Adding Permanent Eavestroughs

[Willhound]

Our Cherokee 39RL is on a permanent site and will never move unless a tree falls on it and I have to drag it out for a new one.
The factory installed rain gutters have never been good, kind of poorly installed and a low point on both sides, right at the joint for the gutters so water runs down the sides of the trailer. I've worked on them several times over the last 2 seasons and am tired of fighting with them. I snowshoed into the camp yesterday and found that snow melt was dripping down on top of the kitchen slide, running down the side and finding a way in next to the fridge. Not a huge amount and I wiped it up and left a fan running. Got out the Gorilla tape and step ladder and ran a strip of tape across the top of the slide to re-route the water. Seems to be working. My plan in the spring is to run residential eavestrough down both sides with proper downpipes to direct water away. I plan on running a strip of butyl tape that will help hold the eavestrough, seal it against the side of the trailer and act as a seal for the 1" stainless steel screws with fender washers that I'll mount about every 3 feet to attach the eavestrough. The typical hangers leave the eavestrough too far out from the unit so don't work.
Any one ever do anything similar? Pros/Cons? Yes, I realize I'm putting a bunch of screw holes into my siding but they'll be properly sealed for water intrusion.

 

[dedobias]

Get some vinyl tubing big enough to fit over the little extension at the end and long enough to lay on the ground. Won't splash or run down the side.

 

[Willhound]

I only wish. The point is that the stock gutters don't work at all....going to fix that by installing permanent eavestrough. But thanks.

 

[Bill&Trish]

Our Cherokee 39RL is on a permanent site and will never move unless a tree falls on it and I have to drag it out for a new one.
The factory installed rain gutters have never been good, kind of poorly installed and a low point on both sides, right at the joint for the gutters so water runs down the sides of the trailer. I've worked on them several times over the last 2 seasons and am tired of fighting with them. I snowshoed into the camp yesterday and found that snow melt was dripping down on top of the kitchen slide, running down the side and finding a way in next to the fridge. Not a huge amount and I wiped it up and left a fan running. Got out the Gorilla tape and step ladder and ran a strip of tape across the top of the slide to re-route the water. Seems to be working. My plan in the spring is to run residential eavestrough down both sides with proper downpipes to direct water away. I plan on running a strip of butyl tape that will help hold the eavestrough, seal it against the side of the trailer and act as a seal for the 1" stainless steel screws with fender washers that I'll mount about every 3 feet to attach the eavestrough. The typical hangers leave the eavestrough too far out from the unit so don't work.
Any one ever do anything similar? Pros/Cons? Yes, I realize I'm putting a bunch of screw holes into my siding but they'll be properly sealed for water intrusion.View attachment 977980View attachment 977981View attachment 977982

I was researching for solutions to the same problems and found this website.

Rain Collection Solutions | WildWater RV

Our Rain Collection solutions replace or adapt to your current RV gutter spouts. With their patent-pending design, our RainHarvest PRO and RainHarvest ADAPT allow you to connect a hose to the end of these proprietary products to route all the water collected off your RV roof to your water...

www.wildwaterrv.com

I have purchased the rain harvest pro but I’m waiting from warmer weather to install them. I purchase two 25” expandable garden hoses so I can redirect the rain water/AC water away from our TT.

Our Cherokee 39RL is on a permanent site and will never move unless a tree falls on it and I have to drag it out for a new one.
The factory installed rain gutters have never been good, kind of poorly installed and a low point on both sides, right at the joint for the gutters so water runs down the sides of the trailer. I've worked on them several times over the last 2 seasons and am tired of fighting with them. I snowshoed into the camp yesterday and found that snow melt was dripping down on top of the kitchen slide, running down the side and finding a way in next to the fridge. Not a huge amount and I wiped it up and left a fan running. Got out the Gorilla tape and step ladder and ran a strip of tape across the top of the slide to re-route the water. Seems to be working. My plan in the spring is to run residential eavestrough down both sides with proper downpipes to direct water away. I plan on running a strip of butyl tape that will help hold the eavestrough, seal it against the side of the trailer and act as a seal for the 1" stainless steel screws with fender washers that I'll mount about every 3 feet to attach the eavestrough. The typical hangers leave the eavestrough too far out from the unit so don't work.
Any one ever do anything similar? Pros/Cons? Yes, I realize I'm putting a bunch of screw holes into my siding but they'll be properly sealed for water intrusion.View attachment 977980View attachment 977981View attachment 977982

