Now this is really strange, help me out here

[57_Panhead]

We were only able to make one short trip this year as I was dealing with health issues a good part of the year so our trailer has been sitting. I have been in and out of it from time to time but no real use. Today I put it along side the garage and set it up for use as we are having some remodeling done on our house and will be using the trailer for meals mostly. While trying to get the TV to work I opened the cabinet it is mounted in and on the back of the TVs plastic frame were droplets of an oily slightly gooey and a bit gritty substance.

There is absolutely no evidence of where it came from, the inside of the cabinet is dry all around and other than a bit of dust nothing is on any other surface in the area. After wiping the back of the TV off it appears that in at least one area the goo left a brownish stain. I have not tried to clean the stain, only wipe off the stuff.

The trailer is a 2012 Jayco Eagle Superlite 31.5RLTS and the TV is a 32" RCA

Please help me try to figure out where this stuff came from.

[Veebyes]

You have been watching too many auto maintenance shows on it.

[skiles]

Kind of reminds me of the movie Poltergeist! That's just strange.

[nohurry]

PRodacy's explanation sounds plausible. From the pictures it looks like the piece that is in the front could be glued to the rest of the TV, and maybe the "glue" is melting/leaking? I really don't know. It's interesting though. I would suggest getting some ventilation back there some how. Probably gets hot. Not sure if that's possible, but at the least, you could crack open the door it's mounted to when not in use. Might help. Thanks for posting it.

[mikebreeze]

If it is coming from the TV and it is an oily substance I'd be concerned with the TV catching fire. Servicing TV's nowadays is not worth it. I'd start looking for a new one as prices are very low on TV's right now.

[nomad_297]

Varmint excretions?

Bruce

[57_Panhead]

I think the explanation above about the plastics chemical is most likely. There is nothing above the area. This is not something that "leaked" down from somewhere else. The entire area above, below and surrounding the TV is completely dry.

I'm not likely to go "tasting" unknown and unidentified substances that show up in strange places. If you saw a little brown log that looked like a tootsie roll laying on your floor would you "taste" it?

[Ski_Pro_3]

Taste it. If it's sweet, someone popped a coke back there and didn't tell you. If it's coffee flavored, then there you go too. Looks like soda or coffee drips to me.

On a more practical note; see if it is water soluble. If so, it's not oil based.

[57_Panhead]

PRodacy wrote:
It's very likely diethylphthalate, which is a common plasticizer in most plastics. It's what makes plastics flexible. When it gets hot, it can weep out and will stay on the surface. It looks like an oily liquid. The film that build up on the inside of your windshield is also diethylphthalate that comes from the plastics in the car. This is why the plastic gets brittle and cracks with age. Kind of unusual to have enough come out to see, though. Just wipe it off and continue to use the tv. No harm will be done.

Thanks, got your PM and replied but should have read this post before hand. This explains the way it was distributed on the chassis. It makes sense now. So in a sense it did "sweat" from the plastic.

Thanks again

Steve

[ORbiker]

I'll bet it some old condensation droplets with dust particles in it.

[PRodacy]

It's very likely diethylphthalate, which is a common plasticizer in most plastics. It's what makes plastics flexible. When it gets hot, it can weep out and will stay on the surface. It looks like an oily liquid. The film that build up on the inside of your windshield is also diethylphthalate that comes from the plastics in the car. This is why the plastic gets brittle and cracks with age. Kind of unusual to have enough come out to see, though. Just wipe it off and continue to use the tv. No harm will be done.

[57_Panhead]

enblethen wrote:
Looks like a flat panel TV. that should disqualify a transformer.
Is the secretion sticky/ Could be silicone oil residue.

Well there is no 1 place that it is coming from, it was all over and in droplets with some bigger than others If it is coming from inside the TV then it is sweating through the plastic chassis.

[enblethen]

Looks like a flat panel TV. that should disqualify a transformer.
Is the secretion sticky/ Could be silicone oil residue.

[57_Panhead]

Here are some pix to show what Im talking about as far as how the TV is situated.

This is how it looks from the front

This shows the mounting frame from the back.



This shows the stuff on the chassis of the TV. This is after wiping with a towel.

[SoundGuy]

57 Panhead wrote:
While trying to get the TV to work I opened the cabinet it is mounted in and on the back of the TVs plastic frame were droplets of an oily slightly gooey and a bit gritty substance.

Seems you're not alone ... same problem described in this rv.net discussion.