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09-16-2010, 11:14 PM
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#1
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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Skylight & Vent Leaks
This information should apply to any unit but my experience is on my CLIPPER #137 with the one piece fibreglass roof. As with any unit, the roof caulking should be checked on a regular basis, ***I mean every month*** or after any trip. Remember, while travelling, the unit has endured storm force winds over an extended time and the rain and dirt drives under the caulking edges just as if you held a pressure washer, or sand blaster to it.
Now that you understand the physics, lets deal with the solutions.
You can add more caulking to what already was there. NEVER USE SILICONE!!! More cauking will make YOU feel good but will do very little for a leak that has already been a problem --WHY? because the original build up of caulking has lifted and will now flex and undo your fresh overlay of caulking.
The only practical solution is to completly remove the previous caulking and to clean and start fresh.
Use a heat gun to soften the old caulking and scrap with a putty knive, and use kero or some similar solvent to clean the remainder. Now clean the entire area with acetone (highly flammable) or similar product. Now air it well with the air gun and inspect the skylight or vent for cracks in the corners. Replace if necessary.
You can now recaulk with your old caulking product and have the same mess in a couple years, or you can install a flashing product called "ETERNABOND TAPE", and have a nice neat job that should last for a couple years at the least. This does not mean you don't have to continually inspect the area. But if you have cleaned it well the tape should hold. This seems to be a great product, but I am only thru one Canadian winter with it and have had good results on my Clipper. I used the 4" wide tape which gives good overlap of the skylight flange. Press it down good and go over it after an hour or so and press it again. It always takes time to do a good job. ( and you will get a better job if you do it yourself, or at least you can only blame yourself.)
For those of you who like Sikoflex, then you can still run a bead of this around the tape edge to double your chances of success. Best to use painters tape to give a finished bead as most of us oldtimers don't have the steady hand we think we have.
In the fouth picture you can see the old caulking buildup around the bath vent before I redone it.
Good luck
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09-23-2010, 05:18 PM
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#2
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Rivet Master
1993 33' Land Yacht
Midland
, Michigan
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 508
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Nice, neat looking job. I just replaced my old bathroom vent with a Fantastic vent. After removal of old vent I cleaned the roof in much the same way as you described. After scraping through old caulk down to the fiberglas roof I could see a stain on the fiberglas where water was getting in from the original factory install. I also found a little interior damage around finish vent ring. So I think your suggestion on redoing completely vs. just adding more caulk is good advice. With time and aging, things move and change and need extra attention
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01-15-2011, 03:19 PM
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#3
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1 Rivet Member
1995 30' Cutter Bus LE
Madison
, South Dakota
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 12
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I found a 'funny' one today. While helping Hubby clean up one of the front marker lights I happened to notice a little drain hole in the fitting. The amusing thing is, the PO had installed it upside down. So that's one leak delt with!
__________________
1995 30' Cutter LE
'02 Jeep Wrangler
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01-15-2011, 05:42 PM
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#4
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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Leaks
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deb55
I found a 'funny' one today. While helping Hubby clean up one of the front marker lights I happened to notice a little drain hole in the fitting. The amusing thing is, the PO had installed it upside down. So that's one leak delt with!
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LED
Copied this info from another post.
The original Petereson markers were not designed to be mounted on a slope.
They will not drain and water collects in the bulb base and drips along the wire.
These replacement LED's are sealed and are exact replacements for the original.
I just double checked the Peterson site and the replacement LED does not seem to be on their site. I got mine off ebay and I will try to look and see who the supplier was. They were exact replacements for the Peterson. I'll get back to you in a moment.
Dave
These are on Ebay now. Exact replacement for my Clipper marker lights.
3 Red & 3 Amber LED Marker Boat Trailer Truck RV Lights
Location: USA
CLICK ON THE BLUE INFO ABOVE AS THIS ITEM BELOW HAS EXPIRED
Watch this item
Buy It Now$33.59 Time left:22d 6h 12m
Item number:280608892282
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06-28-2011, 11:03 PM
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#5
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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Clipper, Skylights and Vents, Eternabond, Sikoflex
Chances are ---- your roof needs attention!
