mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Dec 22, 2015 13:16:31 GMT -8
In any case, KILL THE LITTLE BUGGERS..... Carpenter ants are a tough breed to kill off. You need to read about them in order to have success without a return.
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joek
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Post by joek on Dec 24, 2015 5:47:13 GMT -8
Funny, you'd think I'd know more about termites, considering how often I've encountered them in my career. I know they are attracted to moisture, and I think will die if you remove the water source. They build the little mud tunnels to travel round in, and can't stand the light. I've opened a wall in a house and thousands of them poured out. I went go get a camera and when I got back they were all gone. I'm still debating whether to go ahead and fog the whole trailer. I've cleared it of all personal effects, so now would be the time I guess.
With the holidays and rain, I haven't had a chance to work on it any further. I work full time, so only have weekends to work on the trailer, and they just haven't been dry enough to even go the lumber yard and bring home a sheet of birch ply.
I plan to do the finish on the plywood before installing it. If I can just get a sheet home, I'll have something to do when it's raining.
The drips along that metal seam only appear below the horizontal framing member. The is about an inch of metal above it that show no sign of water. The seam itself is a standard double fold seam, I can't remember the name, maybe Hayward seam or something. My thoughts are that the water is leaking below the window, migrating horizontally along the framing, then dripping down. But the case isn't closed yet, so I'm keeping an open mind.
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joek
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Post by joek on Dec 27, 2015 0:35:43 GMT -8
Did the deed today. Removed the skin, framing and paneling on the back of the trailer. Found no smoking guns. That is to say, I didn't find any obvious signs of where the water was getting in. All of the butyl tape looked to be in good order. The framing was in better shape on the aluminum side, no staining where I was expecting it to be. The worst staining looked to be right a the corners of the windows, but it was very minor. Current theory is the corner of the window frame was leaking.
And maybe the horizontal seam. On the Shasta, there is a siding panel on each side of the rear window. This creates a horizontal seam leading to both the top and bottom of the window. The upper seam had butyl tape in it. The lower on did not. I think when I did the restoration before, I decided not the put the butyl in the lower seam because the top one was so darn hard to do, and it wasn't originally sealed. So I reasoned that it wasn't needed. When I put it together again, I think I'll try to inject some kind of non hardening sealer.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Dec 27, 2015 8:04:41 GMT -8
What kind of seams do you have? S lock? Pittsburg locks?
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joek
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Post by joek on Dec 27, 2015 11:19:01 GMT -8
It's a simple non locking Pittsburgh seam.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Dec 27, 2015 16:08:50 GMT -8
Well sometimes water goes up hill if you push it. Perhaps a driving rain with lots of wind. Or towing in rain which you should avoid with these old trailers.
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joek
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Post by joek on Dec 27, 2015 19:06:00 GMT -8
I definitely avoid towing inthe rain, but it can be unavoidable. I think its happened 2 or 3 times. Water does leak through the front jealousies at 60mph, but that's to be expected.
Water can wick uphill all by itself too, especially if there is a pressure differential between the interior and exterior. In any case, I want to seal it, just not with something like Vulkem that would be impossible to take apart in the future.
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Post by vikx on Dec 27, 2015 21:24:44 GMT -8
That's why we are all here. We strive to have our trailers perfect and leak free but sometimes there are nasty surprises...
Solving the problems with help and ideas from fellow trailerites makes the surprises easier to bear.
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joek
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Post by joek on Dec 28, 2015 12:04:20 GMT -8
Picked up some 1/4" Ash plywood on Boxing Day. Got it home only to realize it is MDF core material. Not really likeing the idea of using MDF inside the trailer. Even though it's never supposed to get wet, regular plywood will be much more resistant to any moisture, whereas the MDF will act like a sponge. I can seal the back of the plywood, but it's the edges I'm most worried about anyway.
What to do, what to do. I may just go with Birch. I have a number of birch panels in the trailer now anyway but htey alwayts bug me cause the grain doesn't match. No one else notices it, they're always enamored by the warm glow of the Amber.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Dec 28, 2015 12:25:55 GMT -8
Picked up some 1/4" Ash plywood on Boxing Day. Got it home only to realize it is MDF core material. Not really likeing the idea of using MDF inside the trailer. Even though it's never supposed to get wet, regular plywood will be much more resistant to any moisture, whereas the MDF will act like a sponge. I can seal the back of the plywood, but it's the edges I'm most worried about anyway. What to do, what to do. I may just go with Birch. I have a number of birch panels in the trailer now anyway but htey alwayts bug me cause the grain doesn't match. No one else notices it, they're always enamored by the warm glow of the Amber. I showed an example of what OAK looks like with amber shellac in the Interior forum... It's a better match than Birch and you can get it in 1/8 inch. Always do a test sample before installation. Check it out. vintagetrailertalk.freeforums.net/thread/5775/oak-ash-comparison?page=1&scrollTo=55279
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Dec 28, 2015 13:09:16 GMT -8
An MDF core would worry me too. Unfortunately there is no sure way to know without committing to it.
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joek
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Post by joek on Dec 28, 2015 22:09:11 GMT -8
Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think the MDF would be a mistake. It's just a chance, but not one I want to take.
Mobiltec, I saw your post in the interior section. It does look to be a pretty good match, much better than I would have thought. I think the Amber shellac does such a good job of coloring things to its own thing, regardless of the base color of the wood. The sheets of Ash I got look similar in color to White Oak. If you could find spiral cut veneers, like what regular fir plywood typically is, I imagine it could be pretty spot on.
But, kind of to my embarrassment, when I did the original restoration I used Birch on all of the wall paneling I replaced. That basically the means the middle third of the trailer is still Ash, the rest is Birch. I was hoping to correct that mistake with this repair, but introducing Oak would be the 4th kind of wood in the trailer. (The solid wood of the cabinets is originally pine). So, as of now I'll plan to go back with Birch. It's the cheapest material out there anyway. Hopefully I won't have any issues returning the Ash.
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RinTin
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Post by RinTin on Dec 29, 2015 6:30:57 GMT -8
A suggestion for sealing the corners of your window frame: VTS sells Alcoa aluminum pigmented gutter seal: www.vintagetrailersupply.com/Alcoa-Plygem-Gutterseal-p/vts-138.htmApply just a little bit to both sides of the corners of your window frame. This sealer wicks into the overlapping metal in the corners rather than just sitting on top. Works very well and looks good too. Another nice thing about this product is that unlike other caulks, it lasts forever. I have a partially used tube that is probably 30 years old that is still good.
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davek
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Post by davek on Dec 30, 2015 9:18:33 GMT -8
Thank you so much for the heads up on VTS stocking the silver gutter seal. I have looked high and low, that stuff has become really hard to find.
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Post by vikx on Dec 30, 2015 21:50:56 GMT -8
I like the tiny nozzle as well. Very good for narrow gaps.
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