Forum Discussion

pjay9's avatar
pjay9
Explorer
Aug 27, 2014

Back end rot

I am starting to do the mods i have been thinking about and found rot...not expected...not surprised! Lance 1161 aft outside hatch under the ladder. It looked like it was dry and ship shape. I stred my truck chains in there and never EVER put away wet chains just so I wouldn't start any water issues.

The mod is to eliminate the outside hatch and make another cabinet inside for shoes at the door. I sawed out the inside in prep for the new door. I cleaned the inside and I detected a damp order. The floor covering had raised up at the seam, pushed on it an it was soft. Pulled it off and the floor OSB was damp, soft and flaking.

I examined the space and cannot see any telltail entry points for the water. The hact was actually stuck around its seal as I hardly ever access this cubby...so I just don't know! I stopped that mod as that area will be addressed during the rebuild.

So if you have one of these hatches go have a look! I'll try images later post.
Truck Campers
  • Super_Dave's avatar
    Super_Dave
    Explorer
    Aug 27, 2014
    Could the leak be from the inside and just coincidently be in that area?
  • pjay9's avatar
    pjay9
    Explorer
    Aug 27, 2014
    Super_Dave wrote:
    Could the leak be from the inside and just coincidently be in that area?


    Don't see how!
  • Super_Dave's avatar
    Super_Dave
    Explorer
    Aug 27, 2014
    pjay9 wrote:
    Could be the joint where the bumper is attached!

    Yep, that seam above the tail lights looks very suspect. Put a trickling hose on that seam and see if you get intrusion.
  • F350mule's avatar
    F350mule
    Explorer
    Aug 27, 2014
    It could also be the drain line from the fresh water tank. I had a 1996 Lance squire 4000 and had rot in front of the door and inside the cargo compartment. Took it all apart and the clamps were loose on the drain line connectors.
  • pjay9's avatar
    pjay9
    Explorer
    Aug 28, 2014
    Drain is on other side with waste valves...good thought!
  • joerg68's avatar
    joerg68
    Nomad III
    Aug 28, 2014
    Looks a bit like my old Lance 915... In that case, it was the frame of the cargo hatch leaking at the top (for the most part). Those door frames ore only held in place by 4 screws in the corners... If usure, I would take the door frame out; then you can clearly see if it ever leaked.

    It could also come from anywhere further up - Lights, Window, really any hole in the shell. Water will run downhill and collect in the lowest spot :-(

    It looks like you caught it fairly early and the damage is quite limited.

    You can see that water was on top of the floor, as there is some slight water damage visible at the bottom ends of the furniture frame. The flooring covers the whole floor board and only has minimal holes in it for a few screws and staples; it is unlikely that water travels from below to the top in significant quantities.
  • Phancy's avatar
    Phancy
    Explorer
    Aug 28, 2014
    On my 2004 1161 I had rot in the same area. I believe the water came in through the door seal and ran down to the marker light. I replaced the floor of the compartment with white cedar and coated it with epoxy, two years later it seems to be fine.
  • dakonthemountai's avatar
    dakonthemountai
    Explorer
    Aug 28, 2014
    The Lance 1055 I'm picking up soon has a door in the same place for the generator (no generator though) and when I went to look at it the door itself had water in it and there was a small puddle in the compartment. Buzzcut has the same camper and had the same issue so he sealed around the compartment door frame and the door itself. Problem solve and I'll be doing that to mine too. From the photos is looks like the worst rot is up against the frame of the door, so I would suspect the same issue and after the repair would take out the door/frame and check/seal it. Best of luck on your repair!

    Dak

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