We just returned from a 7500 mile tour and roof inspection was high on the list of things to do.
We experienced weather from snow in the Rockies, to record breaking temperatures in Eastern Ontario, to fire hose rain and wind in New York and Michigan.
No problems with leaks but you have to keep on top of these seals.
On inspection, I found the Eternabond (now in the third year) has stood up well with no real issues. However, the Sikoflex bead around the edges of the Eternabond needs to be redone in places.
The problem areas are those that I smoothed over with my finger trying to make a neat application. Some of these areas resulted in the Sikoflex bead being to thin and the seam has now cracked and separated from the Eternabond.
As soon as the weather improves here, I will clean, remove the Sikoflex, clean with Acetone, and run a new bead of self-leveling Sikoflex on the areas that require attention.
What would we do if we didn't have a RV to look after?
Dave
Quote:
Originally Posted by masseyfarm
This information should apply to any unit but my experience is on my CLIPPER #137 with the one piece fibreglass roof. As with any unit, the roof caulking should be checked on a regular basis, ***I mean every month*** or after any trip. Remember, while travelling, the unit has endured storm force winds over an extended time and the rain and dirt drives under the caulking edges just as if you held a pressure washer, or sand blaster to it.
Now that you understand the physics, lets deal with the solutions.
You can add more caulking to what already was there. NEVER USE SILICONE!!! More cauking will make YOU feel good but will do very little for a leak that has already been a problem --WHY? because the original build up of caulking has lifted and will now flex and undo your fresh overlay of caulking.
The only practical solution is to completly remove the previous caulking and to clean and start fresh.
Use a heat gun to soften the old caulking and scrap with a putty knive, and use kero or some similar solvent to clean the remainder. Now clean the entire area with acetone (highly flammable) or similar product. Now air it well with the air gun and inspect the skylight or vent for cracks in the corners. Replace if necessary.
You can now recaulk with your old caulking product and have the same mess in a couple years, or you can install a flashing product called "ETERNABOND TAPE", and have a nice neat job that should last for a couple years at the least. This does not mean you don't have to continually inspect the area. But if you have cleaned it well the tape should hold. This seems to be a great product, but I am only thru one Canadian winter with it and have had good results on my Clipper. I used the 4" wide tape which gives good overlap of the skylight flange. Press it down good and go over it after an hour or so and press it again. It always takes time to do a good job. ( and you will get a better job if you do it yourself, or at least you can only blame yourself.)
For those of you who like Sikoflex, then you can still run a bead of this around the tape edge to double your chances of success. Best to use painters tape to give a finished bead as most of us oldtimers don't have the steady hand we think we have.
In the fourth picture you can see the old caulking buildup around the bath vent before I redid it.
Good luck
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07-31-2011, 08:53 AM
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#6
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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Dicor Lap Sealant
Finished the touch up on the roof of the Clipper and need to correct the previous post.
SIKOFLEX does not make a self-leveling product for this use.
On the original Eternabond installation with the Sikoflex edge seal, I had used painters tape to give a neat finish.
As posted above, I had in places, leveled it with my finger and this resulted in too thin a coat and, over time, it separated enough from the Eternabond to leave a water trap seam.
On this latest touch up I did not use painters tape, but instead used Dicor Lap Sealant, 501LSW, self-leveling caulk after cleaning the existing areas that needed attention with dish soap in water. (spray down your unit with water and run lots of water so that the cleaner/degreaser does not lift your wax finish on the exterior walls. Let dry and use compressed air to dry areas that are to be touched up)
The Dicor was easy to apply over the existing bead where needed without the need for painters tape.
I will continue to watch the roof/vets etc. seam area and, if required touch up again in early October, before the winter season sets in.
Dave
"Quote: As soon as the weather improves here, I will clean, remove the Sikoflex, clean with Acetone, and run a new bead of self-leveling Sikoflex on the areas that require attention."
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05-11-2012, 08:06 PM
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#7
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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Well the good weather has finally arrived on the Island and its time to GET GOING and hit the road.
