Keyboard Shortcuts
ctrl + shift + ? :
Show all keyboard shortcuts
ctrl + g :
Navigate to a group
ctrl + shift + f :
Find
ctrl + / :
Quick actions
esc to dismiss
Likes
Search
2022 Aliner Scout Lite already leaking
My 2022 Scout Lite started leaking the last time we had it out camping during a hard rain. It had not leaked previously in hard rain. Rain was dripping off the coil of the door-side rear spring inside the camper. Fortunately I caught it after just a few minutes, in part because I saw warnings on this forum about checking for corner leaks (thank you!).
?
Upon looking for the cause, I saw that the D-profile weatherstripping on the right rear roof section (that the A-wall presses against for a seal when unfolded) was glued on crooked, so that by the time it reached the corner there was a 1" long triangular gap into which water was pouring as it dripped down the outside.?
?
Ignoring the poor workmanship for a moment, what bothers me more is that the factory clearly recognized it was incorrectly attached, and their fix was to shoot a bit of silicone caulk into the gap instead of repositioning it. I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did, or worked at all, considering the wall and roof are constantly being put together and taken apart. It is 16 months since I purchased it, and although they have nothing about warranty length in any documentation, I believe from other sources that it is only 1 year.
?
The weatherstripping goes tightly underneath the straight part of the spring, so it will be tricky to remove and replace. Anyone done this repair before, and if so, what worked for you? Where did you get a replacement piece (I don't want the whole kit from Aliner). It appears to be 1" wide by 3/4" high. In the outside close up photo, you can see the light colored caulk, which is not present on the other side. Just above that, part of the caulk fell off, leaving the gap. |
you should be able to find adequate D shape weatherstripping at McMaster-Carr. I repaired the ones for my door. Large choice available. choose the type with strong adhesive if available.
On Wednesday, May 24, 2023 at 01:06:05 PM EDT, Eric B <astronomerica@...> wrote:
My 2022 Scout Lite started leaking the last time we had it out camping during a hard rain. It had not leaked previously in hard rain. Rain was dripping off the coil of the door-side rear spring inside the camper. Fortunately I caught it after just a few minutes, in part because I saw warnings on this forum about checking for corner leaks (thank you!).
?
Upon looking for the cause, I saw that the D-profile weatherstripping on the right rear roof section (that the A-wall presses against for a seal when unfolded) was glued on crooked, so that by the time it reached the corner there was a 1" long triangular gap into which water was pouring as it dripped down the outside.?
?
Ignoring the poor workmanship for a moment, what bothers me more is that the factory clearly recognized it was incorrectly attached, and their fix was to shoot a bit of silicone caulk into the gap instead of repositioning it. I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did, or worked at all, considering the wall and roof are constantly being put together and taken apart. It is 16 months since I purchased it, and although they have nothing about warranty length in any documentation, I believe from other sources that it is only 1 year.
?
The weatherstripping goes tightly underneath the straight part of the spring, so it will be tricky to remove and replace. Anyone done this repair before, and if so, what worked for you? Where did you get a replacement piece (I don't want the whole kit from Aliner). It appears to be 1" wide by 3/4" high.
In the outside close up photo, you can see the light colored caulk, which is not present on the other side. Just above that, part of the caulk fell off, leaving the gap. |
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýHello Eric: I replace all our weatherstripping on our 2000 Aliner. I did the walls with them folded down. It was easy. Plus I added 25cm wings to all the corners. Now we only leak when we drive in the rain. The joints are not sealed when the walls and roof are down. Might be a good reason to store with the roof up?? Carl. On 5/24/2023 1:06 PM, Eric B wrote:
|
Mcmaster Cart sells good quality weatherstripping.? Get it from them, and get stuff that is outdoor rated..? I got some stuff from Amazon for lots cheaper and its disintegrating after one year.
You'll notice that mcmaster carr has an option for a name brand adhesive on the weatherstripping for like 40 cents a foot more, or something like that.? Get the name brand stuff.? Its worth it. A lot of people get surprised that RVs have lower quality than say cars or houses or computers.? But there's not enough pressure for quality in the rv market to even generate a well known quality rating on various rv models.? You can debate why that happens, but the bottom line is be prepared to fix stuff.?? |
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýHi Eric: I find a scraper blade in a oscillating tool to be great removing tape goo. Carl. On 5/26/2023 8:04 PM, Eric B wrote:
Thanks everyone. Looks like I'll be ordering a piece from McMaster-Carr. Hopefully a heat gun and scraper with a little Goo Gone will be enough to get the old adhesive off- it hasn't been on long enough to harden badly. |
The adhesive is really two sided sticky tape.? When you peel the weatherstripping off, try and lift off the adhesive tape with the weatherstripping.? Pull real slow.? If the tape comes off, it takes most of the glue with it, and a couple more wipes with solvent and you're done.? If the tape doesn't come off, and you just pull off the foam, the backbone of the tape is plastic, and solvents won't remove it very easily, and getting it off is a bitch.
Xylene is really super nasty stuff.? I use acetone.? That's just ordinary nasty.? :-)? |
to navigate to use esc to dismiss