Shower skylight question.

bluepear2000 · 10-03-2018, 08:20 AM

Hello everyone! My family and I just returned from our first trip in our new Apex Nano 193BHS. My question is about the inner piece of plastic that sits inside the dome of the skylight. I’m 6’1” and my head rubs against it when I stand in the shower. If it wasn’t there, the top of my head would just go into the dome a little and would be much more comfortable for me when taking a shower. Is this inner piece really serving any purpose? Can I take it out or is it necessary? It seems like just a flimsy piece of thin plastic that could easily be removed. Any advice is definitely appreciated.

jeff64 · 10-03-2018, 08:25 AM

If you take that out, you'll see just how your roof is constructed. I know because I frosted the underside of the dome and top side of that piece to cut the heat coming into the bathroom. I'm going to take a liberty and call that piece a vapor barrier to any materials used in your roof from the ceiling layer to the TPO. You probably don't want those materials exposed to a excess of humidity. Mine is sealed to the ceiling with silicone caulk... still! I'd let it be. JMO

rsdata · 10-03-2018, 08:28 AM

the inner and outer skylight plastic is there for some added insulation in colder weather... I would take it out without hesitation and see how that feels to you in the shower...

If heat buildup becomes a problem some have fabricated a metal cover out of expanded metal from HD to cover the skylight.

007matman · 10-03-2018, 08:32 AM

You've got two layers there today. If one breaks in a storm or from road debris there is still one that'll protect in some way to keep water out. Remove it and that layer is gone.

I'd leave it alone myself. However, that's up to you.

I'm 6'2" and fit under mine. Maybe yours is constructed different.. a pic would help. My second layer sits basically flush with the outer layer of the roof. Above that is a bubble.

bluepear2000 · 10-03-2018, 08:40 AM

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it’s kinda hard to see in a picture. But it’s the plastic film that I’m touching. It would have been great if they had simply molded it to follow the contour of the dome.

007matman · 10-03-2018, 09:33 AM

It looks like it's constructed the same way mine is.

Your roof may be lower or the shower constructed different and that's why you're hitting in the shower.

That layer is there for a reason..of you remove it I'd just be expect to know the risk. For me that's hail. Having that extra layer gives me some peace of mind that it would be somewhat protected I. A light storm.

bluepear2000 · 10-03-2018, 11:09 AM

I certainly appreciate all of the input. I’m leaning toward rsdata’s suggestion and removing to see how I feel about it. It would be fairly simple to put it back. Hail isn’t really much of an issue here in South Georgia. If we do have storms that produce hail it’s typically fairly small but that is definitely something to consider.

007matman · 10-03-2018, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluepear2000

I certainly appreciate all of the input. I’m leaning toward rsdata’s suggestion and removing to see how I feel about it. It would be fairly simple to put it back. Hail isn’t really much of an issue here in South Georgia. If we do have storms that produce hail it’s typically fairly small but that is definitely something to consider.

Greetings from North Georgia!

Cypressloser · 10-03-2018, 01:27 PM

I'm not so sure it is a good idea to remove the plastic panel as it opens up the attic, the last thing you want is excess moisture getting trapped up there that can potentially promote mold growth and rot.

bluepear2000 · 10-03-2018, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cypressloser

I'm not so sure it is a good idea to remove the plastic panel as it opens up the attic, the last thing you want is excess moisture getting trapped up there that can potentially promote mold growth and rot.

I guess now that I think about it... you’re right. It’s probably there to keep shower moisture and steam out of the layers in the roof. I’ll just leave it be. It just really isn’t feasible for me to take a shower in there. On the last and only camping trip that we’ve been on we all just used the bath houses. I guess that will probably be our norm wherever we go.

NMWildcat · 10-03-2018, 01:50 PM

I removed my inner dome layer to cover it with reflective solar film to aid in heat transfer. Works great.

If you don't replace the inner dome, the 'attic' space will be exposed (bare wood, wiring, and insulation in my case) unless you cut the dome part off and just replace the side liner. Also, in my particular skylight, removing the inner later would of only gained me about half an inch to the outside dome.

