Re: Dreaded bulkhead repair Reply #25 – November 10, 2017, 09:16:36 am in our case the welding/fab company used hyd jacks to stabilize the "floor" before the section was cut out and during the install of the new assembly. Only when the new assembly was installed and secure were the jacks removed. The coach was then returned to MOT to provide corrosion resistance material and reassemble. Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: Dreaded bulkhead repair Reply #26 – December 04, 2017, 09:03:24 pm Bruce, good to hear you are active on the forum. Nice meeting you and your wife at 1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL. My questions are:1 How do you know the bulkhead is failing? Evidence of movement? Rust? Rust jacking?2. Could rust be mitigated or prevented by flooding the wet bay with a penetrating anti-rust oil like ACF-50? It could, like water, relentlessly keep penetrating for years. If we could tolerate this oil on the wet bay floor for several weeks, the ACF-50 could find the water's entry point. I spoke to the manufacturer of ACF-50, and it is completely safe for all fiberglass, plastic, rubber, electrical work, etc...3. How do we instruct the technicians/welders to rust-proof the new steel structure after welding? Powder coat, rubber coat, paint, galvanize? Airplanes with steel structures have, after welding:a. Holes drilledb Anti-rust oil sprayedc. Rubber plug inserted into the hole, sealing in the oil4. How can we design a better basement floor to keep water out while letting water spills out? Airplanes use drain holes on the bottom of the fuselage.5. Should we re-build the basement using foam core with a carbon fiber, fiberglass or aluminum structure? This could be as strong as steel, better insulated and more rust-resistant. Quote Selected
Re: Dreaded bulkhead repair Reply #27 – December 04, 2017, 09:38:47 pm Hey Tim. 1 I bolted the bulkhead several years ago, so I know it is rusty. The area around the sewer door has some issues. I know the wet bays have been wet several times due to leaks. Once the water is in the basement there is not much you can do to dry it out short of removing the belly skin and letting it dry. As far as creating a better mousetrap I guess the only hold up is your ability to shell out coach bucks. When the repair shops replace the damaged areas they use a thicker wall tubing. The original lasted almost 20 years, once it's repaired it will last longer than me. Quote Selected
Re: Dreaded bulkhead repair Reply #28 – December 04, 2017, 10:09:14 pm Tim, you have hit on something I did 6 yrs ago and that was to drill a hole on both sides of coach to line up with the inside of the tubing. I then pushed a 1/4" plastic line right across the width of frame an low pressure sprayed a wax/oil mixture into the tubing then down the full length of the side tubing. I used 1/2" plastic plugs to close holes and around a year later took out 2 rolocks(one either side) and found oil on them and they were in good shape, so figured I did not have any rust problems at that time on INSIDE of tubes.I did not soak the bay floors but what you could do is drill a bunch of holes across the width and right next to the tubing and pour the rust protector into them to soak the area. Clean it up and caulk holes shut. Sounds promising to me so what do you think?JohnH Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: Dreaded bulkhead repair Reply #29 – December 06, 2017, 11:12:04 pm Like your approach. The ACF-50 oil will not melt the foam and will creep for years. Quote Selected
Re: Dreaded bulkhead repair Reply #30 – December 07, 2017, 11:09:10 am Agree that not melting the foam is CRITICAL.I recently inspected a coach that had a diesel fuel leak in the fuel tank compartment. Diesel seeped down into the basement structure and dissolved the foam. To the degree that the fiberglass underside of the coach (bottom of the basement structure) was rippled and I suspect the strong diesel smell is with that coach forever unless a MAJOR rebuild. Quote Selected 2 Likes
Re: Dreaded bulkhead repair Reply #31 – December 07, 2017, 01:10:19 pm Quote from: wolfe10 – December 07, 2017, 11:09:10 amAgree that not melting the foam is CRITICAL.I recently inspected a coach that had a diesel fuel leak in the fuel tank compartment. Diesel seeped down into the basement structure and dissolved the foam. To the degree that the fiberglass underside of the coach (bottom of the basement structure) was rippled and I suspect the strong diesel smell is with that coach forever unless a MAJOR rebuild.[/quoteWe had plenty of bad Aqua hot leaks from the Fuel pump in the late 90's, that did the same thing (smell). Once the fuel leak was repaired, I would flush/flood that area with soap and water. All the water ran out the A/H exhaust hole in the floor. I would then close the bays and run electric heat till dry. In some cases the fuel damage was bad enough, we had to remove the Aqua hot, and cut out the inner floor and foam to replace it. All these were done under Aqua Hot/FT warranty.It was a mess Quote Selected
Topic: Dreaded bulkhead repair