punctured epidermis/water intrusion/UPDATE
The camper has been on since February and been on several trips. I noticed a slice or puncture in the driver's front of the cabover about 6 weeks ago and did nothing about it. It's about 2 inches long by an inch wide. Looks like a tree branch did the deed. We had a terrific rainstorm whist the TC was out of its stall and I did nothing about it. We packed up for a recent trip to the N.W. U.S. and when I got the rig tilting to the right, water started pouring out the splice on the underhang of the metal sheathing. This is while we were leaving on the trip. I leaned the TC to the left and more water came rushing out the same seam on the other side, right above the truck window. Each side, it ran for a few seconds and then stopped with no further drips. I thought back to the way the TC was parked in anticipation of the trip and could see that the runoff trajectory was straight to the hole! I stopped and looked up at the gash and thought the best would be to drive with it open to help pressure some dry air through there until there was a threat of rain. And that day came. I put a couple strips of waterproof duc tape over the gash. (see my recent T.R.)
All this begs the question: Where do I go from here? I'm worried about dry rot and mildew, a constant threat to an old woodie. I can
1. Take the front (cracked) window out altogether and let it air dry for a couple months. We rarely get precip here in the summer and the days are warm and dry on the west slope. I would then replace the window with a lighter plastic window or even a sheet of aluminum, cut to fit and installed like a window.
2. Use a heat gun or hair dryer through the hole to dry the innards.
3. Take one sheet of siding off entirely to make sure the insides dry sufficiently.
4. This is where you come in: your ideas.
Am I making too much out of this and just ignore any solution, or should I pursue a real fix asap? Wood frame, you know.
After reading about all of your trips that just started your TC season this month, I'm about ready to take the TC off as most of our TC season is over, just as yours is getting started. By design, because we can. Except for a week on the OR coast in July with our kids, our next TC outing will have to wait until September.
regards, as always, jefe
All this begs the question: Where do I go from here? I'm worried about dry rot and mildew, a constant threat to an old woodie. I can
1. Take the front (cracked) window out altogether and let it air dry for a couple months. We rarely get precip here in the summer and the days are warm and dry on the west slope. I would then replace the window with a lighter plastic window or even a sheet of aluminum, cut to fit and installed like a window.
2. Use a heat gun or hair dryer through the hole to dry the innards.
3. Take one sheet of siding off entirely to make sure the insides dry sufficiently.
4. This is where you come in: your ideas.
Am I making too much out of this and just ignore any solution, or should I pursue a real fix asap? Wood frame, you know.
After reading about all of your trips that just started your TC season this month, I'm about ready to take the TC off as most of our TC season is over, just as yours is getting started. By design, because we can. Except for a week on the OR coast in July with our kids, our next TC outing will have to wait until September.
regards, as always, jefe
