Forum Discussion

MG1912's avatar
MG1912
Explorer
Jun 28, 2020

Help with delamination problem

Hi folks,

I’ve been full-timing in my rig for almost a year now, and it’s been a real hoot. I’ve been from the snowy north of New England close to the Canadian border, down to Florida, across the Gulf to Texas, across the plains and the mountains to the Sonoran Desert, up to the farms of the Midwest, and now back in Texas! I plan to hang out here a bit longer before making my way back to New England in a month or so. Life has been good.

The rig has held up very well. However, just a few days ago, I started to notice the rear passenger side corner of my camper showing some delamination. I assume this is water damage. I went up on my roof and took a look at the awning, the corner of the roof/sidewall, and the lights up there, and I can’t quite see where the seals are damaged. I’m not sure where the water intrusion is, but then again, I am no expert. Here are my questions:

A) Is this very serious, and is it something I need to deal with immediately?
B) What might this cost me to get repaired at an RV repair shop? Is it a fairly easy repair, or a real bear?

P.S. -- the delamination is only happening in this one spot and does not appear to be spreading.

Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy in these crazy times.








Truck Campers
  • joerg68's avatar
    joerg68
    Nomad III
    Jun 29, 2020
    Contact info from mfg homepage:

    GPS Physical Address
    3964 W Airline Hwy
    Waterloo, IA 50701

    Contact
    Tel: (319) 233-3461
    Fax: (319) 233-6302
    info@northstarcampers.com

    Your bathroom looks like this? Right side of the pic is camper rear wall? I stole the screenshot from the Northstar page for illustration:
  • joerg68's avatar
    joerg68
    Nomad III
    Jun 29, 2020
    The door above the passenger taillight might give you access to the inside of the wall near the lower bubble to check for moisture / rot damage without too much disassembly.

    ETA: For a quick check you could also pull the jack mount screw closest to the lower bubble. If it has started to rust, is still wet... you know what to expect...

    ETA2: The bathroom is in that corner, right? In theory, a potential leak source could be internal; although I can't really imagine how or where this might happen so far up and on that wall.

    There is no point trying to re-glue the delamination until you know the root cause. In the likely event of a water leak, the leak needs to be found and sealed, and the wall needs to be dry. Any rot damage that is not just cosmetic needs to be fixed. I agree that you should contact the mfg; potentially swing by the factory for repairs if you can rearrange your travel plans.
  • Geo_Boy's avatar
    Geo_Boy
    Explorer II
    Jun 29, 2020
    Evidently the previous owner and the dealer didn’t reseal the corner beads, because they look untouched.
  • MG1912's avatar
    MG1912
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2020
    sbryan@vtbryans.com wrote:
    If nothing else, I would send the photos to Rex at Northstar and ask for his opinion. They have great customer service and I expect Rex would be dismayed to see this damage. I have a 2017 Igloo and haven't had any issues with mine but this is certainly a heads up to keep an eye on things.


    Thanks for the suggestion. Do you have a contact email for Rex? Mine is a 2013. I bought it used from a reputable and official Northstar dealership last summer, and they went over all the seals before I took possession.
  • sbryan's avatar
    sbryan
    Explorer II
    Jun 29, 2020
    If nothing else, I would send the photos to Rex at Northstar and ask for his opinion. They have great customer service and I expect Rex would be dismayed to see this damage. I have a 2017 Igloo and haven't had any issues with mine but this is certainly a heads up to keep an eye on things.
  • covered_wagon's avatar
    covered_wagon
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2020
    If you remove the marker light you will most likely find the two wires coming out ( thru a drilled hole) are not sealed. They are just run thru a hole and not caulked around the wires, but I would still remove all screws to the awning and light and put sealant/ caulking on the threads and reinstall. You might do a few screws the same way holding the roof trim metal above.
  • Kayteg1's avatar
    Kayteg1
    Explorer II
    Jun 28, 2020
    First start checking for leaks on the roof and especially on awning trim.
    I've been repairing such delamination on my Fleetwood.
    Not having good press, it will show some imperfection, but will stay solid as I am using my camper 5 years after 1st repair.
    Remove jack and all trims in this area and then pull the skin out. Inspect if that is just delamination, or rotten plywood under.
    If just delamination, I used the most expensive "liquid nails" HD had and uses paint mixing spatula to push the glue into narrowing gap.
    Than piece of thick plywood outside, or wide 2x stock with maze of ladders and sticks pushing it against the camper for at least 3 days.
  • ppine's avatar
    ppine
    Explorer II
    Jun 28, 2020
    You have some troubles. Water leaks are something I dread. I had a hybrid trailer for a couple of years. The ends would allow some water to enter. I opened it up frequently, but the front storage compartment started to show the effects of water damage. I removed all of the paneling in the storage compartment front wall, and that helped dry it out a lot.

    What you don't want is a water leak, with no way for the water to get out. I would fix the leak and remove the inside paneling and insulation before deciding what the next move is.

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