Foretravel Owners' Forum

Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Renovations => Topic started by: Grover Dickerson on May 12, 2014, 12:29:29 pm

Title: Shower Skylight
Post by: Grover Dickerson on May 12, 2014, 12:29:29 pm
Can anyone recommend a compatible shower skylight replacement for a 1998 U270?  The old one appears to be an ODL model.  Not sure of the model number but the outside flange is 30" x 30".  The inside measurements are 22 1/4" x 22 1/4".  The rough opening is 21" x 21".  I'm hoping to find a model that will working with the overhead fiberglass insert without modification.  Has anyone had any experience going this route?  Thank you for your help.
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: twobus on May 12, 2014, 12:48:06 pm
That all sounds like the same dimensions as the one in ours. I'd have to go measure to be sure. I just ordered one from FT. They told me the double skylight that's now available wouldn't work with my outside flange, that I'd have to not install the inner dome, but I liked the idea of airspace insulation there so I sealed them together, relocated the holes in the flange, gasketted everything, and bolted it all back up. No problemo.
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: Dave Cobb on May 12, 2014, 01:06:34 pm
Our 98 skylight has the touchable inside flat cover sealed to the top of the shower opening shaft.  I have not pulled the framed skylight off, but it looks like the same double dome frame and lens that we install on home roofs.

I picked up another one last week for a job from a skylight manufacture in town.  Any skylight company can supply you replacement double curved domes.  You might get really lucky and find them near you.

On my U225, I had Foretravel replace one, the unit was about my wholesale costs.
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: Grover Dickerson on May 12, 2014, 01:15:37 pm
I was hoping maybe I could find a replacement at one of the big home improvement centers,  It would be neat if I could cover the old flange area with the replacement skylight frame.  I'm lazy, looking for the easiest way....... ;D ;D
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: Gary Bouland (RIP) on May 12, 2014, 01:55:15 pm
Grover, I bought one a few years ago from Home Depot, take the measurements in and they will order it.  They did not  have the smoked color so I put clear in but its no problem unless you have squirrels that like to look ion while you are showering.
Gary B
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: fouroureye on May 12, 2014, 02:01:37 pm
Grover, search the thread "shower skylight" reply #8 has a phone # from a couple a years ago. Hope this helps with your repair. ^.^d
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: RRadio on May 12, 2014, 09:15:32 pm
One of the hazards of mounting a canoe rack on a Foretravel is the danger of dropping the canoe on the dome of the shower skylight and smashing it... Doh!... Which could motivate a guy to get rid of the dome altogether and install a flat piece of plexiglas instead from the big blue or big orange home improvement store. With a canoe over the skylight, clear plexiglas allows light into the bathroom again. The smoke colored dome was so dark it was useless with the canoe over it. Now if you take the canoe off and the sun comes in through the clear plexiglas it's blindingly bright! haha ...For those of you who aren't carrying a canoe (probably all of you) this information is mostly useless so I apologize for wasting your valuable time rambling on about nothing. :D
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: Grover Dickerson on May 12, 2014, 10:06:32 pm
Scott, I enjoyed your story.  Figure this.......a motor home cruising down the highway with a motorcycle mounted on  the back, a car in tow and a kayak on top of the car.  I guess a guy could tow a boat behind the car.  By the way, I thought about putting the kayak on top of the motor home.
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: Tim Fiedler on May 12, 2014, 10:19:55 pm
Shower base is raised, At 6' flat wouldn't work for me
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: RRadio on May 12, 2014, 10:27:46 pm
I could probably put at least two kayaks on the roof of my coach. A canoe is a lot more difficult to carry on the roof than a kayak. If you ever get a canoe make sure it's the lightest practical model if you're gonna carry it on the roof. There's a wide variation of canoe weights. You obviously won't want a wooden canoe or an aluminum canoe on your roof. Mine is made of Royalex (plastic / foam) and weighs about 50 lbs, which is about as heavy as I can go and still get it on the roof by myself. I think most kayaks weigh less.
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: RRadio on May 12, 2014, 10:31:05 pm
Tim, I only changed the dome, not the interior plastic part of the skylight. It's still the same height and everything's exactly the same inside the coach. You can't even tell any difference on the outside of the coach except when I take the canoe off it, then you see the dome is missing.
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: sgwynn on May 12, 2014, 10:36:14 pm
I replaced mine with a 25.5x25.5 smoke selected from RV Replacement Skylights from Bri-Rus - PPL Motor Homes (http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-vents/rv-replacement-skylights.htm)
Glued it down with silicone, trimmed about 1/4" all the way around with Dremel, and replaced the aluminum original frame.
The new polycarbonate glazing is tougher than original, and I expect it to withstand most Colorado hail storms.

Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: RRadio on May 12, 2014, 10:55:13 pm
...an Old Town canoe over the top of your shower skylight will withstand Texas and New Mexico hail storms... ;D
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: J. D. Stevens on May 12, 2014, 11:07:46 pm
I ordered a double dome from SkyLight Depot. I pulled the aluminum frame from the old skylight. Found out that hardware would not accommodate two additional layers of plastic. I tossed one and used the white polycarbonate dome. Used a bit of Lexel sealant and put it back together. A few weeks, a couple of thousand miles of travel, several rainstorms -- so far so good.

Out original was knocked out by hail. The inside layer was intact, so I cleaned it thoroughly and didn't mess with the seal.
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: J. D. Stevens on May 12, 2014, 11:26:16 pm
...an Old Town canoe over the top of your shower skylight will withstand Texas and New Mexico hail storms... ;D
A dome from SkyLight Depot is waaayyyy cheaper than an Old Town canoe. It's probably not a versatile and fun, but waaayyyy cheaper. :))
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: JohnFitz on May 13, 2014, 09:45:45 am
I replaced mine with a 25.5x25.5 smoke selected from RV Replacement Skylights from Bri-Rus - PPL Motor Homes (http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-vents/rv-replacement-skylights.htm)
Glued it down with silicone, trimmed about 1/4" all the way around with Dremel, and replaced the aluminum original frame.
The new polycarbonate glazing is tougher than original, and I expect it to withstand most Colorado hail storms.
Yes, polycarbonate is superior against impacts but the only downside (besides cost) is it will yellow due to UV exposure.  You might not ever notice it in this application and maybe the manufacturer might have put a UV coating on it too that should last for a while. Please report back in 10 years :P
Here's a good website to compare when to use either acrylic or polycarbonate Acrylic vs. Polycarbonate: a Quantitative and Qualitative Comparison - (http://www.hydrosight.com/acrylic-vs-polycarbonate-a-quantitative-and-qualitative-comparison/)
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: RRadio on May 13, 2014, 11:47:12 am
I've owned the Old Town canoe for 20 years so I'm trying to recover my investment by using it as a hail shield over my shower skylight... except tomorrow when I'm gonna paddle it up the Kennebec River in Maine... then after that it'll be a hail shield again. :P
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: nitehawk on May 13, 2014, 12:28:25 pm
If your skylight is going to be subjected to impacts from things such as canoes or hail, use Lexan instead of the other plastics. It is commonly used on chip making machines and is super resistant to impacts and will not crack or shatter like plastic.

If you want to opaque your skylight take a pad sander to the inner surface and use a fine grade of sandpaper.
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: Jeff and Victoria Moses on May 13, 2014, 07:00:36 pm
Try Replacement Skylights, Square, Rectangular & Round. (http://www.eztopsworldwide.com/skylights.htm)  they have the one with your measurements.
Title: Re: Shower Skylight
Post by: Barry Beam on May 14, 2014, 09:36:33 pm
Can anyone recommend a compatible shower skylight replacement for a 1998 U270?  The old one appears to be an ODL model.  Not sure of the model number but the outside flange is 30" x 30".  The inside measurements are 22 1/4" x 22 1/4".  The rough opening is 21" x 21".  I'm hoping to find a model that will working with the overhead fiberglass insert without modification.  Has anyone had any experience going this route?  Thank you for your help.

Grover , I am not sure if this is the same size as yours but Barry Leavitt replaced his 1997 U270 skylight. Here are his instructions and part numbers.
Replacing Shower Skylight (http://www.beamalarm.com/Documents/replacing_shower_skylight.html)