Just did the spring full roof inspection and everything looks great and no sign of any problem areas after the winter storage. All other systems are go at this point. (but give it a day and something will fail I'm sure.)
We may be on the road as early as Sunday, so hope to see some of you again this yearl
Dave and Heather
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05-18-2012, 02:16 PM
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#8
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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Stove Vent
Still not able to travel so continue to update some items on the Clipper.
My OEM stove vent had become brittle and I had broken it with the wash brush a couple years ago. It was not leaking or causing a problem, but the condition could only deteriorate as time goes by.
Picked up a new Ventline Vent and installed it today.
Old vent broke into pieces while I was trying to remove it, so removal was not a problem. Besides the 10 stainless screws visible on the outside, the vent also has two side screws thru the metal plenum and sidewall. You can see and access them thru the vent with a bit of effort.
Cleaned area up and folded a double layer of tin foil over the side and bottom edges to keep any potential leakage out of the wall cavity.
The metal plenum from the stove vent has two screws that also go thru the vent when mounted. A bit of a job to get them in on installation from the outside.
Tape the vent lid open and with sharpie felt pen, mark the drill holes thru the metal plenum on the new vent. Drill and install the screws with a long shank Phillips screwdriver. ( don't loose the screws inside.)
Force lots of caulk into the area before final setting of the vent. I used dicor 551 LSW on this job.
Tighten the 10 screws gently in a random pattern so as not to break the new vent while it is setting into the caulk.
Clean up the excess caulk and the job is done.
Dave
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05-21-2012, 12:45 PM
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#9
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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Windshield Leak
Well, today proves once again how important it is to constantly be on the watch for water leaks in your RV.
I have been watching close, last evening and today, because it is the first real rain since taking the Clipper out of winter storage.
After 3 checks this morning, on the fourth inspecting about 10AM, I see a small water drip off the top of the curb-side windshield.
To determine if it was the windshield, or something above it leaking, I pulled the TV and found all the insulation dry and in good condition above the windshield.
Looks like a simple job, when the sun comes out, to clean and reseal the passenger windshield.
Dave
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05-22-2012, 05:52 PM
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#10
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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Well - today was not the right day to do this repair, but it had to be done, and we hope to get on the road soon.
Had to stop and try to tape it up 3 times because of the passing showers.
Used Sikofex 921 on this repair with painters tape to try to keep it neat.
It started to rain before I completed the job so it is not as nice a finish as I had hoped for but, with a few bug marks on the paint, I doubt anyone will notice.
One thing is, if it leaks, I am sure to notice it anyway.
Dave
Quote:
Originally Posted by masseyfarm
After 3 checks this morning, on the fourth inspecting about 10AM, I see a small water drip off the top of the curb-side windshield.Dave
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05-24-2012, 09:26 PM
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#11
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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While working on the windshield repair on the Clipper, I noticed some flaking of the caulking/fiberglass at the seam from roof to sidewall. I had inspected this area many times and thought this was a seam of caulking. On close inspection, it appears that the fiberglass itself was stressed at the attachment rail and cracked, exposing the fabric beneath where it is lifted off.
I think this might cause a leak here as I think this would be right at the top of the wall joint and if water wicked in here it would be trapped inside the exterior finish.
I have cleaned and re caulked both sides and will watch this area a little more as I do my inspections.
Dave
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06-05-2012, 09:56 AM
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#12
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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Downspout
Trying to eliminate some of the black streaks that show up on the sidewalls below the drip rail ends.
This may also help control some of the splash onto the side windows at the front, with wind, when not parked with the rear down for drip rail drain.
These drip rail spouts are not made for this specific application, but with a minor trim and nip with the grinder, they snap right on with no mechanical fasteners.
A touch of caulking makes them watertight to the sidewall.
I got mine from CW, but they are probably available from any RV outlet.
I bent the end of the aluminum down a bit just so that the water would drip off and not run back on the bottom of the channel.
Dave
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06-05-2012, 10:17 AM
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#13
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moderator
Commercial Member
2016 27' International
Currently Looking...
Wilton
, California
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,711
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Those downspouts are great. They keep that steady stream of water from getting behind that marker light and rotting out whatever lives under there.
