When it rains, does it pour?

[hex0rz]

 My 5ther is just now 4 years old from time of purchase. Here is what i get to deal with...

 

Don't buy a keystone rv! Notice the shoddy caulk seam. That is not going to seal anything. Regardless, I'm putting money on it I'm once again going to end up being that guy that slips right through the crack and won't have any coverage despite my extended warranty. 

 

I was going through the trailer prepping it so i could take it to a place to sell it on consignment. Noticed the slide was not the same as before. Well lo and behold, there was more to this sponge than met the eye.

 

Good news is,  if someone wants more than I'm willing to pay, there seems to be many people who have had this problem and doesn't seem entirely difficult to fix.

 

Did i mention, don't but keystone?

[dripley]

That sucks. You would think a decent warranty would cover that. Hoping yours will do that.

[Mopar1973Man]

I could do the same thing with my Jayco. I've found several joints that were a joke and the wood behind it damaged. Personally, I've got no love for butyl rubber and tend to peel all that junk out and replace with silicone. 

[Killer223]

been there done that. all the wood was replaced with pressure treated wood, then coated with 2 coats polyurethane (i'll bead the water).

seams were taped with eturna bond, windows re caulked with DPI lap sealant. and so far, no leaks, that was 3 years ago.

the fiber glass siding was ordered in a sheet of 10x10, then applied with contact cement rolled on both surfaces, then the seam was fiberglass bondo back together and white rattle can paint.

 

and you can see post fix. i had a 2x4 slightly out of alignment. oh well. it's sealed.  not bad for a 4800$ trailer.

[hex0rz]

10 hours ago, dripley said:

That sucks. You would think a decent warranty would cover that. Hoping yours will do that.

 

And if it doesn't, you would think the manufacturer should be held responsible. 4 years post build, that is a terrible duration. You and i both know that if this happened in construction someone would be getting a call back on their dime. This is just poor craftsmanship. 

 

9 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

I could do the same thing with my Jayco. I've found several joints that were a joke and the wood behind it damaged. Personally, I've got no love for butyl rubber and tend to peel all that junk out and replace with silicone. 

 

There was no butyl rubber or anything of the likes. Just straight up put together and a small heel bead of caulking. 

6 hours ago, Killer223 said:

Been there done that. all the wood was replaced with pressure treated wood, then coated with 2 coats polyurethane (i'll bead the water).

seams were taped with eturna bond, windows re caulked with DPI lap sealant. and so far, no leaks, that was 3 years ago.

the fiber glass siding was ordered in a sheet of 10x10, then applied with contact cement rolled on both surfaces, then the seam was fiberglass bondo back together and white rattle can paint.

 

and you can see post fix. i had a 2x4 slightly out of alignment. oh well. it's sealed.  not bad for a 4800$ trailer.

 

 

How old is your trailer? Was it only 4 years old or younger? I Can understand this happening maybe 10 years old or more,  but less than 4, THAT'S  a joke!

 

If i have to do this repair myself, I'm going to look into doing treated plywood for the replacement or maybe mdo/hdo (same kind of stuff concrete form workers use)

[Wild and Free]

My 25 foot 1972 Avion travel trailer is solid as a rock yet lol.

[hex0rz]

Luck has it,  I'm not covered on my warranty... go figure.

 

Asked a shop about ballpark pricing. They said several thousands too fix it...

 

Looks like i have to ride this one myself. 

[Killer223]

that's no fun, what does the inside look like? i went to real plywood, not the OSB they used stock, and when you do get to the wood, treat it with several coats of urethane, that way it repels water.

check the walls, as i'd bet they have some damage as well. see if they are soft n spongy.

 

the bad thing about that FRP panel is they hod the moister in, not letting the wood air out,

really isn't a hard fix, just time...

[Mopar1973Man]

Sorry to say but RV's are a moving and shaking house that flex. That being said you have to inspect the body yearly for water leaking in. Like on my RV the clearance lights on top were leaking causing my delamination that occurred. The lower skirts are rotting out from crappy butyl rubber tape every says to use which I think is junk. I've been slowly rebuilding the joints with 50 year silicone and scrapping all the junk butyl rubber out. I'm at least gaining on my RV and going to extend the life span with what I've done. 

[hex0rz]

On 4/17/2017 at 7:32 PM, Killer223 said:

that's no fun, what does the inside look like? i went to real plywood, not the OSB they used stock, and when you do get to the wood, treat it with several coats of urethane, that way it repels water.

check the walls, as i'd bet they have some damage as well. see if they are soft n spongy.

 

the bad thing about that FRP panel is they hod the moister in, not letting the wood air out,

really isn't a hard fix, just time...

 

The inside was wet, the carpet was getting a black color to it from mold. I'll have to shampoo it. There is a degree of water damage to the sides, but i don't think it's excessive. 

 

On 4/18/2017 at 5:28 AM, Mopar1973Man said:

Sorry to say but RV's are a moving and shaking house that flex. That being said you have to inspect the body yearly for water leaking in. Like on my RV the clearance lights on top were leaking causing my delamination that occurred. The lower skirts are rotting out from crappy butyl rubber tape every says to use which I think is junk. I've been slowly rebuilding the joints with 50 year silicone and scrapping all the junk butyl rubber out. I'm at least gaining on my RV and going to extend the life span with what I've done. 

 

After i sell this thing, I'm not getting another rv of any sort. Ill sleep in a tent. Allot easier to swallow buying a new tent even every year i camp compared to the expense of an rv.

 

Biggest challenge i currently face is what thickness board i need. Anyone know? I assume it's 3/4 osb..

[01cummins4ever]

If it's 3/4  then replace with the same thickness, No reason you can't replace using osb and seal it, 3/4 marine grade plywood would be an expensive option , but regardless what you use, you need to have the source of the leak fixed, and then even osb should hold up fine.

 

Just wondering, where did that leak start from?

 

 

[hex0rz]

It sounds like, through the research I've done about this, that this condition develops from the edge seal at the bottom corners of the slide. If there is not a proper seal, it'll develop a leak. I've read about a couple people now, installing drip edges over these parts to deter water away from this joint and also water from going under the slide. 

 

Some people are also faced with that water rolling under the slide and then being sucked up by capillary action through an unsealed penetration like a screw or staple. 

 

I gotta say, through this research, the quality of trailers really suck just that bad! I don't care if it's a house on wheels or not. It's just poor craftsmanship no matter how you look at it. 

 

In construction, specifically for a window system install, because that's all i did in construction, you caulked EVERYTHING. you would be amazed at how water can get into a building, especially a high rise. Water can travel UP in certain situations. 

[hex0rz]

IT IS FINISHED!

 

i started the project yesterday, and quit at sundown as it got too cold to continue. I was able to get the bed apart,  the fascia pulled off and the floor board ripped out. 

 

Didn't have to take out the slide or anything. Propped up the slide with some 1x to keep it from dropping once i pulled the floor board. 

 

The board about fell apart getting it out! Had to get everything cleaned up and prepped for the new board. 

 

Today i got the board reinstalled, everything glued and sealed. Had to use new fasteners for allot of areas. I caulked the crap out of every joint. It was absurd as to how little of any sealant was used for anything! Went through a tube of sika and 2 tubes of silicone caulk. 

 

I gotta say, i spent less than $100 to do this repair and maybe 12 hours work. I just saved a boat load! I Was told it'd be several thousand to do the repair. 

 

Oh! I also used a can of flex seal on all the slides at the bottom areas! That stuff works great!

[dripley]

Good to hear it was not too difficult.