I just took delivery of my new Rockwood Roo 233S. I believe I found some documentation about waterproofing the canvas pop out where it says to remove all of the mattresses and soak the canvas with water from the outside to allow the stitching to expand. Then let it dry completely. I was talking to my dealer today about something else, and I asked them about this, and they had never heard of it. What about folks here? Did you use this technique to waterproof your pop out beds campus?
We did it with our 2016 233s. Worked too.
Also, check the corners of the bunk end when they are folded down to make sure no water can enter through poor seams in the corners of the frame. If it appears that the corners aren't sealed against moisture seal the seams up with a good silicone. Otherwise water will enter and cause the underlying wood to swell. Don't ask me how I know.....
Wprather, obviously your dealer is clueless about hybrids or popups as this practice has been done for decades.
But it doesn't truly "waterproof" the tent ends. It helps make the seams very water resistant.
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I got to love 3 products that have kept my tent ends looking like new in my humid Ohio River Valley environment... maybe not needed as much in dry air environments...
303 UV protectant for the vinyl tent ends... Protects against drying effects of sun
303 Fabric Guard repellent for the canvas zip window part of the tent ends... restores water repellent nature to the canvas windows
Mold Armor X2 from Home Depot when you see black mold on your stitching or canvas windows... melts it off in seconds...
essentially bleach water so watch what gets overspray, like your clothes!
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Wprather, that is exactly what I did to my 2018 Roo 19. It works. Later on I'll put on some 3M=Scotch Guard Water Shield ( in the green can)on the canvas section.
I agree with Dan, but it does not surprise me that the dealer knows nothing about the stitching in the canvas.
It's not called waterproofing, I would call it sealing the stitching. Yes, the stitching needs to get wet, then dry naturally to expand and seal the canvas. All you have to do is remove the beds and with the bunk ends open, take your hose and thoroughly wet the outside of the canvas. There will be leakage inside the bunk end. Dry the platform and let the canvas naturally dry, then repeat. On the second or third time, there should be no leakage and you're good to go.
I don't quite understand why they don't do that at the factory. Maybe it's a test to find the "good" dealers
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Yes my 2018 Rockwood Roo 24WS had printed information that said same. It was saying the first time or two that it rains you might see some water drips near the seams and it would self seal when the stitching had expanded.
Leads me to a common sense question... Since these are sewn together before they are put on, why not pre-wet and condition them instead of telling me to beware, or that I can spray it down with water to accelerate the seal? The engineering lack, design guffaws and lack of consistent quality control in the RV industry amazes me.
I agree with Dan, but it does not surprise me that the dealer knows nothing about the stitching in the canvas.
It's not called waterproofing, I would call it sealing the stitching. Yes, the stitching needs to get wet, then dry naturally to expand and seal the canvas. All you have to do is remove the beds and with the bunk ends open, take your hose and thoroughly wet the outside of the canvas. There will be leakage inside the bunk end. Dry the platform and let the canvas naturally dry, then repeat. On the second or third time, there should be no leakage and you're good to go.
I don't quite understand why they don't do that at the factory. Maybe it's a test to find the "good" dealers
Quote:
Originally Posted by rlh1957
Yes my 2018 Rockwood Roo 24WS had printed information that said same. It was saying the first time or two that it rains you might see some water drips near the seams and it would self seal when the stitching had expanded.
Leads me to a common sense question... Since these are sewn together before they are put on, why not pre-wet and condition them instead of telling me to beware, or that I can spray it down with water to accelerate the seal? The engineering lack, design guffaws and lack of consistent quality control in the RV industry amazes me.
Quite simply , to pre-wet and dry the canvas would slow down production. That's something that any manufacturing company would NEVER want to do. Also the increased costs of handling the canvas would be passed along to the consumer. That's something WE don't need. SSoooo get the garden hose, have a cold one and soak the canvas.......
Wprather, that is exactly what I did to my 2018 Roo 19. It works. Later on I'll put on some 3M=Scotch Guard Water Shield ( in the green can)on the canvas section.
This is what the manufacturer recommends to use. But also see people use the 303 stuff as well.
As for the initial set up I was told and had tags on my 2017 to pre-wet the bunk ends as well. Basically for the stitching from what I was told.
Quite simply , to pre-wet and dry the canvas would slow down production. That's something that any manufacturing company would NEVER want to do. Also the increased costs of handling the canvas would be passed along to the consumer. That's something WE don't need. SSoooo get the garden hose, have a cold one and soak the canvas.......
Yeah somewhere in documents or tags it was talking about it.
But pick day we took right to a camp that night near dealer for a weekend test run before heading home.
It rained good that night so it got baptized good.
Only noticed one stitch that had drop. Then next rain on next afternoon nothing.
Good thing because my wife wouldn't have left town with anything wrong!
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