De-lamination repair

[fauch]

I was at the storage facility doing some work to get the camper ready for a trip next week and i noticed a 'bubble' in the filon directly under the refrigerator. i removed the louvered insert and the frame from the wall opening. the luan backing between the foam and the filon was wet. my best analysis of how this happened relates to the storm at Fort Pickens in December. We had 50 mph wind gusts and heavy rain one night. I surmise that rain was blown through the louver. it is obvious that the exposed edge of the filon and wood is not protected from water that ends up inside the louver.

I propped the separated layers open (slightly) and let it air dry for two days. we get three days a year in Baton Rouge with humidity below 90% and they were Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week, at 55%---beautiful. I then pumped in a very large portion of loc-tite multi-purpose construction adhesive. this one is compatible with foam. next step was to tension a piece of3/4" plywood against the wall to press the glued layers flat. this pressed excess glue out the open edge. Here is a picture of my tensioning rig. rope is cinched just tight enough to flex the 2x4 a bit. rope was re-tensioned one hour after initial setup when glue had finished moving. here is a picture:
http://gallery.me.com/franksf#100038...&bgcolor=black

[fauch]

i'll post some pictures of how i solve the problem of the unsealed edge.

[NCFischers]

Nice creative fix. You've joined the ranks of the McGyvers. I'm looking forward to the rest of the pictures.

[1retired06]

Looks like that should work. Delamination is not fun

[CORattler]

Thanks for sharing your fix action. I don't know if you thought of this but to avoid untying your brace, you can put an overhand knot in the rope and put a dowel/stick through the knot and control tension by turning it one way or the other.

[fauch]

thanks for the tip on the twisty=dowel!
cinch loop and hitch are good, but the dowel definitely would be easier.

[fauch]

This 'McGyverization' of a repair has not worked. what's behind the wet and now delaminated luan is styrofoam with no framing. Mike has it right, de-lamination is not fun. I will consult with the local RV service and repair shop for next steps. Looks like refrigerator removal will allow access to wall from inside. Just thinking that cutting inside wall panel vs cutting filon would be preferable.

In the meantime, it might be a good idea for others to remove the frame from the outside refrigerator opening and inspect open edge for exposed luan-to-filon. I have not seen this discussed on this forum, so it may not be a big deal. Being on the highway in the rain, or in a high wind rainstorm as we were can force water through the louvered cover. If the edge of the luan gets wet-it is coming apart.

[fauch]

filed claim on RV insurance. Local dealer says about 2500.00 to repair
they will cut delaminated section out (bubble is about 6"x10"), install new wood, then re-lay fiberglass.
they claim i will not be able to tell where the repair was. i am anxious to see how this works
my deductible is 500.00
hoping separation does not spread in route to dealer

[bruiser]

Had delamination on a section near the entrance door within a year of new. It was still under warranty at the time and Keystone authorized the repair at a company that specializes in this type of work. They cut out the section (there was no adhesive there) and installed new fibreglass. 5 years later and I still can't tell where the repair was.

[CORattler]

Good luck on the repair by the dealer. I hope everything goes well.

quote:Originally posted by fauch

filed claim on RV insurance. Local dealer says about 2500.00 to repair
they will cut delaminated section out (bubble is about 6"x10"), install new wood, then re-lay fiberglass.
they claim i will not be able to tell where the repair was. i am anxious to see how this works
my deductible is 500.00
hoping separation does not spread in route to dealer