Snoozy foam core is wet - Page 2 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 08-16-2019, 03:45 PM   #21
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Name: Douglas
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mitzi Agnew-Giles View Post
I had leakage on my LilSnoozy that was coming from the belly band. I actually had some in the bedding area as well as under the window- and worse when I was hosing it to clean it hooboy!!. This was before LilSnoozy folded. I drove back up from FL to the St Matthews SC factory and the floor guy- not Richard- redid the whole belly band.
This is really great info. I am probably going to have to do it too so I wonder, did you watch it being done? Did he remove the black trim band and clean everything up and put on a new one (or the old one)? Or did he just add more caulk over the existing caulk?

Current status with the window covered with plastic, I am still getting a little bit of water draining in one of the holes I drilled after thunderstorms. I am assuming that it must be coming from the belt-line seam. Before I covered the window, I was getting more drainage after storms. The moisture meter is still detecting water between the bottom of the window and the belt-line. So I am guessing it is residual from before I put on the plastic and so the window gasket still needs checking.
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Old 08-17-2019, 01:37 PM   #22
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Of course you want to stop the source of the intrusion. But when it comes to drying out the core, it occurs to me that you could drill a hole through the bottom gelcoat (not all the way through the core) and the water might drain out after a day or two. Then coat over it again if you wish.
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Old 08-17-2019, 03:20 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by Mike Magee View Post
Of course you want to stop the source of the intrusion. But when it comes to drying out the core, it occurs to me that you could drill a hole through the bottom gelcoat (not all the way through the core) and the water might drain out after a day or two. Then coat over it again if you wish.
That is what I did, except from the inside, through the fiberglass mat into the core. I drilled one hole all the way at the bottom and ground two slots half-way up to the holes that drained. All of the areas show "wet" on the moisture meter. Nothing has drained out yet and the cuttings were dry, not wet. So I'm not sure what is going on but I am going to leave all the holes open for now.
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Old 08-17-2019, 04:34 PM   #24
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So I'm not sure what is going on but I am going to leave all the holes open for now.
The core will cheerfully retain water unless you're in a true desert environment. Time to toss a dehumidifier in there. Use a dehumidifier that you can rig a drain hose on so you don't have to open the trailer until the hose stops dripping.

Go ahead and remove the windows first, and any other possible core penetrations, so the core has as many places to breathe as possible. Make sure to tape-seal every possible opening from the outside so moist air can't get in. Dr. Shrink makes a good vinyl tape for this - call and tell Mike what you're doing, and he'll recommend one that leaves no residue.
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Old 08-21-2019, 07:16 AM   #25
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I found that a IR camera will find water behind panels, walls or under floors. IR cameras can be expensive but there good one for under $150.00. I found a camera for under $50.00 on Banggood that will do the job.
As for using a IR camera let the area in question heat up in sun light then it cool checking it occasionally, any hidden wetness will cool differently then the surrounding area. No need to disassemble anything to find a problem or a problem you have and didn't know existed! IR cameras can be rented or if you know anyone that has one try inviting them over for a liquid refreshment.
Good luck
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Old 10-16-2019, 04:29 PM   #26
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Update:

So I have done a lot of work since the last post.

First, what didn't work: I caulked over the existing caulk on the belly band with silicone to match the silicone already there. It still leaked after the next rains.

Then I removed all the Trim Lock on the belly band below the window and almost to the back of the trailer. This was a real pain and required a hammer and chisel every inch of the way. There was water and water damage at several places along the way and deep areas where there was no adhesive between the two hull halves. The most water was near where I have water in the core. I ground out the bad places with a cutoff wheel on an angle grinder. I sealed all the cleaned-out gaps with 3M 4200 Marine Adhesive Sealant.

I attempted to remove the window but I didn't want to force it and ruin the gasket. There was no sign of water or water damage. After I reinstalled it I put a very thin bead of the 3M 4200 all around the window.

We just had a half-day of hard rain today and there were no leaks.

To dry out the wet foam core I put a heater fan on the outside and blew it for a couple of days onto the area where the moisture meter indicated it was still wet. Some of the weep holes I drilled on the inside got moist for a few hours and then stopped. Later I put a heating pad on the inside and left it on. I will see what happens in the next month or so.
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Old 10-16-2019, 06:20 PM   #27
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The best tool for drying the core is a dehumidifier. Get a cheap used one that lets you rig a drain hose to the outside, open the core to the interior of the trailer, seal all possible openings to the outside of the trailer, and let it run for a week or more, or until you get no water In the jar for 48 hours.
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Old 10-17-2019, 05:29 PM   #28
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I decided not to expose the core. I would have to disconnect the water lines and remove the fresh water tank, then grind/chisel the inner fiberglass off. Right now the meter reads wet but the cuttings from drilling or grinding into it are dry. And it has survived two winters without any noticeable effects. So I will let it go and if it ever delaminates, I will fix it then. I'm tired of dealing with something I never should have had to deal with.
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Old 10-17-2019, 05:46 PM   #29
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I'll have to go with your assessment - most of my experience in this is with boats.

One thing that's done there is to drill a grid of holes through the inner (or outer) skin, put the core under vacuum, and shine a few heatlamps on the area. The water boils into vapor at low temperature, and collects in a cooled catch jar.

If you do eventually have delam issues, hit me up again. I have a few easy repair suggestions.
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Old 10-18-2019, 11:03 AM   #30
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Originally Posted by Thomcat316 View Post

One thing that's done there is to drill a grid of holes through the inner (or outer) skin, put the core under vacuum, and shine a few heatlamps on the area. The water boils into vapor at low temperature, and collects in a cooled catch jar.
I really like this idea. I already have some holes drilled so could use those. But the inner surface of the hull is really rough - it is painted fiberglass matt - and would be tough to make airtight. Maybe using butyl tape would do it. Then I would need to find a vacuum pump cheap. Let me think about how I might do it.

I really appreciate the offer to help in the future and will definitely take you up on it if I need to.
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