Bowing/Buldging Walls

[RamblinAnne]

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 the walls). Now the camper is primarily in the bed of my truck and I rarely put the jacks down. Since it's been in the truck, I notice this issue of the bowing walls. (But the gap issue has gone away). I did a search on the issue and it said it could be delamination due to moisture getting in. It's true that one wall is near a window and another is in the bathroom. But I am super diligent about checking for leaks on a very regular basis and I don't think I have any water coming in. What is the problem and how do I fix this? Is it just normal compression of being in the truck bed?

One thought, particularly in regard to the bathroom wall, is that I removed the sink, installed new flooring, and reinstalled the sink in the same place. I'm wondering if the small shift in flooring could be pushing up on the sink (the more noticeable buldge). But that doesn't explain the spacing by the dinette.. at least I don't think.. unless it's all kind of shifting due to this sink placement.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[54suds]

look at the flange around the skylite on the on the roof, you will probably find bulge in the flange and maybe even an separation of the flange and the roof and it will develop a leak

[S_Davis]

Is your truck bed flat? some have a crown in the bed that needs addressed. If it is say higher or lower at the truck bed opening it could cause the camper bottom to bow. I would check that and maybe support the camper on something I know is flat and see if the problem gets better or goes away.

[RamblinAnne]

Hmm.. I think I may go ahead and take her into a dealer since I'm now in the PNW (Bigfoot country). But to clarify- I've never lived in the camper while it was just on the jacks, except for maybe an hour here or there in between loadings. I've always had some support underneath, utilizing both the jacks and the x-braces I built, never just the jacks or just the x-braces. The camper did sit on the jacks alone for a few months before I ever moved in but that was over a year ago and this is a more recent issue. 90% of the time, the camper has been in the truck.

I know condensation can be sneaky and go unnoticed but I'm fairly adamant that it was never enough of a threat to cause delamination. I could be wrong but I feel like I would see signs of this elsewhere. I have a humidity monitor inside and I've never seen it go above 70% even on the rainiest of days. It's usually much lower. Frost is impossible, as I've never been in below freezing temps. I looked inside that gap by the sink and see no signs of wood rot or any moisture. Again, I can't say for sure but I would be very surprised if this were caused by condensation or a leak.

Since this issue "fixes" itself when I raise the camper up a bit off the truck bed support, it seems to me to be more of a structural flex thing than a moisture thing. I just have no idea what the solution could be or if it's even a problem I should address.

It'll be good to take the camper in and have them look everything over. I'm just concerned about the cost and if they're going to try to tell me things that need to be fixed that don't really need fixing - like when you take your car in for maintenance and the dealers make up issues that don't really exist. I'm fairly knowledgable but I don't know everything and I'm a prime target for sharky salesman. I guess it's a risk I'll have to take but I appreciate all the responses to help arm me as best as possible. Still curious if any Bigfoot or northern lite owners have ever actually had this issue, fixed it and what your solution was.

[TxGearhead]

I would email Bigfoot and explain what is happening. I've emailed back and forth with the owner. You may not get anywhere, but maybe take a shot at it.

[bighatnohorse]

RamblinAnne wrote:
This would make sense. I really do notice a good deal of things shifting depending on whether the camper is on or off the truck... even the angle at which I'm parked. Sometimes if I don't level out, things seem noticeably out of place.

Think it's something to worry about? I want to intall some shiplap in this dinette area and I'm worried all this flexing will be a nightmare with an upgrade like that. Hmmm...

My friend doesn't seem to worry about it, nor does he know what to do about it (and he is quite handy). He never takes it off the truck and his camper experiences the interior "bowing".

He claims that there is some exterior deformation too. I don't remember exactly where (he showed me) but think it was the space between the truck cab and and the camper.

My only guess would be to take it to a BigFoot dealer and try to get it assessed (and I would listen for comments like "we've seen this before").

My friend doesn't worry about a lot but he refuses to consider putting any more money into it - he's already done a lot of upgrades over the years and feels that is enough.

[joerg68]

I am not too familiar with bigfoot construction principles, but as far as I understand, it is a two-piece fiberglass shell (upper and lower). The fiberglass is reinforced with wood (I think) for stability, as it is fairly thin and lightweight and does not support all of the weight on its own.

