Shower stall coming loose from wall

Good post Dutchman sport. It's what I waa trying to say. The screws are moly bolts on mine too. There is atill give and wnough movment that it shouldn't break out. I hope.

One problem we have in the Mid-West, especially with extremely cold winters (like those below zero degrees winter), is things made of plastic in RV had a tendency to crack. It's not because they are inferior made, or even inferiorly put together, it's just an oversight that doesn't surface until it happens .... expansion and contraction between Summer heat and Winter freezes.

Shower shrouds use to be put on with nothing but construction adhesive, like Liquid Nails. Then there was the attempt at using screws only with no adhesives on the back. In these cases, the shower shrouds cracked. My second trailer, my Keystone Springdale, had a cracked shower shroud also. What caused it?

The screw attaching it to the wall were screwed directly into the shroud and then directly into the wall. They were tight fitting when installed. Fast forward to a difference in extreme temperature, and the expansion - contraction rates of the paneling behind the shroud and the plastic or vinyl shroud reacted to the extreme temperature changes at different rates. So the vinyl contracted first, causing extreme stress on those screw holes, and then when there was no more give, the vinyl simply split under the pressure of contraction.

Todays's shower shrouds are now held on the wall with plastic moley bolt style fasteners. The holes in the vinyl surround and the backing wall are drilled out slightly larger now, so when there is expansion or contraction, both can move freely without causing stress on the holes, causing a split. There is no construction adhesive on the back either.

Sounds like yours was an attempt at Keystone to work around this expansion and contraction process by using a double sided tape that also allowed for expansion and contraction, and thus would not cause stress on either material, the wall or the surround.

There would have been a day I would have advised just use construction glue, like Liquid Nails, and pump it full behind the surround. But no more. I suggest, if you don't drill hold and reattach with those plastic or vinyl snaps, similar to moley bolts, then use a double sided tape and just put it behind the shroud where you can reach. All you need is for it hold against the wall. At the seams, then use a bit of silicon caulking. Doing more, you run the risk of some day having a cracked shroud.

The reason the shroud separated from the wall at all is not because of age, but because of the different rates of expansion and contraction of the 2 materials. The existing tape became the sacrificial material that actually saved the vinyl or plastic shroud from cracking or splitting.

Replace with something similar, you REALLY need to make sure it is possible for movement against the wall.

Hope this helps.

Edit: And this is the reason even newer trailers are not even putting shower surrounds or shrouds in them any more. They are using a water resistant panel instead, thats designed to look like the rest of the paneling in the trailer. it's really water resistant, and doesn't need a vinyl surround any more.

Edit Edit:
This expansion and contraction rate of two different materials is the exact same reason why, sometimes, an RV vinyl floor will crack in the winter. The edges of the vinyl are nailed or glued down tight, solid, and often even has the cabinets and benches screwed to the floor right through the vinyl floor. Now let an extreme cold happen and the vinyl contracts, and reaches it's limit. It then splits causing sorrow for the owner. It happens far too often.

Just went to a RV store and they said yes on the sticky back mounting tape coupled with a tube adhesive and to use a 2 x 4 to brace it.

He did say the previous place he worked at added plastic rivets across the top as well, seems like a common problem, he said Keystone told their people they were closing and the quality went downhill but this was built in 2010 and it should be better off because if it.

Just had this problem with our Chaparral.The dealer fixed it under warranty.They used the same screws with covered tops that the factory used.I think it's better and looks just fine.Also I think it's velcro instead of double stick tape on ours.I can feel it hook up when I press on it,but it doesn't hit on the two pieces just right.Now we have a little flex which should be fine.Hope this helps.

How about just getting a tube of construction glue, shoot some in between the wall and the stall, put a brace on it overnight and issue solved.

Sorry I didn't add a few more words, we sold the Northwood or Arctic Fox in signature.

We just brought home a 2010 North Shore built by Dutchman (Thor) from a dealership in La Grande, (good experience BTW at Thunder RV).

So this is the stand alone corner shower in the bedroom and on the exterior wall it's glued to is separating.

I can stop at a local shop for repair info but just wanted to know if this is a common issue, vibration is not your friend from what I can tell.

Bill

donn0128 wrote:
Hi Bill,
I know it is long out of warrenty, but why not give Northwood in LaGrande a call and ask them how to fix it.

Hi Bill,
I know it is long out of warrenty, but why not give Northwood in LaGrande a call and ask them how to fix it.