Ok, This is part rant & part advice
I'm full timing in Florida & I've seriously contemplated getting an ant eater as a pet...A thirsty one
One thing I have leaner about RV's is that they are designed & assembled by people who use very little thought. Everything is just "that'll do" A great idea ruined by people who do just don't give a care about the product they put their name on.
Take a trip to your local hardware and buy some good caulk & some expanding foam (Great Stuff expanding foam works good) now pretend that your a bug and you want out of your camper. You will be amazed on how many holes you will find in your camper. I have used seven tubes of caulk and two cans of foam & I'm still finding places that I've missed...
Start under sinks where pipes go thru walls & floors.
Look where wires go into the walls (behind fireplace, light fixtures, surround sound speakers etc)
Toilet supply line.
Water heater, power & water supply
Furnace, gas & power supply
A/C vents in your roof. My supply ducts were off by a good half inch from where the vent holes were cut in the ceiling & 1/4 of the cold A/C air was leaking into the roof instead of coming into the unit.
When you have the inside done, climb into your storage compartment & keep looking. I used two tubes of caulk & one can of foam just in there where pipes, wires, & water supply lines go thru floors & walls.
check around your power inverter. Mine had an inch gap underneath that a snake could have crawled thru. (no wonder why my storage compartment was so cold in the summer)
Recently I discovered a leak from splitting caulk on the rear cap where ants were getting in. (Not Forest Rivers fault, but mine for not keeping up with out door caulking) I cut a hole in the wall under my rear window to investigate & found rotted wood, and an ant nest. (disgusting!!!) But the sad part was that behind the wall (where two electrical outlets are located) I could see daylight. It turns out that the black fabric that is used as a water shield (I guess that's what it its ?) had two huge slits cut in them for the tail light wires to go thru. So anything from bugs to water could just come right in thru my outlets. Which also means that heat and A/C were just leaking out the same path...
Did I mention that my "four season camper" had very little insulation tossed in behind that wall?
Does Forest River have any Quality Assurance personnel on the assembly line???
How does a reputable company build crap like this and take people's hard earned money?
I would love to get a brand new unit, but unless I could be there for every step of the build I'm not giving any of my had earned money to any RV manufacturer.
Before you flame me, keep in mind that I'm well aware that I have a 10 year old unit. I'm not complaining about lack of maintenance issues. (that's my own fault & I blame me, not Forest River) I'm simply addressing and properly repairing issues that should have never existed in the first place. If homes were built with this "half ass-ery" Home builders would all be out of business.
I have since deployed an all out attack on the ground to keep any and all bugs from even getting close to my unit, but I am just astounded on how many infiltration points are on an RV.
Back to Home Depot tomorrow for some good insulation, plywood & expanding foam.
Glen & Lee
Linear Mode
