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Jerseydevil's avatar
Jerseydevil
Explorer
Jul 06, 2017

Delamination?

Have 2006 Dutchmen. Noticed a small area(2x2)of bubbling delamination. Have not seen any visible leaks in area or moisture spots. Roof and caulk all good. Is delamination always caused by water? Or can adhesive let go over time? Trying not to drive myself crazy on this but want to address asap.
  • Nasty. Had delam from top to bottom about 6 to 12 in. in from the corner on our 2003 Class C. Son and I ordered a repair kit for about $140. It has epoxy adhesive and injector devices with hoses to inject the adhesive as far as possible under the outer lay. We took off the corner strip in order to pull the outer layer out several inches. So far so good. Looks great and feels tight. But, since we can't be sure what the adhesive is on under there, no way to be sure it won't let go eventually.
  • Used to deal with delamination on airplane composite structure fairly often. Delam can be caused by many things, the most common are insufficient resin, air bubbles and impact. You didn't say weather the delam is on wood or fiberglass? Either way you need to trim out the damaged area, re-layout the material, soak with a resin. Usually use a vacuum bag to suck out all the air bubbles as it cures, then sand and re-finish. Especially on wood, the delam will spread if you don't get it fixed right.
  • About the time your rig was built, some manufacturers were having problems with the glue letting go. The hotter the region, the worse it was. It wwasn't uncommon to see entire walls replaced on new RV's.
    So there's a good chance it's not water related.
  • Water and adhesive failure are the primary causes. Either way, it must be fixed ASAP. The problem never gets better and will continue to grow and cause underlying problems if left be. Definitely get it repaired properly, not some schlocky home repair otherwise the proper repair down the road will be much more complicated.
  • I should have such problems. Just found the left side of wall has actually pulled away from the rv frame from the back up to the kitchen. Talked to manufacture and sent pictures, willl see what happens with this. Unit is 11 yrs old, but in very good shape, 34000 miles. Oh the joy !!!
  • I have a delam bubble on the front of mine. It was not caused by water. The glue just let go. I'm ignoring it hoping it does not grow.