Forum Discussion

dpgllg's avatar
dpgllg
Explorer
Sep 08, 2013

Delamination on slideout

I had my 5th wheel in for work at the local RV Service center for A/C issues. That was handled as expected by the RV Tech who owns the shop pointed out that my slide out had started to delaminate. I asked him what could be done and his response was pretty much nothing. The only fix would be to completely remove the entire panel and put it back on with new adhesive. He said the chance of getting the panel off intact were not good so a new panel probably would be required. When I asked how much he said more than I would probably want to spend. He is looking in to the cost of the panel and will let me know.

The area involved is just about 1 square feet currently. There are no signs of water intrusion that he could find. All joints and seams are well sealed.

My questions are should I consider replacing this entire panel? The slide contains the couch and dinette for a size reference. Is there anything else that can be done that does not involve this extensive of work?

Thanks!

Dave
  • Gjac's avatar
    Gjac
    Explorer III
    Sep 09, 2013
    Any epoxy can be thinned and injected. When I did mine I used polyurethane adhesive because it reacts with moisture. If damp or wey epoxy does not stick well. I removed the windows to get the glue in. If you do a search under Gjac you can see the detail of the project. For a 1 ft square area that is delaminated and not by a widow or other panel or seam. It is probably not from water intrusion. If you can describe where it is located it would be easier to give you help. but if it in the middle of the laminated wall I would try the drilling several hole and injecting it with the epoxy or polyurethane and use a car jack next to a building or tree and a 2 ft piece of 3/4 ply wood to apply pressure after the resin is injected.
  • dpgllg's avatar
    dpgllg
    Explorer
    Sep 08, 2013
    Gjac wrote:
    I would use the West Marine system epoxy. If trying it again.


    It sounds as if you did this before. What method did you use?

    I was hoping to just drill a few small holes and inject the epoxy in if possible. The area is only about 1 square foot.

    I reviewed the West Marine Website and could not find an epoxy that had any type of injector method

    Any help locating a quality epoxy with an injection method would be appreciated.

    Thanks!

    Dave
  • Gjac's avatar
    Gjac
    Explorer III
    Sep 08, 2013
    I would use the West Marine system epoxy. If trying it again.
  • dpgllg's avatar
    dpgllg
    Explorer
    Sep 08, 2013
    OP here,

    First thanks for the information!

    I read the article and this approach seems like something I can try to at least keep the problem from spreading.

    My question is what brand of epoxy to buy and where?

    Thanks again!

    Dave
  • GENECOP's avatar
    GENECOP
    Explorer II
    Sep 08, 2013
    Dave the RV tech is a proffessional (hopefully) who is looking to do it by the book and stand behind his work. There are a couple of approaches that might work, no guarantee and it may leave a scar on the exterior sidewall but you could try....

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