nangarza
Pflugerville, Texas, USA
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Joined: 02/04/2004
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Help. When I purchased my pop-up the seam on the corner on the king bed side was pulling away from the sides. This weekend it has been set up and the pulling is much worse and is now on both corners under the bed. We are using all the support poles for the bed and have the PU almost level. It is not completely level. I have taken three pictures and they are at the link below. I am very worried. I try to take care of my PU and want to fix this before it gets any worse. Any advise about how to fix it and what could be causing this would be greatly appreciated.
The link is to Ofoto and I think you may have to set up a free username and password to see them. So my second question would be: If you know how to share photos a little easier so the end user doesn't have to log on, I will take that advise too.
Thanks in advance.
Pictures of problem.
* This post was
edited 05/18/04 01:40am by nangarza *
Slim (mommy of the bunch)
99 Ford Expedition
99 Jayco 12UDK
Son 4 (the wild man of the bunch)
Daughter 9 (the adventurer)
Sassy (guard dog, cover hog)
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mike4947
N. Syracuse, NY
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I have trouble looking at 2D pictures and assessing damage, but if it were mine first thing I'd do is pul the vinyl modeling strip and get to the screews holding the corner molding on. You need to get into that corner to see what's supposed to be holding it together.
From what I can see the front/back has not only pulled away from the side but dropped as well.
And also get rid of the damn butyl caulk the manufacturers love and when you reassemble replace it with a good grade of urathane or polysufide caulk.
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nangarza
Pflugerville, Texas, USA
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Joined: 02/04/2004
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Mike,
Is the front paneling only held on with these seams? Do the seams do anything other than hold the paneling on. As you can tell by the time, I am letting this keep me up at night. I am afraid to just pull the seam off. Is the caulk what holds the seam on?
And on the subject of caulk, that black stick nasty stuff is on every seam throughout the campter. What is hte best method for cleaning it off. And do I have to buy new caulk from a camper store or a home improvement store.
Any infomraiton is appreciated.
Thanks,
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XytheX
West Michigan
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Joined: 05/12/2004
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You are not raising the camper off of the ground with the stabilizing jacks are you? you should only set those to just a bit over snug.
Never Leave a Burning Stick Unattended
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nangarza
Pflugerville, Texas, USA
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Joined: 02/04/2004
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I am only raising the stabilizer jacks enough to have them not move. I don't even raise them one full pump with the jack. I usually put them down and then just push then down enough so that if I kick then they don't wiggle. I have been very cognitive of not putting weight on them.
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mike4947
N. Syracuse, NY
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It's been years since I torn into PU walls, so bear with me. The little vinyl strips on the corner moldings usually hide the screws that hold the moldings on. As for the walls themselves they can be anything from the aluminum sheeting glues to furing strips with paneling glues to the interior, to the sheeting bonded to a foam core with a few wooden reinforcements. Screws (sometimes with square holes), or staples are the main fasteners holding the box together, and sometimes they use adhesive caulk as well. It will all come apart, and really needs to to find out what water damage isbehind the aluminum.
Take your time and work slowly and figure out how each piece is attached before ripping anything.
That black stuff is what happens to the butyl caulk, the black is a combination of mildew and airborne dirt that the caulk collects. Manufcturers love the stuff because it's cheap, easy to apply because it comes in strips on waxed paper, and usually lasts long enough to get the trailer out of the warranty period.
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nangarza
Pflugerville, Texas, USA
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Okay, I have turn down the from panel. There is no rot or water damage (yeah!!). There were lots of screws that had worked their way loose or where not in straight.
We cleaned all the old caulk off, and bought new. We put it all back together. We used 2 inch wood screws instead of what came out (1 inch), hoping this would make a better tighter hold. We recaulked everything.
We have not gone camping since, but we have popped it up and down a few times. That same corner is starting to seperate again. I can't figure it out. We are not puting pressure on the stabilizers. I put them down and then barely crank then. I only crank them enough so that if I kick it, there is no jiggle. The stabilizers do not go down until the camper is 100% set up (beds, door, etc.). They are the first things we take down.
We were so excited about cleaning all the caulking and replacing the screws, that we did the whole PU. We scraped all the old black caulk off, scrubbed it with a toothbrush, and then recaulked. We removed every screw from the other side, and then replaced then with the 2 inch screws. The PU looks amazing. It looks better then when we bought it. Yet, I am still distress about the fact that this side is splitting. I don't get it.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I sure hate to have to do all the work we just did again on a semi-annual basis.
Thanks,
Nicole
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