can a Bigfoot belly band leak?

[Bob T]

Ok, thanks for that suggestion on the adhesive.
I ordered my vinyl insert, and went with a suggestion for someone that has tried several brands. He suggested 'RV Designer' as making one of the more robust strips. Its a little more money, but still cheap.

I did get in contact with Gilmay RV, a Bigfoot specialist very near to the factory. They said, sadly, that quality of the bands is not like "back in the day' and suggested just buying material from any RV dealer. So, there you go.

Originally Posted by mszabo

Good call, your going too fined the paneling will be delaminated around the window. Heavy duty construction adhesive will work just fine. Go to Harbor Freight buy some spring clamps, install around perimeter.
Drying it out with electric heaters will work nicely.
Another problem area is the 9” vent in bathroom. You might someday find water around the stove. That’s where it’s coming from.

Amazon has the belly band material in different colors. Try a different color, will make it look like a different trailer.

https://smile.amazon.com/Camco-Vinyl...%2C200&sr=8-14

[Bob T]

Originally Posted by Bruce H

Two Bigfoots owned for a total of 17 years. Everything on a Bigfoot can and will leak.


And ALL of the zink coated screws will rust. It would have cost the company an extra $10 to use stainless steel.


And when your Bigfoot does leak and the water gets to the particle board floor the particle board will soon disintegrate. (as mine did) Seven sheets of high quality marine grade plywood would do the floor in a 25 ft. and cost how much more than the particle board?



Other than those three minor issues I love the Bigfoots.

Ain't it the truth about leaks. Gonna happen no matter what.
Yes, I've been steadily replacing all my exterior screws with stainless. I guess the belly band is next. I had a peak at a few inches under the banding strip, and rusting screws for sure. Not much moisture visible though, compared to what I'm seeing at the floor, soooooo, as feared that puts my radar back on the window as an earlier poster thought too.
As far a as I know the floor is plywood, but I need to dig into that a little more before I can be certain.

[Bob T]

Originally Posted by Rx2fish

I would also check the entry door. I found small cracks in the chalk above door on my bigfoot. I removed all chalk and re-sealed. The crack developed again. I then noticed as I pushed on the door frame that there was slight movement between frame and fiberglass shell. Wooden door header was rotted. You must remove the three buttons in the interior fabric liner above the inside of door to access the three buried screws. Once you remove the fabric covered door topper, you can inspect the interior for signs of water intrusion.

Okay, I'm not clear where this fabric liner is?
I will check the door and frame very closely in the next day or two.

One thing that is annoying is that the lower aluminum cast sill actually slopes INWARD. I don't know if they did that so the small rubber shim on the bottom of the door (to keep stress off the side hinges presumably) wants to keep the door closed rather than the opposite. Water that does work its way by the door sits and pools at the end of the channel depending which way the trailer is tilting, and of course there is a vertical seam on each end of the lower plate there that can leak if you don't caulk it.

[Rx2fish]

The fabric liner I was referring to is the frame above the door on the camper interior. Photo is upside down.

[neauone]

Remove the belly band and surrounding calk. Sand the cracked areas and clean well. Epoxy the cracks put a fresh bead of 30-50 year weatherproof calking on replace the band. Then more calking where the band connects with the body both on top and beneath the bellyband. You will have fiberglassed the cracks, filled them and triple beaded the interior of the band, the top and bottom.

I did the same thing to a leaky Scamp. Oh, I replaced the robots with stainless steel nuts and bolts and applied lockbolt.

[Bob T]

Originally Posted by Rx2fish

The fabric liner I was referring to is the frame above the door on the camper interior. Photo is upside down.

Oh, that's why I was confused. My '89 DLX 17 doesn't have any fabric liner in that area. All seems well further up on the door and wall area.

What I saw today though, was tiny water streams from past rain on the roof (getting through my tarp also) hitting the side window (newly partially sealed along the top) and then dripping on the belly band. It follows the band 'downslope' to my door, both from the outside AND the inside of the belly band. This is not surprising, given how hardened the vinyl now is and likely not a good seal in several places. Once moisture is IN the track behind the vinyl it'll go undetected wherever gravity takes it.

As I've ripped off the last few inches of belly band vinyl insert adjoining the door, I can see water making its way right to the side of the door frame. It also looks like there might be multiple gaps along the vertical door frame seam and fibreglass, from the band location and down to the sill, which I've never caulked. This explains at least some of the collections of water I commonly see on the sill. The vinyl band insert is even pinched by the door frame, and its possible that water could get directly inside that area without any way of seeing it externally, because its underneath the vinyl insert.

I haven't determined yet whether water is getting through to the floor from the belly band source, or from the side window frame leakage. Will pop that window this coming week.

[Bob T]

Originally Posted by neauone

Remove the belly band and surrounding calk. Sand the cracked areas and clean well. Epoxy the cracks put a fresh bead of 30-50 year weatherproof calking on replace the band. Then more calking where the band connects with the body both on top and beneath the bellyband. You will have fiberglassed the cracks, filled them and triple beaded the interior of the band, the top and bottom.

I did the same thing to a leaky Scamp. Oh, I replaced the robots with stainless steel nuts and bolts and applied lockbolt.

I will inspect the band very carefully. From the few inches I've looked at so far, there does appear to be a nice overlap between the top and bottom fibreglass shell hidden by the band. Screws definitely can use replacement, and yes, some caulking will accompany new stainless screws. I'm hoping they still feel like they are going into solid wood. Might do a continuous thin layer of white Eternabond behind the belly band along the screw line.