Vent Cover (Lid) Disintegrated

[danlexani]

Hello,
we purchased a brand new 2018 FR EVO 2490 in august 2018
we've used it about 5 times so far
bought a cover for it right after we bought it
last time we used it, in February, as i was removing the cover, the bathroom vent (square one with the little fan) lid basically disintegrated as it was touched. as i was pulling the cover off i touched it and heard it cracking and upon further touch it just kept cracking and braking off. the whole thing had turned very brittle and the more i would touch it the more it would crack into pieces.

since we were on our way out on a trip i decided to use duct tape (what i had on hand) to basically cover it all in it in hopes of a temporary fix.
i had stopped pocking at it once i realized what's happening and was able make it work and retain it's original shape and functionality

i guess my questions are, is this normal and expected?
are they that cheap?
was it due to the trailer sitting probably close to a year on the dealer lot?
was it due to the cover we bought that maybe helped trap heat up there during the day in a manner that "baked" it faster? are covers known to do that? this is the cover that we bought for reference...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

do i need to worry about the skylight over the bathtub doing the same next?
i noticed (at a brief glance, i need to go back up there to inspect some more) that mine seemed to have 3 rivets holding it in which makes me wonder if now i need a rivet gun if i would like replace it myself...
is it worth taking it to the dealer (about 100 miles away) i bought it from?
i was looking at something like this to replace it myself
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CWFX8SM...v_ov_lig_dp_it

but if it will decide to commit suicide like this in 1 to 2 years maybe i should wrap my duct taped one in some eterna bond which i since bought and i have a feeling the finished product will be way stronger then what they are originally.

overall, just kind of bummed out about something so new falling apart so easy.... makes you wonder what other parts on the whole rig are made this way

[Jayhawker]

do i need to worry about the skylight over the bathtub doing the same next?


We bought (satin white) Krylon Fusion spray paint for plastic and sprayed our skylight above the shower to reduce the solar heating affect in the bathroom and to also give it some UV protection. Cleaned it first, then masked it off. The paint bonds with plastic and requires NO sanding.

[Mountndream]

I am a firm believer is use of Vent covers such as the Max air vent covers. THey allow you use your vent in the rain and they provide solar protection for the internal vent cover

[Red Line]

My brothers camper, never used and about 4 months old, had the vent cover do the exact same thing. Almost as if it was poor plastic. Defective batch?
I like most have the vent cover, covers.

[danlexani]

thanks for the tips

[DustyRoads]

I have bought vent covers for all 3 vents. This way I can keep open while it is raining. If you have a Fantastic brand fan in the bathroom. I bought a Fantastic brand cover as the Max Air II didn't fit quite right.
Good luck

[D W]

It's not the heat that destroys them. It's the UV rays beating down on them. When you replace it use some protectant on it such as 303 Aerospace UV Protectant. TIP: When you use this stuff just wipe it on an let it be. It will appear wet. That's what it's supposed to be. If you wipe it until it's dry you've defeated the purpose.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/303-30308...iABEgKyr_D_BwE

[JudyBug]

We had the same thing happen, luckily we were at home. But, our camper was about five years old when it happened. We now keep a replacement lid in the camper all the time. Have never had a problem with the skylight over the shower. Had first camper 17 years, second one for 7 years (this was the one that cracked), our current camper for five years with no vent issues, so far.

[Freetyme]

Had one do the same between 3 and 4 years old, not expensive. The sunshine is tough on them. I too added a hood over the skylite vent. I think over the shower skylites are a more durable material.

[ProfChuck]

On one of our early trailers, we had the refrigerator vent deteriorate like that and the water leak caused a LOT of damage. Didn't even notice it until my foot went through the floor. Now, we check not only the vent covers, but, anything plastic on top of the TT which very much includes the refrigerator vent cover. Just sayin'.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by danlexani

Hello,
we purchased a brand new 2018 FR EVO 2490 in august 2018
we've used it about 5 times so far
bought a cover for it right after we bought it
last time we used it, in February, as i was removing the cover, the bathroom vent (square one with the little fan) lid basically disintegrated as it was touched. as i was pulling the cover off i touched it and heard it cracking and upon further touch it just kept cracking and braking off. the whole thing had turned very brittle and the more i would touch it the more it would crack into pieces.

since we were on our way out on a trip i decided to use duct tape (what i had on hand) to basically cover it all in it in hopes of a temporary fix.
i had stopped pocking at it once i realized what's happening and was able make it work and retain it's original shape and functionality

i guess my questions are, is this normal and expected?
are they that cheap?
was it due to the trailer sitting probably close to a year on the dealer lot?
was it due to the cover we bought that maybe helped trap heat up there during the day in a manner that "baked" it faster? are covers known to do that? this is the cover that we bought for reference...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

do i need to worry about the skylight over the bathtub doing the same next?
i noticed (at a brief glance, i need to go back up there to inspect some more) that mine seemed to have 3 rivets holding it in which makes me wonder if now i need a rivet gun if i would like replace it myself...
is it worth taking it to the dealer (about 100 miles away) i bought it from?
i was looking at something like this to replace it myself
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CWFX8SM...v_ov_lig_dp_it

but if it will decide to commit suicide like this in 1 to 2 years maybe i should wrap my duct taped one in some eterna bond which i since bought and i have a feeling the finished product will be way stronger then what they are originally.

overall, just kind of bummed out about something so new falling apart so easy.... makes you wonder what other parts on the whole rig are made this way

I think FR must get these from the same source as Camco. They only cost about $10 on Amazon. But they are simply not UV-stable. They turn yellow in 12 months and (as you found) fragment before another 12 have passed. The same is true with the outside lights, marker lights, and rain-gutter extensions. There are plenty of plastic resins which stay stable (and white) in the sunlight, but the supplier doesn't use them and Forest River doesn't specify that they be used.

