 405,000 psi grip.
This relates considering G-Flex has almost the same creep (creep shows how long an epoxy volition sustain a load without separation) with much enhanced tensile elongation (v to six times the tensile elongation of West Arrangement 105). Tensile elongation is a elementary measuring term determining how much movement tin be absorbed before shearing, or breaking apart.
And so, how exercise all of these numbers relate to a repair projection on a water damaged motorhome? Well, we needed something that would render the underlying sub frame wood back to its original integrity. Thou-Flex has the ability to:
- glue water damaged damp woods. Information technology can exist used on wet surfaces, even underwater when applied with specific instructions.
- make structural bonds that can absorb the stresses of expansion, contraction, stupor, and vibration.
- adhere tenaciously to difficult-to-glue hardwoods.
- bail well to a variety of materials, including unlike ones such as metals, plastics, glass, masonry, and fiberglass.
With the above data, we decided there was a skilful chance the old motorhome would non shake itself apart as nosotros collection down the route.
Information Sources For Hardware
Okay! We felt good about the epoxy. However, we even so needed some type of insulation tape. I did non desire to employ plumber's tape because I knew it would become hard and brittle afterwards a period of time. So, I looked online at 3-Yard.
We got lucky and institute some other new product recently developed past three-K. They had just introduced a new conditions ribbon seal. The stuff is pretty cool, information technology volition stay pliable over the long haul. This is a quality that volition testify to exist very effective for our purpose.
I ended up using a supplier out of Sacramento, CA, called R. S. Hughes Company. I bought a ringlet of iii-M's weather ribbon seal. Information technology was 1" broad and, as y'all can run into below, matched perfectly with the existing trim piece.
The last piece of the puzzle was finding a substitute for silicone. Although silicone has proficient sealing qualities, it becomes a existent bugger when it is time to supercede it. This is because silicone does not stick to itself, and then information technology must be cleaned completely off whatever surface that must be sealed. Chemical removal helps, but it e'er boils downward to a lot of elbow grease.
I used a commercial silicone removal product to get the big pieces off. Just, I found a common moisture sanding sponge worked best to remove it entirely. I actually don't like silicone.
I finished completing the final caulking with a Geocel product call PRO FLEX. Lesser line, it has all the sealing qualities of silicone, just information technology is capable of being reapplied to itself, or even painted, after it dries.
One hundred stainless screws were used to supersede the original factory screws and a four' X four' 10 3/iv" plywood board was used to assistance brace the repair area when applying epoxy.
Maybe y'all take also completed a project that came out well. EVERYONE likes to hear success stories! In fact, the feedback that I've received on my project indicates that many of my on-line readers are searching for information nearly projects to help them modify or repair their rigs.
Then, maybe you accept a story to tell... it doesn't have to be about a water damage repair. If Y'all have done something to your rig… whether it is a repair project, or even some type of modification to amend the usability of your home on wheels, other people will be interested.
Besides, if y'all want to describe and submit your project using the form below, I volition give you YOUR OWN Spider web PAGE to display your handiwork on. Be certain to apply pictures, too (if you accept them). Just tell a story about what is beingness shown.
Share your Motorhome Ideas, Plans, and Projects with Other Motorhome Enthusiasts!
We would honey to hear about your motorhome projects… anything that other motorhome enthusiasts might enjoy or detect educational:
* Whatever projects with unexpected outcomes... stuff that happens when it wasn't in the plans.
* Unique ideas or accomplishments that were a huge success… or simply something that solved a problem.
* Did something break down on your final trip? You may have some unique advice for a fellow traveler.
* We are all looking for good repair facilities. Accept you lot had good experiences with any repair services?
* Don't forget the earlier and later pictures that tell a story!
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See what projects other visitors have completed on their Course C Motorhmomes!
Get out RV Repair: Office I And Go To Repair Project Part Two
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