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Re: Good Old Mold!
Thank you! Theres not too many places left to work on in this camper. Im constantly surprised when I see the poor or absent finishing work in THIS Gateway 5th wheel. The one last area I think I'll need do something with for humidity issues is the crawl spaces. I'll post on that when I do.619Views0likes0CommentsRe: Good Old Mold!
Ok, heres the resolution. Again the factory didn't seal the inside from the outside. Where the PEX entered between the shower stall and the wall from the outside wasn't foamed. Humid air came in. was fully trapped in the wall and behind/under/next to the shower stall and condensed on the surfaces, plus kept is super FL humid. There was actual standing water in the spaces from where water dripped from condensation (no water leaks). I opened the wall, removed all the wood cuttings they left when they made the cutouts for the faucets/floor/etc. Soaked all the water up and put the blower there with the wall panel bent out. Dried all the wood and floor etc. Once that was dried well, I cut the interior side of the wall (behind the shower walls but not visible from the bathroom) to make air channels to fully ventilate both around the shower and in the wall. I also foamed the opening to outside. I ordered a high pressure micro fan (counter rotating type) that I will install under the sink - which is adjacent to the shower pan - blowing into the enclosed space behind the shower. The air will then travel up and out of a vet at the top of the wall at the furthest point in the circuit. The slow, but constantly moving air will keep the humidity from building up from any remaining condensation. I think this will fix this issue permanently. There is no more stagnant air to cause an issue.619Views0likes0CommentsRe: Good Old Mold!
BobsYourUncle wrote: Are you sure it is mold? A copper pipe in the area will get some normal discoloration and even some green powdery looking stuff as a by product of copper oxidation. I haven't seen copper piping in a camper. Even my dads $400,000 bus doesn't. It is all PEX.619Views0likes0CommentsGood Old Mold!
Hello again. In the process of sealing up the factory made holes (that were never sealed/foamed), I've discovered some powdery green mold. The mold is specifically behind the shower stall and up one wall that also happens to have a GAPING hole to the outside. The finishing work on Gateway Campers is absolute trash. Ok, so I sprayed bleach water behind the shower and into the open spaces of the wall i opened up after wiping away the majority of the mold (I use a mixture of rubbing alcohol and vinegar). The mold is mostly gone from what I can tell. I will seal up the holes to the outside and install a micro-fan to force air through the bottom/back of shower stall and that wall just to make sure there no future issues. Heres my questions. Am I just getting a string of bad luck because I keep it cold inside and we're in S. FL? Or, is this typical of campers, but it goes unnoticed because most aren't willing to remove walls of their $70,000+ campers? Are there other places I should look specifically that you've seen or heard of before?2.9KViews0likes11CommentsRe: Poo water
The other thing is the vent pipe is fully sealed with no leaks, tank side. The pipe is in tact to the roof. What is strange is that a lot of the responses (besides reprimanding me), seem to assume that leaks are normal? Am I reading that right? I am hoping I am wrong about that. No matter how full a blackwater tank gets, as long as it doesn't make it to the toilet or out of the vent pipe, I don't believe there should ever be an allowable leak in that system! Full or not - camper, home, or other, a black water tank MUST be sealed. Are the people that are expecting leaks actually experiencing constant leaks and considering it normal?!433Views0likes0CommentsRe: Poo water
I appreciate the responses. Here's what happened and what I did. I removed the wall between the front lower storage and the inner workings where the poo pipe enters the tank (wires and such are back there). The top of the black water tank has a pp fitting friction welded into the tank. That particular fitting has an ID thread. My search showed me that the threads are secure, so re the glue joints. The issue is the friction weld has partially failed or may have never been leak checked at the factory (more likely). I emptied the blackwater tank into an external tank, which I brought to the local waste dump. From there I cleaned the poo juice around the tank top and fitting, resealed the top, and foamed the openings where humid air was coming in. The smell is gone, the poo juice leak is done, and the camper is now fully sealed. I also put a dehumidifier in the storage area and resealed the interior.434Views0likes0CommentsPoo water
Hello all, Here goes my inaugural post! I've been reading this forum for a bit and found good advice before. Just like a lot of others, I've finally joined up to share/ask for some information. I have a 2015 Gateway 3900SL. We use it very frequently and in our current location there is no sewer hookup. So Im buying a tank to take the black water to a dumping area. Of course I'm late in doing this and the tank is full. The problem is the camper smells like a portapotty! I've been needing to seal up all the open areas since we got to the humid South FL a couple weeks ago (its condensing into a torrent of flood waters inside), so why not look for the source of the stink at the same time. Well, I found it (and a lot of areas not sealed up from the factory - more on that later). I was dreading, but secretly hoping it was just a simple pipe where the shoddy workmanship of a gateway employee just press fit the poo pipe, neglecting to glue it. It wasn't that easy. The top of the black water tank and the flange interface has standing water around it. I cannot see how far the water extends, but the resulting stink is enough to make your eyes water inside the camoer. SO, what do I do? I will dry it up, but should I run water over it, clean it, then pour grey PVC cement on it? Epoxy? Any suggestions would be wonderful.2.8KViews0likes9Comments
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