Exterior Hole in aluminum travel trailer

Bondo makes a aluminum kit for fixing goofs. I fixed one on our Airstream and it is not too bad. Just fill and sand then paint.

Straighten out the aluminum as best you can. Buy a fiberglass patch kit. Soak an appropriate size piece of fiberglass cloth in the resin and smooth over the hole. Pretty much invisible after it sets up.

many good ideas above. if you do the vent thing I would put a barrier behind the vent screen or you may lose the integrity of the TT insulation. you get any moisture in there the insulation will shrink and you will have a cold spot. if you do the electrical insert, they cost and arm and a leg. just make sure you seal the patch, no matter which sealing method you use. good luck.

myredracer wrote:
That's unfortunate but does happen. A photo might help for suggestions.

If it would look okay, I would consider installing an access door/hatch, light fixture, outdoor shower, detachable shore power cord inlet housing, etc. so it *looks* like it came from the factory that way. Or maybe just the exterior frame only for one of these. A patch will always look like a patch.

I totally second the above! You'll never be able to hide it, so make it look like it's doin' some kind of job. And at the size you describe it should be cheap and easy.

The one below for example costs about five bucks at any RV parts store. You'd have to saw off the flanges on the back to make it lie flat of course.
source

That's unfortunate but does happen. A photo might help for suggestions.

If it would look okay, I would consider installing an access door/hatch, light fixture, outdoor shower, detachable shore power cord inlet housing, etc. so it *looks* like it came from the factory that way. Or maybe just the exterior frame only for one of these. A patch will always look like a patch.

You can order any size of access door you want. One source of RV doors: Challenger door

Without seeing a photo, the first thing that comes to mind is adding a 120 volt 15 amp power inlet like in the left photo below. You would get a piece of white 1/8" HDPE and cut it in an outer and inner circle. Mount the inlet onto the round piece of HDPE and screw it on and caulk it. I did this with a 30 amp inlet as in the photo and it looked factory original. I used a small cutting board made from HDPE that I got from a dollar store. You could cut the HDPE in a circle in a size to suit the damaged area.

If you can get a replacement section of the siding and the damage is near the bottom, you could consider removing a full length panel or two from the bottom up (RV siding is different than a house or mobile). You'd have to screw the very bottom piece back on as you won't be able to staple it like it was originally. Probably far easier to put on a dummy door or something. According to google, it looks like you would have to pay a shop several thousand $$ to make it look new again.

For something quick and elegant(not), you could always just put a bumper sticker over the damage...

Cut a decorative patch out of aluminum: A heart, a tree, whatever your fancy. Rivet it on with Olympic rivets; use Vulkem as a sealant.
:)
Lynn

For a quick fix, I've done this before, and it works especially good on vinyl siding too.

1 Get a flat piece of aluminum from a local hardware store. Cut it with tin snips so it's big enough to cover the hole (about an inch bigger).You will probably want to cut it either square or round. Round is actually better, no corners.

2 Put the aluminum up to the side of the camper, and drill at least 4 small holes (maybe more if the hole is larger) through the aluminum and the aluminum on the trailer.

3 Get some caulking (any kind will work) and put the calking around the hole.

4 Then use a pop-rivet tool and pop-rivet the patch on using the pre-drilled holes to insert the rivet.

5 You may need to add a few more rivets. Just drill new pilot holes and insert where it looks like it need more.

6 Wipe up any access caulking that may ooze out from under the patch.

7 Then add a little paint to the patch, or cover it with a sticker of your favorite ball team! No one will ever know it's there.

I picked up my 5th wheel from the storage lot and noticed a dent in the siding. Someone had hit the trailer, the dent was about the size you describe. I went to the local RV supply store and bought a vent, the kind used on the side of an RV. It is just big enough to hide the dent. I used caulking around the vent to stick it on over the dent. Looks like it was meant to be there.

A few years later a tree branch poked a hole into the siding about one foot below the roof line. I filled the hole with bondo and then stuck a reflector over it with another reflector on the other side of the trailer to match. Again it looks like it was meant to be there.