Besides the flimsy vent covers, our trailer has some skylights that don't move. Those are polycarbonate, 1/4" thick or so. These yellow but they don't seem to get brittle.

Larry

[myxkp]

Originally Posted by danlexani

Hello,
we purchased a brand new 2018 FR EVO 2490 in august 2018
we've used it about 5 times so far
bought a cover for it right after we bought it
last time we used it, in February, as i was removing the cover, the bathroom vent (square one with the little fan) lid basically disintegrated as it was touched. as i was pulling the cover off i touched it and heard it cracking and upon further touch it just kept cracking and braking off. the whole thing had turned very brittle and the more i would touch it the more it would crack into pieces.

since we were on our way out on a trip i decided to use duct tape (what i had on hand) to basically cover it all in it in hopes of a temporary fix.
i had stopped pocking at it once i realized what's happening and was able make it work and retain it's original shape and functionality

i guess my questions are, is this normal and expected?
are they that cheap?
was it due to the trailer sitting probably close to a year on the dealer lot?
was it due to the cover we bought that maybe helped trap heat up there during the day in a manner that "baked" it faster? are covers known to do that? this is the cover that we bought for reference...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

do i need to worry about the skylight over the bathtub doing the same next?
i noticed (at a brief glance, i need to go back up there to inspect some more) that mine seemed to have 3 rivets holding it in which makes me wonder if now i need a rivet gun if i would like replace it myself...
is it worth taking it to the dealer (about 100 miles away) i bought it from?
i was looking at something like this to replace it myself
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CWFX8SM...v_ov_lig_dp_it

but if it will decide to commit suicide like this in 1 to 2 years maybe i should wrap my duct taped one in some eterna bond which i since bought and i have a feeling the finished product will be way stronger then what they are originally.

overall, just kind of bummed out about something so new falling apart so easy.... makes you wonder what other parts on the whole rig are made this way

Mine blew off in a high wind and rain storm while in storage at 1 1/2 years old. Replaced it with a thicker one from CW and put a maxaire vent cover over it.

[PenJoe]

The lid vents should last several years, but they will get brittle over time. On a 2018, the vent cover was "new" to you, but who knows when it was actually manufactured. I believe that a conversation with your dealer would yield a new vent cover at no cost. But, as others have mentioned. The vent covers like the MaxAir II do a lot to protect the vent covers. I even used one on our cargo trailer because the wind turbulence would actually open the cover. They also allow the vents to be open in the rain and while driving.

[danlexani]

thank you all for the tips. i will get a vent cover and also one of the recommended sprays to go to town on everything up there with.

probably will add eternabond tape to my duct taped one already instead of messing with a rivet gun to change it. light through it will be lost anyway after the vent cover...

[jd50i]

I changed mine over to metal ones, they were actually cheaper than the plastic ones at the time.

[NMWildcat]

In my experience, all the OEM vent lids and skylights break down within a few years. The skylights might not turn to dust like the vent lids, but they will discolor and get very brittle. One hail storm, and it's over;(

Even vent covers and protectorants won't stop them from turning to dust. The OEMs are just too thin and cheap.

I replace my vent lids with after markets which are fairly cheap and three times as thick. Haven't had one fail yet. Easy to replace, as they come apart at the hinge. No need to mess with rivets.

Same thing with skylights. The after market replacements are sooooo much better and thicker. Also not hard to replace.

I did stop using eternabond around skylights, as it is very difficult to remove when it's time to replace them.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by danlexani

thank you all for the tips. i will get a vent cover and also one of the recommended sprays to go to town on everything up there with.

probably will add eternabond tape to my duct taped one already instead of messing with a rivet gun to change it. light through it will be lost anyway after the vent cover...

You should not need a rivet gun to change the vent lid. There is a small screw with a nut on the crank lift arm that attaches it to the lid. The vent has to be partially open to get at the screw-remove it. The vent has a rolled sheet metal hinge at the forward side. There is a tab at one end that gets bent out-of-line with the hinge to keep it from working off. The vent cover slides off to the side and the new one slides in. Bend the tab back, replace the screw attaching the lid to the lift arm, and it's done. There are only two hinge styles-old style and new style. you will need the new style.

[jd50i]

$18.50 for a metal one. https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Ventl...-p/22-0241.htm


I had my brother powder coat mine white, I should never have to replace it.

[Scrapper]

If you want to stay with the plastic vent lid look for one made from 1/8" lexan. You can get also get lexan skylights. Both with uv resistant coatings.

[JohnD10]

Actually, you will need to find out the make and model of the ceiling/roof vent and get the correct lid to fit.

Unless you want to replace the whole vent, which I'm guessing you really don't want to do.

Once you know which vent you have, then you can get the right one from Camping World or most any other RV parts/supply store or dealer.

And then get some vent covers to cover up those vents!