Help with the history of my lil Bigfoot?

[MsRubyLu-Kathy]

Can anyone in the Oregon area recognize my bigfoot? It looks pretty standard from the outside and inside but it has plex windows front and back and some interesting dents on the roof. There is also some repair work around the vent. I've asked the dealer to give my name and number to the PO which they said they would do. I was hoping someone might have some info on here. I don't see any cracks in the fiberglass and the dealer said it didn't leak. I will test that myself soon. Other than that it's almost usable as is. Just needs some cleaning and a leaking faucet fixed at this point. Yeah!!

[Donna D.]

Ouch, it may not leak while the sun is shining, but I'm betting as soon as the winter rains start... it certainly will.

[MsRubyLu-Kathy]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Ouch, it may not leak while the sun is shining, but I'm betting as soon as the winter rains start... it certainly will.

A cover is going to be ordered soon. I just started cleaning up the inside yesterday and haven't taken a hose to the top to check the dealers claim of no leaks. I might just test it before I put the cushions all back in. Since you live in Oregon do you know anyone who was restoring an old one in my neighborhood?? I'm pretty sure someone has done some work on it.

[Donna D.]

Oregon's a big state Kathy... in the Portland area, see Robert Love: Rose City RV - Service & Restoration, LLC in Portland | Rose City RV - Service & Restoration, LLC (503) 208-9132 & 5952 Se 111th Ave, Portland, OR 97266 | <Automotive/Recreational Vehicles/Repair & Services> - Yahoo! US Local

and of course in central Oregon! TEP Fiberglass Camper Restoration

[Daniel A.]

I don't see the waves in the roof being a problem just make sure the vent is sealed properly.
My 17 foot has the waves and has never been an issue.
I had an air conditioner installed a month ago.

[Carol H]

Kathy if thats caulking around the edges of the hatch you may want to pull the hatch out and clean it all up and re-install it using butyl tape before the rains come.

[MsRubyLu-Kathy]

Originally Posted by Carol H

Kathy if thats caulking around the edges of the hatch you may want to pull the hatch out and clean it all up and re-install it using butyl tape before the rains come.

Probably a good idea if I knew how to get up there without killing myself What do all of you use for ladders to reach the center of your eggs? I'm only 5'3 so I'm a little vertically challenged. This might be one of those pay someone else jobs.

[Donna D.]

That whole vent looks funky to me. In fact, zooming the picture up in size, it looks like a larger vent was replaced with a much smaller one... and that flat top... humm. Did the vent get replaced so the previous owner could get it into a garage?

[Bob Miller]

Better Ideas

By doing some of the work from each side on an 8' step ladder you should be able to reach everything OK. But you will usually need a #2 square bit and an electric screwdriver to get everything apart.

Get the old vent off and then stand on a stool inside and stand up through the opening to do all the real cleaning. The old one will get so bent up taking it off that you may want to have a new one at the ready.

Better Yet: Get yourself a FanTastic Vent/fan and change the existing one out at the same time. I fed a wire from the light in the overhead cabinet to the vent opening for power. Loosen the screws that hold the cabinet to the ceiling slightly and push a piece of stiff wire through first. Works great.

BTW: Call Fantastic before you start and tell them you need a ceiling spacer for the inside trim. It's free and they will send it immediately.

[MsRubyLu-Kathy]

Donna,
One reason I'm trying to talk to the PO, I noticed that the patched area looked very large and I was thinking why not make it bigger and put in a larger vent. Then you could at least make a clean job of it. The vent that is there is not new too much dirt accumulation for it to be really recent. Maybe someone with another lil bigfoot will know what original options were available. Someone posted about enlarging the vent, on a different brand, and I was going to reread that one. There is so much information on this site and I haven't even read 10% yet On a positive note it may not hold up to our coastal storms but it will handle washing I just used the jet on my hose nozzle and it isn't leaking. Yeah!

[Carol H]

I am with Donna and wondered the same thing. Wondered if what we are seeing around the outside of the vent was actually where a vent cover was secured some how.... Hard to tell from the photo how big the vent actually is - wonder if its smaller than a Fantastic Fan which is 16 1/2" x 16 1/2" - which if I had to pull the old one to reseal it I would just replace it with.

[MsRubyLu-Kathy]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

That whole vent looks funky to me. In fact, zooming the picture up in size, it looks like a larger vent was replaced with a much smaller one... and that flat top... humm. Did the vent get replaced so the previous owner could get it into a garage?

It looks like it's always been this size from the interior unless that center panel was replace with another one. Again I'm not sure what is original and what is not. Are there any brochure pictures for this model around?

[Bob Miller]

You may want to stay with a standard 14 x 14 vent. Larger ones aren't always easy to get replacement covers for and, BTW: the cover on the mentioned FanTastic fan is warranteed forever.

Try this: Get a piece of aluminum about 20 x 20 and have a 14 x 14 opening cut in the center. Take off the old vent and install the piece of aluminum to cover the damaged area, and seal it down well. Then install the new vent through the aluminum.

[MsRubyLu-Kathy]

And before you ask the vent is 11 1/4 in on the outside edge of the trim and the opening is only 9 inches.

[Bob Miller]

Hmmmm.... That may be the problem and why it look "Repaired"
Standard roof openings and standard vents and a/c's fit a 14 x 14 opening.... I have seen a mini vent in bathrooms sometimes, but usually not in the middle of a coach.
It looks like installing a 14 x 14 vent should fix everything...

[Bob Miller]

We just pulled the original 14 x 14 roof vent off of our 2004 Bigfoot and installed a FanTastic Fan. If you would like to have the original vent it's yours for shipping.

[MsRubyLu-Kathy]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

We just pulled the original 14 x 14 roof vent off of our 2004 Bigfoot and installed a FanTastic Fan. If you would like to have the original vent it's yours for shipping.

Yes I would love to have it. I'll pm you and give you shipping information