Mono"wtf"coque

[Evildoody]

So I noticed that after 6 months or so of the MH sitting dorment the bedding I had left on the bed under the monocoque was soaking, as was the mattress. (applies to front of monocoque only)

I figured the front window was leaking and was looking to repair it, as surely the "one" piece fiber glass shell wasn't leaking!?

Out of curiosity I removed the ceiling covering material today to take a look and discovered the following "repair", the strange thing about this is that the outer shell of the monocoque shows no sign of repair, I have been on the roof putting solar panels on, I have cleaned the monocoque too so would have noticed a repair?. Repair only seems to be evident from the interior of the van (albeit after removing the ceiling material).

I then assumed the roof was leaking, but now I believe this to be a condensation issue

How this cowboy repair came about, I have no idea - but the foam insulation had a huge air gap between the foam and fiber glass ceiling and this is what I believe has contributed to the water/moisture.

I plan to fill the huge gaps between the cuts (hacks) with expanding foam insulation, dry the fiberglass and glue some YBS Thermawrap to the ceiling before refitting the cloth material to the ceiling.

Can anyone provide some guidance?

 

[mitzimad]

have you run a hose on the roof to make sure nothing is leaking

 

[Evildoody]

have you run a hose on the roof to make sure nothing is leaking

Spent an hour watching the ceiling in the pouring rain, it does not appear to be a leak.

Having said that, I thought about using a hose - I will do that tomorrow before touching the ceiling, last thing I want is to put up new insulation, fit everything back only to discover it was an actual leak! - don't think it is though as the exterior of the roof looks fine - strange repair, looks cowboyish on the inside and perfect on the outside.

It's as if only the inner shell was removed for some reason or other :-

This opens various questions :-

1. Was this a manufacturer repair (out of sight, out of mind?)
2. I thought about a tree etc. falling on the roof in the past and a 3rd party repair being done - but why make a great job of the exterior but hash the interior?
3.The foam insulation was not adhered to the interior fiber glass skin, it was still attached to the rest of the insulation (before I cut it), which is still adhered to the rest of the ceiling so is this a bonding failure after a crap manufacturer repair or a crap 3rd party repair that reutilised the old insulation (and hence the lack of bonding)
4. Was it done for easier access to the monocoque exterior lighting wiring after a wiring loom issue?

 

[mitzimad]

i cant actually see the repair in the photos which photo shows it best?

 

[Evildoody]

i cant actually see the repair in the photos which photo shows it best?

In this picture I have removed the ceiling insulation so I could get a better look at the fiber glass ceiling interior, you can clearly see the saw chop marks. To me it looks like a huge section of the monocoque has been cut off and replaced and fiber glass repaired

e.g if it aint white powder coated fiber glass then that is the repair!

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[Evildoody]

Look at this interior shot, you can clearly see the chop saw marks on the inner ceiling (as I said this is all hidden by the cloth ceiling material (which I removed))

 

[Neckender]

Monocoque Motorhomes are built off a chassis cab base and the builders remove the top of the cab to fit the fibreglass monocoque.
That’s what the saw cut marks are, I don’t think that it’s had a repair to the fibreglass. Is it Auto Sleeper by any chance?

John.

 

[Evildoody]

So just crap workmanship that would not be noticed by 99.9% of the populace?

 

[Evildoody]

My pictures show the interior ceiling space within the confines of that red outline

 

[Just smiffy]

Like @Neckender i too believe it’s down to the normal build quality .....

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[gus-lopez]

Someone has driven it in to something & the roof has been badly damaged .That is what the fibre glass would look like on the inside ,whereas the outside would have gelcoat as the finish.

 

[hilldweller]

I don't see a repair either, I'd say some hard pads to take a screw to mount the ceiling, sort of thing, though not in fact used much.

 

[mitzimad]

the rear of any fiberglass structure is left raw thats normal

 

[mfw]

Not what i would call monocoque 1 piece construction body it looks like the roof is joined to the sides - but if it is condensation you could put a portable dehumidifier (aero 360 ) on dash or buy some larger dessicant bags and put them by the sunvisors - although if that wet it is probably more than just condensation

 

[SpeedyDux]

So just crap workmanship that would not be noticed by 99.9% of the populace?


View attachment 274147

My suspicion would be that it might be something to do with the front facing window. Even a tiny gap where the seal has shrunk can let in a lot of water. If that is ruled out then it seems to be condensation where the insulation is badly fitted.

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[pappajohn]

So just crap workmanship that would not be noticed by 99.9% of the populace?

You think that's crap... You've never seen behind American RV furniture.
It mostly still has the shipping codes and destinations painted on the dismantled pallets and packing crates they use to build the furniture from.

 

[Evildoody]

Painted the ceiling space today with Isoflex liquid rubber and filled the side holes with expanding foam, once all dried I will put on another coat of the rubber sealant and then glue the insulation in place.

Bought an Aero 360 and placed it in the cab today (thanks @mfw)

@SpeedyDux I believe it is condensation due to insulation issues, the water drips seem to run down from the ceiling space above the front window, but I will keep my eye on the front window and do a hose pipe test after I have finished the ceiling

BTW it rained heavily overnight and the fiber glass interior was bone dry today with the insulation and covering still removed, I probably didn't need the rubber sealant but thought I might as well while the ceiling is exposed.

 

[TheBig1]

it's typical CI poor quality control. The overcab pod is very weak and can easily crack leading to leaks. the way the windows are fitted means the mastic dries out and leaks too

 

[jockaneezer]

You might want to put a barrier between the isoflex and the roof lining so that it doesn't "bleed through" over time ?

 

[Evildoody]

You might want to put a barrier between the isoflex and the roof lining so that it doesn't "bleed through" over time ?

I plan on glueing some thermawrap insulation directly to the Isoflex before refitting the roof lining, if that is what you mean by a barrier?

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[Happy1]

Can you extender or have you got any heating ducting there?
I used the smaller 30mm Truma pipe ( not cheap!) but brings much needed warmth and more importantly air flow into the dead air in the overcab, just punched a few holes with a screw driver at regular intervals, run along the three outside walls.
Also check out under the bed, prime spot for condensation the bit extending out over the windscreen, Used cheap foam camping mats with silver foil backing, just stick with double sided tape and make sure there is an air gap under mattress,

 

[Evildoody]

Can you extender or have you got any heating ducting there?
I used the smaller 30mm Truma pipe ( not cheap!) but brings much needed warmth and more importantly air flow into the dead air in the overcab, just punched a few holes with a screw driver at regular intervals, run along the three outside walls.
Also check out under the bed, prime spot for condensation the bit extending out over the windscreen, Used cheap foam camping mats with silver foil backing, just stick with double sided tape and make sure there is an air gap under mattress,

There is already ducting that goes to the bottom right hand corner of the over head cab from the Webasto heater. There is zero condensation under the mattress, dry as a bone under there, the mattress has an air gap due to it sitting on those wooden slats in an aluminum frame already.
I have sealed the ceiling, glued some insulation in place and refitted the ceiling liner, so far there has been no more condensation/water, fingers crossed