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acritzer's avatar
acritzer
Explorer II
Jun 19, 2017

Cutting into a wall, ideas/closing back up

I'm getting very tempted to try and get into a wall that houses the black tank flush water line. I am pretty sure it's leaking at a fitting that it up in the wall, and cannot be pulled down.

When using the black tank flush water runs down the line from this location, as best as I can figure that's the high point of the route.

I'm looking for suggestions on the best way to get into the wall. It's a wall between the bunk room and kitchen. Closed off with the very thin, decorative panel material. This material is stapled into the wood frame all over the place. Pulling the stables is either way too involved, or will likely destroy the piece in the process.

I was thinking of cutting an access panel of some kind, but then am wondering how to best patch it back up and finish it so it looks clean. Any personal experiences like this?

Thanks

12 Replies

  • You can find those panels online in several places. Cut the hole from the middle of 2 studs and make a patch panel that overlays the entire hole. Wrap the edges with seam tape and it will look like a factory install access panel.

    Here's just an example.
  • One option: look at your local building supply place; there are prefabricated access panels/doors available in various sizes. If you get one and cut the hole to suit, you should be able to mount it with at most a little bit of ingenuity or trimming and have something that at least looks intentional. You could also see about mounting a picture or mirror or cabinet or something over the hole if it's not too unreasonable of a place for one.

    In my Coachmen RV, they just use a piece of the wall material (finished in either woodgrain or stick-on wallpaper as appropriate) attached to the larger wall with a few screws where a panel is needed. It's not the most beautiful looking, but works fine and they're located in places that are not immediately in sight most of the time.

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