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Old 08-28-2014, 08:42 AM   #21
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Forgive me Norm, but at the risk of sounding dumb, I have to be myself and ask another question.

Should i do this with one to two gallons in the fresh water tank? Right now theres a tad of water left in the lines, but mostly just spitting noises.

Also how ling should i run water out of sink tap during test or doesnt it matter?




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Old 08-28-2014, 08:49 AM   #22
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My hot water tank is empty right now. Bit every time i put a coue of gallons of water in fresh water tank and then open isolation valve so water goes into tank, then turn on hot water spigot, nothing comes out. Am i supposed to leave isolation valve open when running hot water? I dont understand this stuff. Maybe could you call me Norm? I feel so inept.


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Old 08-28-2014, 08:58 AM   #23
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Concerning the taillight, I would not seal it all the way around. Do the top and sides, and maybe a little under but that would be all. My old Scamp tail lights had actual gaps you could see along the top. I sealed a semi-circle around the top of each one but left the bottoms alone. I stood out there in the rain the other day and interestingly due to the aluminum belly band diverting the rain very little water actually got to the top of the light. It is important so let me say it again, do not seal the bottom of your light!
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Old 08-28-2014, 09:43 AM   #24
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Yes, Donna, the lens does fit right over the housing. I will definitely do that as well.

Carol, it ran through my mind briefly to take the black housing off the trailer and put butyl over the wiring harness hole on the FG itself, but of course, I didn't follow through. All I did was put butyl on the outside, with the housing on the trailer, making a nice patch over the hole where the wires enter. Now...behind the housing! That makes sense. Is this what you mean, just putting it over the hole behind the housing, or putting butyl all around the rim/edge of the housing?

I had forgotten you had the newer style Scamp taillights so as usual Donna is right regarding the lens fitting right over the housing.

I took the light housing right off & put the butyl all the way around the edge of backside of the housing and reinstall and then trimmed away the extra butyl that seeped out when the light was screwed back on. Might sound like over kill to some but at least you then know the light is well sealed. Before you do that though and as you indicated you washed the trailer you could always take a hose to it and try and recreate the situation again.

The problem is that with the foil behind the rat fur the water will seep down onto the floor of the trailer and often not taking the direct route down - just takes the path of least resistance (i.e. areas were the foil isn't glued solid to the wall). And yes in my experience with a window leak a couple of years ago the water will/can have a bit of pink colouring to it from the glue scamp uses to attach the foil to the walls.

Re the hot water heater - when running on city water connection you just need to open up the by pass valve that you have opened. If you are filling it via the trailers water tank you need to turn the water pump on (which I am assuming you have on if your getting cold water) in order for it to fill the tank first - as soon as you turn the pump on you should hear it run on for a few minutes while it sucks the water from the main water tank into the hot water tank. You are going to need to put at least 7 gallons of water into the main water tank though - the hot water tank needs to be full in order to work correct as it works on pressure. . If its not filling correctly or nothing comes out it may just have an air lock in the hot water tank . Thats common if the tank has been drained completely. In that case while the tank is filling open up the pressure relief valve (on the outside in the hot water tank hatch) and release the air lock - leave the valve open when filling the hot water tank until the water starts to come out of the valve.

Edit to add: If you run out of water in the main water holding tank the water in the hot water tank will not come out due to the lack of pressure - the water in the hot water tank is just trapped in the hot water tank and not usable (unless you drain it out though the outside) until you add more water to the main water tank to pressurize the system again.
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Old 08-28-2014, 09:56 AM   #25
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Concerning the taillight, I would not seal it all the way around. Do the top and sides, and maybe a little under but that would be all. My old Scamp tail lights had actual gaps you could see along the top. I sealed a semi-circle around the top of each one but left the bottoms alone. I stood out there in the rain the other day and interestingly due to the aluminum belly band diverting the rain very little water actually got to the top of the light. It is important so let me say it again, do not seal the bottom of your light!
Wendy, Tim is correct leaving a small gap in the sealing at the bottom on any electrical fixtures is a good idea - should there be a leak the water then has someplace to go and not trapped behind.
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Old 08-28-2014, 04:00 PM   #26
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Did the best I could. There was corrosion in bulbs and in receptacle. Sanded off some with small wire brush, sprayed and wiped down with elec contact cleaner and lubed with dialectric. Put butyl around lens and pushed on. Not all butyl spooged out the way i would have liked, but done now. Put butyl in hole again where wires enter. And in screw holes that hold black mounting bracket on.

Now on to Norms test and my beer. Im mentally drained and hope this test proves no leaky pex or out comes the dinette.

Meanwhile, 12 hours of school work and lawn mowing awaits. I need a hug.


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Old 08-28-2014, 04:02 PM   #27
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Btw, only put butyl on top and down sides of lens. Skipped bottom altogether. If this works I'll skip the hole drilling as light doesn't wanna come off very easily with butyl on and I can see me breaking it.


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Old 08-28-2014, 06:15 PM   #28
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I need a hug.
Here you go!
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Old 08-28-2014, 06:18 PM   #29
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Aww...thank you Carol! I wish I could really hold that little puppy right now! My dog is over on the other couch and I've called her 5 times to come over and snuggle as I work and she's too lazy to get up off her butt!


