Water damage

[sawpdx]

I have a 2014 Wildcat Max 272 5th wheel. I just noticed some water damage on the interior paneling by the rear window. Does anyone have suggestions on where I can get this type of paneling so I can repair the damage. Looks like I’ll need one 4X8 sheet but won’t know for sure until I open it up.

[cavie]

Originally Posted by sawpdx

I have a 2014 Wildcat Max 272 5th wheel. I just noticed some water damage on the interior paneling by the rear window. Does anyone have suggestions on where I can get this type of paneling so I can repair the damage. Looks like I’ll need one 4X8 sheet but won’t know for sure until I open it up.Attachment 176821

That's going to be hard to do and very costly shipping unless you are near the factory. You'll probably have to settle for some contrasting color from a local store of some sort. But first I would be looking for the cause of the water and fixing that fast,

[sawpdx]

Well I opened her up today and found a mess. I’m removing the exterior molding cleaning the corner up, let it dry overnight and then reseal and put new molding on. Right side still todo.

[sawpdx]

[cavie]

You done good! That would be a royal PITA with my rig. Mine is ALM framed vacuumed bonded construction. Styrofoam sandwiched between sheets of almost plywood. Styrofoam is glued solid. I installed a thru the wall range hood last week. What a mess. I'm glad I started on the outside. Styrofoam had to be dug out and scraped off the plywood.

[sawpdx]

Thanks it was a big job. Fortunately my oldest son helped it would have taken twice as long without his assistance.

[onetonford]

Originally Posted by cavie

You done good! That would be a royal PITA with my rig. Mine is ALM framed vacuumed bonded construction. Styrofoam sandwiched between sheets of almost plywood. Styrofoam is glued solid. I installed a thru the wall range hood last week. What a mess. I'm glad I started on the outside. Styrofoam had to be dug out and scraped off the plywood.

The side walls are alum but the front and back are wood framed. I thought mine was alum but when I changed the taillights found out the back wall was wood framed. after reading about them on their web site they make the front and rear wall with wood framing.

[SeventyGTX]

Good job! Ours would be a big PITA as it is a rear kitchen. Where was the water coming in at?

[Scrapper]

sawped, it looks good but I hope you checked the roof for leaks at the caulking. It may be hard to see. Look for any curling, holes, lifting of the caulk. Also check for shrinkage of the roof membrane. Leaks in the roof seams can do lots of damage to the walls and floors, even at places far from the leak.


Did you reseal the window frames?


The easiest thing you can do and longest lasting is clean the seams and apply Eternabond (EternaBond) over the seams covering the caulk completely. Following application directions it is good for 10 years. Use 6" eternabond tape across the front & rear seams and 4" along the sides. It will also be wise to apply it around all roof vents, skylights, and other roof penetrations.

Above all else, do not use silicone or flex seal products on your RV.

[sawpdx]

Once I removed the interior paneling and the exterior moldings you could see where the water was coming in at the corners. Half way up on one side and at the top on the other. I resealed everything including the window. It rained here for a couple days after the new moldings were on and there was no water intrusion so I went ahead and closed up the inside. As for why the corners leaked, and this is only my opinion, I had a electric leveling system installed. When I attempted to use the auto level function one of the rear jacks over extended while the other rear jack did nothing. I think the over extended jack twisted the trailer so much it caused the silicon seal on the rear moldings to break loose and let the rain water leak in. I looked over the install. The jacks look to be installed correctly but the control board and the rear sensor are no where close to being installed as per the installation instructions. So I’ve decided to NEVER EVER do business with the company that I purchased from and had them install the leveling system. The front control board was two feet off center and the rear sensor was in front of the trailer tires, two feet off center the opposite direction and installed upside down exposed to the elements. Sorry for the rant.

[SeventyGTX]

Originally Posted by sawpdx

Once I removed the interior paneling and the exterior moldings you could see the water was coming in at the corners. Half way up on one side and at the top on the other. I resealed everything including the window. It rained here for a couple days after the new moldings were on and there was no water intrusion so I went ahead and closed up the inside. As for why the corners leaked, and this is only my opinion, I had a electric leveling system installed. When I attempted to use the auto level function one of the rear jacks over extended while the other rear jack did nothing. I think the over extended jack twisted the trailer so much it caused the silicon seal on the rear moldings to break loose and let the rain water leak in. I looked over the install. The jacks look to be installed correctly but the control board and the rear sensor are no where close to being installed as per the installation instructions. So I’ve decided to NEVER EVER do business with the company that I purchased from and had them install the leveling system. The front control board was two feet off center and the rear sensor was in front of the trailer tires, two feet off center the opposite direction and installed upside down exposed to the elements. Sorry for the rant.

Wow, that's a distinct possiblity as to why the corners leaked. These things are definitely not made to be twisted. Live and learn.

[TheRVPhD]

"Above all else,do not use silicone or flex seal products on your RV."

Why not use silicone on the RV?