**bikendan** · 10-03-2018, 01:50 PM

You could replace it with a domed skylight.
I'm 6' and both my trailers had a raised dome skylight in the shower that gave me lots of space.

bluepear2000 · 10-03-2018, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikendan

You could replace it with a domed skylight.
I'm 6' and both my trailers had a raised dome skylight in the shower that gave me lots of space.

It's kinda hard to tell from the pic I posted but the outer part that sits on top of the roof is domed. It's just the inner part that is a flat piece of plastic. If I could find an inner cover that was domed it would be great. And by the way... from your list in your sig it sounds like you and I would get along great! I'm a Paramedic/RN, a drummer, and I LOVE wine... even make it sometimes.

**bikendan** · 10-03-2018, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluepear2000

It's kinda hard to tell from the pic I posted but the outer part that sits on top of the roof is domed. It's just the inner part that is a flat piece of plastic. If I could find an inner cover that was domed it would be great. And by the way... from your list in your sig it sounds like you and I would get along great! I'm a Paramedic/RN, a drummer, and I LOVE wine... even make it sometimes.

Mine had raised domes on both inside and outside. No flat inside piece, which I've never seen in any RV.
Yep, we'd definitely have some stories to swap. Never wanted to do the medical part without the firefighter part, though having my EMT-P would have meant higher pay.
I am a wannabe drummer but I'm not a wine fan as much as the DW. I grew up in wine country and went to school with kids from famous wine families, like the Sebastiani family. I rebelled from all the wine hype and became a craft beer guy.

Skip12 · 10-03-2018, 07:59 PM

Could you replace the bottom piece with another top piece? This would leave a small barrier between the two, as thick as the roof. This would protect the attic from.mosture. this would give you a few more inches to be able to stand up. Good luck.

007matman · 10-03-2018, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip12

Could you replace the bottom piece with another top piece? This would leave a small barrier between the two, as thick as the roof. This would protect the attic from.mosture. this would give you a few more inches to be able to stand up. Good luck.

That could be an option if you cut it down to size. A little tricky but might just work.

NMWildcat · 10-03-2018, 09:31 PM

I didn't realize the inner skylight was flat with the ceiling. Have never seen one like that in an RV. You might look for dome type replacement parts for the inner one at sites like this one:

http://www.icondirect.com/skylights/

Velosprout · 10-04-2018, 07:26 AM

The inner cone and flat plastic is very brittle. I replaced my inner plexiglas with a thicker material and reinforced the inner skylight cone where the plexiglas attaches with aluminum stock. It was difficult to get the plexiglas to stick with any adhesive, so I also used aluminum pop-rivets though the plexiglas, inner cone, and reinforcing aluminum with sealent of clear silicone. I wasn’t trying to get more space...the factory had put the original VERY thin plexiglas in with double sided tape that dried out in the sun and lost its adhesive. We occasionally camp in cold conditions and the inner glass is essential to keep the cold out and prevent shower moisture and condensation from entering your roof panels. I would not leave it removed.

nomad297 · 10-04-2018, 07:43 AM

I have the same skylight that you have above your shower. My wife (me, either) knew that the inside flat plastic was so thin and flexible, so when she was cleaning it, she must have pushed too hard on the thin plastic and it separated it from the double-stick tape that holds it to the interior trim frame. Neither of us noticed that this happened until I saw some nasty looking mold (or something like it) growing on the inside of the hard, clear plastic dome. I removed the interior portion to see what was going on, which is when I discovered the purpose of that thin plastic sheet and how it was attached and sealed. I realized that this piece of thin plastic is essential to keeping moisture from the interior getting into the ceiling. Luckily I discovered it and took care of it before any of that nasty stuff had a chance to grow inside of the ceiling. It was an easy fix by just cleaning off the old double-stick tape from the interior trim piece and the thin plastic sheet and putting it back together the same way it was originally installed.

Bruce

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