"Peace be the Journey" damage pictures and repair thread.

Hi Will,

Sorry for the delay, we haven't been on here for awhile.  Luckily we haven't had anything major go down since that issue when we bought it, knock on wood.  Okay, so we first sealed inside with silicone.  Then we used bleach, Kilz and Flex Seal.  We used 5200 Marine Grade on the outside.  We used 1 by 1 frame cut to fit from cab to wall, a lot of angles.  We also got rid of one of the cabinets on passenger side and table.  We used zinc coated self toppers to secure the framing.  We used R-30 stuffed insulation.  We covered that with Lauan plywood and finished it with ship lap cut flush to fit from thr cab trim to the wall.  I think I covered everything?!  Let me know if you have any more questions.  I understand the POS comment when this happens but its honestly been an awesome RV since we fixed it.

Good luck,
Sarah

Sorry, was shrinking pictures to fit.  We've gone with a different theme inside, compared to the original.  😊

The light at the end of the tunnel with the new walls and floor.  😊

Joseph - thanks for the response.  I was extremely frustrated last night (still am).  I address the roof every year and it looks better than new.  Apparently the side marker lights are leaking (I think), and its a very slow leak over a long time, so you dont see anything until its too late.  I thought it was just the drivers side, now I know its both sides.  The laminate flooring is ruined on the drivers side but appears OK on the passenger side.  Everything else on both sides is wet, rotten, and moldy.  On top of that, as I dig into it I am very unimpressed with the construction in these areas.  We bought the PC because I felt they were better than most, well this is worse than most and its disappointing to find this on top of everything else.  This is the fourth major item for us, we have had drive shaft issues, had to pay a body shop to fix cracks in rear cap, and windows that continue to fail, all in 20K miles.  Plus the 50 or so minor RV industry standard mandatory problems.....

RoadToNowhereRV - thanks a lot for the pics.  The only way to fix this right is to open it up, dry it out and replace everything that is soft - as you know.  The hardest part is to start cutting into it, the pictures will be a big help.

Just got a helpful call back from the factory guys.  They may be able to match flooring and it was good to talk through the issues with them.

RoadToNowhereRV - Can you offer any more input as to where yours was leaking.  Our roof looks great, I reset marker lights and touched up all caulk joints that looked suspect, and it still leaks like a sieve.  Worse is the drivers side and we have the slide like yours, but passenger side also leaks - just not as much.  Thanks for any input.  From what I can see it appears wettest at transition between rear of cap and top of angled side wall (just in front of the slide).  Next step is to start cutting holes in the walls.....

Will, leaks like sieve?  Is this while driving in rain, wind drivin rain or even in just a hard down pour? Where’s your water showing up inside?

Nice job.  I currently don't have leaks that I know of.  I did see the caulking where the front cap meets the coach is starting to crack.  I have a full paint job but I think I am still going to use 4" eternabond tape across the cap seal.  I will also probably re-caulk the lights while I'm up there.

Joseph - leaks while sitting in the driveway with slide closed.  Leaks when it rains, leaks when i wash it (I'm going after it with a hose now to find leak).  The post above describes where it gets wet - the two transitions sections between cab and side walls.    Its running down from high in that area someplace.

A friend of mine had a suggestion that they use to find leaks on cars and he also uses it on RV's.  That is, treat it like a hole in an inner tube, pressurize the inside of the RV and look for leaks with soapy water on the outside.  That is what i am doing later today....

Bangorbob - I would stick with factory like products on the roof.  Lap Seal works real good and looks factory.  You can get it in black or white, use it everywhere there is a penetration. 

 

Will, a pressure test is a great idea. Any idea how you will increase interior pressure for this?  I’ve seen some videos using everything from box fans to leaf blowers. 

Oh and the Dicor lap sealant that PC told me to use comes in clear as well.

Will, a pressure test is a great idea. Any idea how you will increase interior pressure for this?  I’ve seen some videos using everything from box fans to leaf blowers.

If doing your own pressure test, don't forget to set your dash board climate control to "recycle inside air" to prevent air from leaking through the the front cab.  The greater the pressure, the better the test results.

Pressure test didn't work, but I found the leak.  Last night after everything got wet again from washing it, and I couldn't find the leak, my wife said maybe its leaking through the wall.  In my best pissed off engineering voice I told her that was not possible.

Well, turns out she was right, its leaking through the GD wall.  Actually, through the joint between the top of the angled wall and the cap.  There is a sealed seam there, once the paint peeled off the sealant, the water was free to run in.  So in summary, the paint was the only thing keeping the water out.  Nice.

Now I know what I have to fix to stop the leak....

So Will....
The leak on both sides were here.

A sealant was used for those seams, but it was applied only to the outer surface.
It came off when you stripped the paint off which then the water came in.
Correct?
If I understand you correctly, this is something we should all inspect for.
For PC owners without full body paint, what does the sealant look like?  Any Pictures?

I have had good results using this sealant https://www.amazon.com/Geocel-GC28100-Flex-Flexible-Clear/dp/B001FC98X2/ref=pd_bxgy_2/137-8964730-2716510?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B001FC98X2&pd_rd_r=3c3fdee2-4a4d-4b97-a49e-d925e94fbc57&pd_rd_w=KaN8d&pd_rd_wg=YYoZd&pf_rd_p=ce6c479b-ef53-49a6-845b-bbbf35c28dd3&pf_rd_r=7SP77EEQE111MFZZH1FK&psc=1&refRID=7SP77EEQE111MFZZH1FK


You probably are already aware silicone while widely used nothing adheres to dried silicone.  This makes it problematic anytime “recaulking” over old silicone.  The Geocel sealant is non silicone.

I have had good results using this sealant Geocel 28100V Pro Flex Crystal Clear RV Flexible Sealant - 10 oz, Quantity 1 (GC28100)

You probably are already aware silicone while widely used nothing adheres to dried silicone.  This makes it problematic anytime “recaulking” over old silicone.  The Geocel sealant is non silicone.

Good Tip!