Greetings Forum Brain Trust
Yesterday I discovered that the fiberglass siding was beginning to pull away from the frame at the top of the curbside water pump bay. We have a 2003 U320 38ft with tag. The water pump bay sets just in front of the drive axle wheels. This problem has probably been going on for sometime. I say this for a couple of reasons because I had observed the following over a period of time, but didn't understand what was the cause. First the paint was beginning to peel on the molding strip that sets just above the storage doors. Second, the space between the top of the door on the water pump bay when closed is noticeably different between the left and right sides. Anyway I went to open the water pump bay door yesterday and it was stuck shut at the top on the left side. Why is this happening? Several days ago I had the same problem with the door. At that time I adjusted the latches and all was good. Now I'm having problems again!! >:( Upon further investigation I discover the fiberglass siding is pulling loose from the bottom frame. Foretravel uses the side molding strip to secure the bottom of the fiberglass to the frame with screws. Water has somehow gained access to this area and rusted the screws and the frame. Since the fiberglass siding was unsecured in the area it raised slightly when the sun heated the siding and it expanded, thus interfering with the bay door. I checked last night after it was cold outside and the door didn't stick. Any ideas on how to repair this problem? Looks like we'll be visiting the "coach buck" well for yet another drink. Guess this is to be expected since the coach had its 20th birthday last month.
Ugh - hate to see this. With that small window, is this a PBDS (or similar floorplan) coach with that window in the potty room? I wonder if the water line to the toilet or sink has been leaking... The other possibility is that the caulk on the belt moulding failed and allowed water in.
I'm thinking belt moulding and a section of the skin has to come off, the frame member inspected (and rust-converted or replaced, depending on the extent of the damage, and the coach re-skinned and repainted in that area.
BTW - I know this is small consolation, but great photos showing exactly what you're looking at.
Sorry about your issue, BUT, I like the FBT acronym!
Greetings Forum Brain Trust
This is a PBDS (Private Bath, Double Slide) model. The small window is in the potty room. There is extra silicone caulking around the small window that was applied by a previous owner. Unfortunately my records only go back to 2014. We are the third owner or so we were told by MOT. In 2017 we had FOT replace the carpet in the living room with tile and replace the bedroom carpet. That project also included replacing the carpet on the pipe chase in the toilet room with a hard surface product similar to the kitchen counter, only a lot thinner (~ 1/8"). They needed to attach the product to the plywood chase. At the time I stressed to D. Flanagan to be sure to use short screws since I didn't want any penetrations of the underlying drain pipe or supply lines passing thru the chase. Guess I'll remove the decorative coving and inspect for leaks. Haven't noticed any issues on the tile floor.
David, Talk to James Stallings or Greg at Xtreme Paint and Graphics. They can give a fix for this that will stay fixed.
(936) 560-5888
Hi,
I have the same model rig as you have.
Had a leak in the water manifold bay and took a while to track it down, and it may not be your issue, but I
wound up finding a leaking check valve on the line for the Black tank rinse.
The valve hides behind the drawers that are below the cooktop.
On mine I never had any water in the coach--it ran along the sidewall and found an exit above the area of
the fresh water pump in that bay.
Hope that helps!
Check Valve/Vacuum Breaker, 1/2″ MPT, Bulk - Valterra.com (https://www.valterra.com/product/check-valve-vacuum-breaker-1-2-mpt-bulk/)
When we first got our coach we had a problem with the black tank rinse not working. Complained to FOT about the problem. The tech thought it was the check valve and replaced it. Didn't fix the problem, but we paid for the part and installation. On our next visit I had a different technician and he had the nozzle inside the black tank replaced which solved the problem. Fast forward a couple years and we were getting black tank odors in the galley especially when the black tank was over half full. I removed the back flow valve and replaced with straight pipe which solved that problem. What an idiotic location for the flush line back flow valve. Can you imagine you are at a dump station and flushing your black tank when the back flow valve malfunctions and you pump mega gallons of water into your galley. A freak'n nightmare!! The back flow valve is overkill for those who leave a fresh water line connected all the time to the backwash connection. Who does this?
Are you saying you no longer have a back flow preventer between the tank rinse nozzle in the black tank and the water inlet to the tank rinse?
Yes. I removed it. It's not needed. The top of the black tank is lower than the flush line loop. I would have to over fill the black tank to the point of pushing wastewater up the vent stack to where it would be the same level as where the black flow valve use to be installed before "stuff" could possibly contaminate the fresh water connection. Two reasons this will never happen: l will never overfill my black tank. Don't trust the toilet seals. Experienced this scenario in my mom's house when the city sewer system failed. Not pretty!! Second, I do not leave a hose connected to the plumbing bay black tank connection. No connection, no chance of cross contamination.
My first guess based on the photos is that you have a leak either from the window area or the toilet area, that has seeped into the wall.
Generally speaking, this kind of delamination comes from a slow leak that gradually destroys the bond between fiberglass and backing, sometimes the backing material has rotted too. Also check the roof penetrations, most likely this is a small leak so you will be looking for signs, rather than water.
Michelle is spot on, most likely a section of skin removal will be involved to repair underlying damage.
1. Find and fix the leak, this is obviously critical, start at the roof and work your way down from there.
2. if you can live with the delamination, do so, it's much cheaper.
3. If you can't, someone like Xtreme Paint will make it disappear like it wasn't there, but brace yourself, it will sting! The actual area of delam is usually quite a bit larger than it first appears. Since it takes a while for this to occur, it's almost always bigger than you can see, especially if the backing has rotted or otherwise broken down. Several coach bucks in this.
Best of luck, keep us informed please.
Well...... I sent off pictures to Xtreme for an estimate. ~ $9.5 coach bucks. Yikes!! :o That's assuming the area that needs repair isn't larger than what I measured. What to do? :-\ Cut our losses and sell the coach? The DW has had a list of "bling" stuff she's wanted done for sometime, i.e., new flooring, recovering some of the furniture, replacing the pilot/co-pilot seating, replace the Dometic refer with a residential. The fabric on all the coach awnings/slide toppers is worn out and in need of replacing. The coach had its 20th birthday last month. Guess this is to be expected. One bright spot. Had the engine oil tested by Cummins in December. No problems noted.
You will probably spend $10k just getting the next coach sorted. If you're otherwise happy with the coach I'd probably fix it
Also remove the external fridge trim that the panel mounts onto. Make sure it is sealed between the outer fiberglass and the structure. That could also be your water entrance.
Scott
That's quite affordable compared to the $25-30K it cost for a later year Nimbus and its delam issues.
Not sure anyone can answer that "cut/sell" question for you, but even if you sell the coach, you might want to fix the leak first to stop it getting worse.
Then you can sell with a clear conscience if that's what you decide to do.