The walls of your camper have an outer hull - the fiberglass - and an inner hull, with insulation and reinforcements in between. Water/moisture can collect in between and cause trouble without evidence of a leak.

Condensation can and will occur in a camper in winter. When warm, moist air enters the space between inner and outer walls, it will condensate at the coldest points - which are the outer walls. Even without an external leak, a lot ot water can collect that way. Once it is within the wall, it has a hard time getting out again.

Frost can excarbate the issue. When you have moisture trapped anywhere and it freezes, it expands and can create major damage. Often, delamination can occur as a result - that is the de-bonding of surfaces glued together.

Was your camper just on the jacks or was there additional support under the floor? Were the jacks up or down? Having it just on the jacks for an extended time causes a lot of stress on the jack mounts due to camper sway. Also, without floor support, the jack mounts need to carry all the weight alone. Together, this puts a lot of stress on the camper structure.

Is this a problem? Yes! You need to find out what is wrong. If some of the inner reinforcements of your camper structure have come loose or have a wood rot problem, you need to address this. Right now, the fiberglass hull takes a lot more load than it was intended for. As a result, it may buckle, develop stress cracks, or break. None of this will make repairs cheaper or easier. It will not get better if you leave it unaddressed.

Truck campers are not really intended for permanent residence. While it may work fine depending on circumstace, it may not work so well in other cases.

[TxGearhead]

When it was off the truck was it sitting on just the jacks? Was there any other support under the floor? Cinder blocks, 4x4 lumber, etc.?

Sounds like it may be just twisting.

[RamblinAnne]

This would make sense. I really do notice a good deal of things shifting depending on whether the camper is on or off the truck... even the angle at which I'm parked. Sometimes if I don't level out, things seem noticeably out of place.

Think it's something to worry about? I want to intall some shiplap in this dinette area and I'm worried all this flexing will be a nightmare with an upgrade like that. Hmmm...

[bighatnohorse]

I have a friend with a 2003 Bigfoot in which he has extensively traveled and he has notice a very similar, maybe identical, problem with his camper.

He believes that there is an internal frame failure that allows the entire camper to flex.

I one had a 2005 Eagle Cap camper and noted the same problem - an internal wall would separate (bow) when the camper was off-truck and on jacks. I'm pretty sure that the bowing has to do with frame flex.

[RamblinAnne]

Well I don't want to say it's impossible but I have looked in the wall and don't see any moisture in there. The windows never fog up in there. Sometimes they do in the bed area when my windows are closed but never the bathroom. I've never experienced a true winter while living in here so I don't struggle with condensation issues like a lot of fulltimers do, as I am heat seeking and go south in the winters.

Yes! The flooring does go under the sink and it is quite thick. I was almost sure that was the issue but now that I am seeing a similar issue beginning to develop on the wall where the dinette booth meets the "exterior" wall, I'm wondering if it's a bigger problem. Better picture below of where this is happening.

[jmckelvy]

How thick is the new flooring? Does it go under the sink? Looking at the first photo it seems if the sink is slightly higher due to thicker flooring AND the bulging section sits on the sink that it could cause what you are seeing. The sink would be "pushing up" on the bottom of the panel causing the bowing.

[SidecarFlip]

Kind of curious Anne, when I had my Lance and used it on snowmachine trips, condensation was always an issue. One time I had ice on the inside walls...

Can you pull the buckled part away enough to see behind it to see if there is an obvious reason for it to pull away?

[RamblinAnne]

Always kept it vented! Either the truck cab window or the fantastic fans. Usually both unless really cold. But yes it's true that condensation is a major issue in truck campers. Especially in the bed area. But this is happening towards the back in the bathroom. I haven't closed that vent in months. Never had any moisture issues in there. I rarely use the shower so never any steam in there.

[SidecarFlip]

Anne..

When you lived in it did you keep it ventilated inside or was it closed up? reason I ask is because a person aspirates moisture all the time and living in a TC and cooking/showering, creates a lot of moisture and that could be why you have a buckling issue.