Delamination

[Retired and Happy]

I finally have some delamination in my MH. It is about a foot wide and 2-3 feet high behind the rear main awning support. I've read some about de-lam in the past, but never had to deal with it.

Is it usually caused by water leakage? If the leak is sealed will it continue to get worse?

I have two rolls of EternaBond tape to seal the roof edge, but the awning channel is right at the edge joint, so I'm not sure how well it will do the job. Do I place the lower edge of the EternaBond in the channel? What do I do where the upper support brackets cross the channel? I've seen the post and pictures on the taping, but can't tell the detail that well. I do understand the tape requires a pretty flat surface to seal properly.

I believe there is a procedure where I can slit the sidewall and inject a glue to reseal the de-lam section. Is this a DIY procedure, or does it require a pro? If DIY, what kind of glue? What kind of injector?

HELP!!!!

[Retired and Happy]

I finally have some delamination in my MH. It is about a foot wide and 2-3 feet high behind the rear main awning support. I've read some about de-lam in the past, but never had to deal with it.

Is it usually caused by water leakage? If the leak is sealed will it continue to get worse?

I have two rolls of EternaBond tape to seal the roof edge, but the awning channel is right at the edge joint, so I'm not sure how well it will do the job. Do I place the lower edge of the EternaBond in the channel? What do I do where the upper support brackets cross the channel? I've seen the post and pictures on the taping, but can't tell the detail that well. I do understand the tape requires a pretty flat surface to seal properly.

I believe there is a procedure where I can slit the sidewall and inject a glue to reseal the de-lam section. Is this a DIY procedure, or does it require a pro? If DIY, what kind of glue? What kind of injector?

HELP!!!!

[Steady Eddie]

Ken--
The pros fix it from the inside out and
never slit or cut into the outer skin.
They gut the inner wall clear to the outer
skin layer and install spacer rails so the
sidewall is smooth(er) like this (HHH) in the
framework underneath. They then use "The West
System" glue (same as for boat building) and
press on the outside exterior wall side with
hydraulic jack(s) to push in and flatten the
sidewall skin to the inner framework.

The cost is huge, same as having Winnie replace
the entire sidewall, and it is NOT a lasting
repair, no warranty. We were faced with it and
traded the rig off at a big lo$$...

[TXiceman]

We had a 1989 Pace Arrow that had severe delamination. Fleetwood replace one side wall and later we had to have bothe redone. It is very expensive to repair.

Nearly all delamination is caused by water intrusion. You have to top the water leak first and often the are will still spread. The problem is you do not know to what extend the wall is damamaged internally.

My best thoughts on it is to sell it while it still has some value.

Ken

[Gary RVRoamer]

I bought a 96 Southwind with some modest delamination and used it two years without any change. Fleetwood had some delam problems in the early 90's and so did other manufacturers, though toa lesser extent. Glue failure is the reason for delam, and it can be a factory defect, but it is usually caused by water intrusion. Water can get in around the roof seams, window frames, or any of the "holes" through the roof (vents, a/c, etc) and then run some distance down and into a wall.

Yes, slitting the skin and re-gluing is a common means of repair. Especially if the skin has stretched some after loosening and you have to trim it down a bit to get it flat again. Much less expensive than the interior method, but requires more skin repair. This can also be expensive if you insist on an invisible job - you might have to repaint most or all of the sidewall. But with a bit of care you can make a pretty decent spot repair and blend it in.