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Old 08-28-2014, 07:50 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CampyTime View Post
I have a 2012 scamp 13. Washed trailer Sunday, has been no rain otherwise. Noticed inside of red plastic rectangular lens had water inside. Dripping from bulb.
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Originally Posted by CampyTime View Post
There is no gasket at all, on either tail light. I have a 2012. Is there supposed to be?
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I would also take off the main light housing and put some butyl around the back side of it as well if there is none now - I know Scamp didn't put any behind mine - it was something I added when I change the rear lights out to LED.

A small hole on the bottom of the lens to let the water out isn't going to hurt it.
Just how much water are we talking about? a few drops? 16 ounces?

The left front turn signal light on my company's Ford E250 Van filled up with water after it rained, submerging the bulb. That fixture is gasketed, which held all that water IN. I drilled a 1/16" hole near the bottom to let the water out. I made it small so I wouldn't break the plastic lens. 1/16" is plenty big enough for a drain.

I have similar tail lights as yours with square corners instead of radius corners. The red lens snaps in place over prongs on the sides of the main housing. There is not supposed to be a gasket with this design.

I think Carol has the right idea: remove the base housing and Butyl seal the back of it. I had a problem with my back-up light on the right side corroding to the point that it arced and melted the plastic holding the contacts. The whole metal center part was badly corroded. The fixture was just screwed onto the back of the trailer.

When I replaced the fixture, I applied butyl to the back because that would seal the opening that the wires come through the shell. When I replaced the back-up light bulbs with LEDs recently, the inside was as clean and dry and shiny as the day I installed the light fixture 3 years ago.
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Old 08-28-2014, 08:01 PM   #31
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I don't know if I fully understood but I hope what I did was good. I put butyl over the screw holes of the housing and added some butyl over the wire hole both on the FG and on the front of black housing where wires enter. I did put butyl all around black case where plastic lens seats in but none along the bottom. I did not put butyl around back edge of plastic housing and probably should have but it's done now and wires behind there have butyl over them the best I could.

I couldn't believe how corroded that right lower bulb socket was on a 2 year old trailer. Although I'm tired it's probably good that I found all this now. Hopefully butyl around lens should prevent water from getting inside there, but maybe I didn't do too good a job on the back of the housing. Live and learn. Well see what happens.


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Old 08-28-2014, 08:04 PM   #32
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Nice lights by the way. Where does one buy those? I'm not sure if you mean water in trailer or plastic lens area? Please advise.


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Old 08-28-2014, 08:11 PM   #33
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I'm not sure if you mean water in trailer or plastic lens area? Please advise.
Water inside the plastic lens area. You said it was dripping from the bulb.
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Old 08-28-2014, 08:14 PM   #34
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Oh yes that's right. It wasn't full of water as I only washed the trailer, not from a long rain. Water was on metal bracket and base of lens. I'm sorry Frederick, I can't guess too well. Maybe an ounce or two?


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Old 08-28-2014, 08:21 PM   #35
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I'm trying to do the best I can but as a neophyte I make blunders. Frankly I hope this pex test turns up negative because I'm under a lot of pressure now at work and will hopefully have trailer stored inside this winter. It's been a heck of a lot to take in for one summer and I can't believe all the stuff I've learned and then relearned! Picking on myself here; I'm very self deprecating.


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Old 08-28-2014, 08:25 PM   #36
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Nice lights by the way. Where does one buy those?
Any RV parts/service/retail store. Camping World Stores are the largest national chain.

I Googled "Camping World near Sanborn, NY" and it came back with:

Camping World
5533 Camp Rd
Hamburg, NY 14075

That's way to the south, on the other side of Buffalo.
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Old 08-28-2014, 08:28 PM   #37
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I'm trying to do the best I can but as a neophyte I make blunders.
How do you think I learned what I know? I've made every mistake in the book. Some of then twice.
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Old 08-28-2014, 08:32 PM   #38
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Ok thank you dear. I will add those to my bucket list for next year. If one changes out the tail lights to led, do all marker lights need to be the same? I see people post about LEDs but never paid much attention as I THOUGHT all my lights were great!


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Old 08-28-2014, 08:35 PM   #39
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Do you think the Pex is leaking somewhere? Water travels. Wrap every single joint with tissue. Like what you blow your nose with. Check the cabinet area after a rain storm or washing your all molded towable. What's WET?
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Old 08-28-2014, 08:56 PM   #40
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Ok thank you dear. I will add those to my bucket list for next year. If one changes out the tail lights to led, do all marker lights need to be the same? I see people post about LEDs but never paid much attention as I THOUGHT all my lights were great!


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You have a newer Scamp so the tail lights on it are much better than the old wedding cake style many of us had that are very hard to see (or so those following suggested to me) in certain light conditions - which is why many have swapped out the old lights for brighter LED rear lights. Yours are probable fine but if there is any question in the future as to how bright they are or if your going to do a lot of night driving especially in bad weather brighter LED lights are always better.
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