 

[Willhound]

Thanks for the link, but again, my issue is not in getting the water away from the trailer at the end of the gutters, it's the gutters themselves that were never installed properly and that a previous owner somehow managed to put some bends in. So the water simply flows right over top of them. Yes, I have the trailer blocked with a slight front to rear slant. I'd rather not mess with them because this would mean messing with the edge of the roof membrane and the awning. So I will be installing regular household eavestrough/gutters along both sides and with proper downspouts to route the water away.

 

[Larry-NC]

Willhound, I wouldn't take that approach. there's nothing behind the siding but (probably) 3/16" plywood that won't take a screw well. Get a little water and wet leaves in that gutter and it could fall right off.

The problem with the rain gutters (besides low points in the middle) is that the aluminum extrusion comes in 20' lengths and so there are butt joints in one or two place on each side. The aluminum has a different coefficient of expansion than the wooden trailer so no caulk you put in the joint will seal for long.

It took a lot of experimenting to find a seal that works and prevents the drips. The secret: a 2" long strip of Eternabond tape, applied to the dry inside of the gutter in a U-shape, so it goes down one side, across the bottom, and up the other side. This has worked successfully for me.

There are inexpensive plastic gutter extenders you can get and attach at the ends. These cause the drip to occur about 4" away from the trailer. I haven't used them but you might be pleased with the result.

 

[Willhound]

Thanks Larry, I trust your judgment and you have an almost identical model so you know what I'm up against. Correct, the joint in the stock gutter is almost directly in the middle of the unit such that it drips directly onto the seating area slide on one side and onto the kitchen area slide on the other side. I did use some gorilla tape as a test and it helped with the joint leak but the other issue I'm dealing with is that it seems that the gutter on both sides has a low point in the middle so that water builds up and overflows instead of draining away. It also appears that one side has been hit and bent somehow and I can see where a previous owner or dealer monkeyed with it and tried to bend it into shape, making it worse. If I put a straightedge across the gutter there is almost an inch drop towards the middle. I have the trailer blocked with a slight tilt to the rear and I did experiment with jacking up the front and running water onto the roof but to get it to where it would drain meant I was out over 3 inches from front to back to the point where the sliding door didn't want to operate properly.

The other, and much more expensive, option I am investigating is having hardtop slide awnings installed. Awaiting quotes but I figure around $5 G's....might be worth it since we are planning on making it our retirement summer home this coming year.

 

[5picker]

If retirement summer home, think about a pole type, truss roof over the entire R/V. Lots of folks do that around here and it's not really much more expensive than the hard slide awnings you are thinking of. You'll not need to do anything to your R/V roof/gutters ever.

 

[Willhound]

That would be my number one choice and I'd do it in a second except the park won't allow it. Can't build anything to the ground, has to be supported by the trailer, no posts. If I do a roof over I'd have to think of some way of running trusses directly on the trailer roof and I don't think it would support the weight.

 

[Larry-NC]

When I bought ours, it was only 4 years old, but I believe I was the third owner. One of the prior owners had put stabilizer jacks all over. There are at least eight of them, plus the A-frame jack; four at the corners and two under each slideout. I don't believe the frame would have as much flex as you suggest, but it might happen if the installers put way too much lift on them.

I don't believe the rain gutters sag enough that the tops at the center are lower than the end-drains.

I know for certain that the awning clamps that span the gutters can develop leaf clogs that give this effect. These areas must be kept clean or water intrusion WILL occur in the area at the clamps.

Some people erect a free-standing aluminum canopy over the entire trailer. Might be less expensive than hardtop slide awnings.l