Fiberglass Roof near tow hitch sagging

[tech tulsa]

The fiberglass surface under my bedroom near the tow hitch was sagging when I bought it in September 2012. I am talking about the area in front of the storage. I have a Fleetwood Terry 34' 3 slide 5er. The last time I towed it to another jobsite the roof had partially pulled out of the edge trim. Upon inspection I saw that I have no insulation between the fiberglass and the plywood floor. I work all over the country and am trying to makw it an artic unit as best I can. I bought sheets of Dow 11/2" Thermax to remedy this problem.The fiberglass has a cardboard like fabric on the back of it and it is in pieces. I'm thinking about glueing the fiberglass to a piece of 1/4" marine plywood and then glueing it back into place. Does anyone have a better idea? I really don't want a bunch of screws holding this large piece in place. I have bought a 50 amp power panel and will be installing this soon for a second A/C. I also plan on removing all interior panels and installing better insulation. I got a great deal on theis RV so I can afford to upgrade it all I can. Thank you for your help. Chuck

[Ray,IN]

Your explanation of the "sagging" and "in pieces" sounds to me like water damage. The first thing to do is locate the water leak source and seal it with a quality sealant like Eternabond tape. Do not use silicone-containing sealants. Your thinking to reinforce that panel sounds reasonable. Silicone and RV's do not play well together, and it takes a special silicone removal product to remove and residue before anything else will stick there again.
Adding insulation is a good thing, not difficult, just time-consuming. While you have the paneling removed, is a great time to inspect the wiring for fraying, wear spots, loose connections, etc
Adding a 50A cord is just part of an electrical upgrade, the AC breaker panel should also be upgraded to the proper size. That's about all my thoughts,



Sign-in often and join in the various discussions, we will be looking forward to your future posts.

[Skip426]

Sounds like you've got quite a project in store for youself. Gluing up the fiberglass panel would be the way to go just make sure you have what you need to put even pressure on the fiberglass panel while the glue bonds. You didn't mention a year on the trailer so I'll assume you know if the walls are vaccum bonded, in that case the interior panels don't come off and your stuck with the factory insulation.

[tech tulsa]

I did buy a 50 amp breaker panel and will install that with the cord. My RV is a 1999 model and I have no idea what kind of wall you mentioned. I've never heard of that type. Can you please tell me how I can find out?

I did find the edges to be damp when I took the fiberglass off below the bedroom and will calk and putty with fresh product and I believe that will address the water issue. I think the RV sat unused for several years and needs lots of TLC. I also had the bed stick the last time I used the slide and it broke loose from the wall. That's another project when I have time, I'm off work for another week and will be trying to get as much done as possible.

[Skip426]

Vacuum bonded side walls, came into the RV industry in the mid 90s, they consist of a welded aluminum frame work, insulation, outside fiberglass panel and an inside composite panel , all of the pieces are glued and pressed together, in a vacuum chamber. If you look at the inside of your RV's outer walls and can't find any staples/brad nails holding the panels in place, chances are the panel is glued in place and you have bonded walls . This info would also be listed in an owners manual, under construction. Maybe there is an online source of this info , if you don't have the manuals.

[tech tulsa]

I see some staples on the interior panels so I think they will come off. I'm going over there soon and will check them out. Thank you for your help. Chuck