Vinnie
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06-07-2012, 09:44 AM
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#14
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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The new diverters work as planned. Steady rain today and the water is running clear of the Clipper body.
Thank you Mother Nature for the test, but can we please have some sun?
Dave
Quote:
Originally Posted by masseyfarm
Trying to eliminate some of the black streaks that show up on the sidewalls below the drip rail ends.
This may also help control some of the splash onto the side windows at the front, with wind, when not parked with the rear down for drip rail drain.
Dave
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06-13-2012, 09:19 AM
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#15
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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Emergeny Exit Window Leak
Another leak story. Confirms truth is stranger than fiction.
Was updating the laptop in the Clipper and went to the bedroom to get the walkie talkies off the charger there. As I turned, my hand touched the window frame on the emergency exit, and there was water on the ledge. Never seen water here before.
On close inspection, I found a pine needle trapped in the rubber seal at the top of the window where it hinges. I had the emergency window open a couple weeks ago when cleaning the glass. I have cleaned and silicon-ed the top hinge and rubber and hope the problem is gone. Supposed to rain again tomorrow, so at least I won't have to take it back to JC for the water test!
Dave
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06-14-2012, 07:03 PM
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#16
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2 Rivet Member
1998 35' Cutter Diesel Bus w/slide
Laud by the sea
, Florida
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 48
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front and rear cap seams
Dave, Did you use the same methodology on the seams?
Thanks.
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06-14-2012, 07:21 PM
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#17
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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I used the Eternabond on the front seam only as the rear seam was in good shape at the time. I have enough Eternabond to do the rear seam and will probably do it this year when I get time.
The Eternabond does a great job and any weak areas that begin to lift are easy to spot and repair.
My skylights are into their 4th year with the Eternabond, and no sign of problems.
Note -- on the emergency exit, there was no sign of leakage today in steady rain, so the cleaning and silicone has done the job.
Dave
Quote:
Originally Posted by mfancher
Dave, Did you use the same methodology on the seams?
Thanks.
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08-29-2012, 09:22 PM
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#18
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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Tomorrow's Project
We have had a month of real nice weather with no rain. Rained yesterday and last night and this morning I have another leak onto the drivers side dash.
I did not think it was the windshield because the drip came off the vinyl rather that the ws rubber. The rubber also looked OK on first inspection.
Pulled the TV to check the insulation behind the marker lights. OK
Pulled the cockpit upper side panel above the driver position. OK
Pulled the upper side panel on the PS. OK
Set up my scaffold and proceeded to do a closer inspection of the windshield.
The polyurethane caulk that I applied a couple years ago has pulled away from the ws rubber on the outside upper corner. You can see in the photo that my knife was able to enter behind the rubber over approx. a 4" length.
Tomorrow I will buy a fresh tube of caulk, clean the area, and reseal the windshield. If that does not work I will report back.
Dave
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08-30-2012, 11:14 PM
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#19
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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Got the DS windshield re caulked today.
When working with caulk and you have an area that moves or a gap that requires filling, don't spare the caulk as it needs to be able to flex and a thin application will only crack prematurely.
Dave
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09-10-2012, 04:48 PM
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#20
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65th Anniversary CLIPPER
1996 36' Clipper Bus
Tub City
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,309
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Rain here today, and I am tired of that drip off the canopy over the entrance door.
On the Clipper, and probably others, the main canopy is 19' 8" in length and has aluminium wrap. The length of the canopy causes it to sag slightly near the middle, which just happens to be over the entrance door. The water runs back from both ends on the aluminium wrap and drips off at just the wrong place.
To try to beat this, I used a self-stick plastic corner molding on the wrap, for couple years but the sun/weather in time broke that down.
I have now trimmed up a piece of vinyl siding and mounted it on the drip rail. Works good parked but I will have to see how it stands up to travel. I will update this as time allows testing or if I get a better idea.
I have this prototype attached at the moment, but I think I can come up with a removable, for travel, style that snaps onto the drip rail.
It has to be at least this length, 35", for the drip to clear the entrance step.
Dave
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