Bowing/Buldging Walls
I'm noticing some bowing of the walls inside my Bigfoot. I spent Dec-Mar living in the camper while it was off the truck and never had this issue (though I did notice some gaps where the floor meets t...
Forum Discussion
Is the wall in question and exterior wall or an interior (partition) wall?
On a Bigfoot, the top and bottom halves are molded from fiberglass, about 1/8" thick. This is too thin to be stiff enough to build a camper out of. They then laminate foam to the inside of the fiberglass using a contact cement, with solid wood reinforcing in various places that will support interior and roof items. Then 1/8" luan is laminated on the inside of that, again with contact cement. The foam used to be extruded polystyrene but in later years it is expanded polystyrene "bead board". The resulting sandwich makes the panels stiff enough to survive as a camper. This is only on the exterior walls. The interior walls are stick built like most campers, light weight solid wood framing covered with 1/8" luan, usually stapled and sometimes also glued in place.
If an exterior wall has the panelling buckling, it is delaminated from the foam and is - or can turn into - a structural issue. If it is an interior wall coming loose from the lightweight framing, it could be warping from moisture, or stress from some of the causes postulated above, but it is not likely to be or become a structural problem. Figure out whats pushing or warping it, then staple it back in place.
On a Bigfoot, the top and bottom halves are molded from fiberglass, about 1/8" thick. This is too thin to be stiff enough to build a camper out of. They then laminate foam to the inside of the fiberglass using a contact cement, with solid wood reinforcing in various places that will support interior and roof items. Then 1/8" luan is laminated on the inside of that, again with contact cement. The foam used to be extruded polystyrene but in later years it is expanded polystyrene "bead board". The resulting sandwich makes the panels stiff enough to survive as a camper. This is only on the exterior walls. The interior walls are stick built like most campers, light weight solid wood framing covered with 1/8" luan, usually stapled and sometimes also glued in place.
If an exterior wall has the panelling buckling, it is delaminated from the foam and is - or can turn into - a structural issue. If it is an interior wall coming loose from the lightweight framing, it could be warping from moisture, or stress from some of the causes postulated above, but it is not likely to be or become a structural problem. Figure out whats pushing or warping it, then staple it back in place.
