2018 Jay Flight 24RBS Mods

[JFlightRisk]

It's the expense of the Eterna Bond, and the extra labor time to install it. The self-leveling and non-sag tubes are quicker to apply, and time is money.

Several moons ago I owned a class A MH that was over-engineered, and built extremely well. The company was in business for three years. They couldn't compete with the lesser expensive ones. I had it for eight years, and loved it. Unfortunately, it's about the math.

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by JFlightRisk

It's the expense of the Eterna Bond, and the extra labor time to install it. The self-leveling and non-sag tubes are quicker to apply, and time is money........snip

X2...., plus most RV manufactures put the responsibility of all seams, joints, caulked areas, etc., on the RV owner (warranty fine print).

Bob

[RichCarter]

Originally Posted by JFlightRisk

It's the expense of the Eterna Bond, and the extra labor time to install it.

Then why do none of the RV roof repair houses use Eternabond? I've watched dozens of youtube videos and I see nobody using or recommending the stuff except for small patches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkny6TJaGnA

[Jay2504]

I don’t have a dog in this hunt, but I was kinda wondering myself how long it lasts. What wasn’t said in the video was how long ago the tape was put down. It seems to me that the caulk would not last as long but be easier to remove the old stuff. Jay

[RichCarter]

Originally Posted by Jay2504

I don’t have a dog in this hunt, but I was kinda wondering myself how long it lasts. What wasn’t said in the video was how long ago the tape was put down. It seems to me that the caulk would not last as long but be easier to remove the old stuff. Jay

I don't have a dog in this hunt either. I have a new camper, a replacement for a camper that had delamination problems after 19 years. I want my replacement to last longer than the previous one. Should I put Eternabond over the seams or maintain the caulk as recommended in the owner's manual? I hear dozens of folks sing the praise of the tape but you can't really tell until ten or more years down the road. "I put the stuff in two years ago and it's great!" doesn't tell me anything. I hear horror stories from professional repair folks regarding the stuff. As far as I can tell, you may have a mess to fix at about the time the warranty expires. I'd like to hear from someone who put it on more than ten years ago.

[PaulB12]

I've got a dog in the hunt.
2006 31' Flagstaff TT. I bought in 2007, 2008 applied eternabond on seam of front and rear cap as preventive measure. It started to unadhere after six months!! Went to supplier and asked why. Evidently applied wrong(by me). I removed, not easy, cleaned and reapplied per new directions.
From then till sold 2019, had no problems and looked like just applied.
Side note....I'd rather remove eternabond than silicone!!!!!
Just my experience, now do I get a bone??

PaulB12

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Jay2504

snip......wondering myself how long it lasts. What wasn’t said in the video was how long ago the tape was put down.....snip

Jay,

I applied Eternabond sealer tape to my retired 2005 Eagle front cap/roof joint, back wall/roof corners, and the slide roof seam. After 8 years not one problem when I sold it in fall of 2017.

I have no doubt that I will continue the same long-term results on my 2018 Jay Flight.

I personally don't use Eternabond around roof vents, skylights, stink pipes, etc..

Eternabond has a 18 to 35 year life expectancy, and is used on commercial rubber roofing as well. Removing Eternabond takes a little time to remove, but a heated hair blower works great.

Bob

[TCNashville]

My Eternabond is going on it's 8th year and looks like new. The key to this tape is proper surface prep and a high quality metal roller such as referenced above to activate the adhesive. I admit I only watched the first 30 seconds of the video and it's obvious the guy didn't do his homework on application.

[Jay2504]

I’ve actually thought about putting it on the slide at the edge and maybe at the very front where the roof meets the metal. Jay

[Rustic Eagle]

Jay2504,

The "existing" Jayco factory tape (normally black in color) covering the screw heads along the slide roof flange plate is of cheap quality, definitely inspect frequently...., or replace with Eternabond. I seen a new unit on a dealer lot with the OEM black tape blowing in the wind.

Bob

[Jay2504]

Thank you. When we first got the unit, I read this (and others) entire thread. I have kept a close eye on the slide tape. So far so good. Jay

[jhaan]

Hello and apologies if you addressed this already in your thread. I'm sure this is not unique to our trailer, but I'm concerned about gaps between the shower insert and the walls. I don't see caulk working for these, but eternabond tape seems extreme. Yet these gaps are super concerning to me. Yes we shower in here and have a good fan installed now. But I'm not sure what lies behind the shower insert--is it bare wood? Is it wallpapered like the rest of the bathroom?

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated!! I'm also going to post in the other 24RBS thread in case there are any insights over there.

[RichCarter]

Originally Posted by jhaan

...I'm concerned about gaps between the shower insert and the walls...

I put a bead of silicone sealant along the gap between the tub and tub wall enclosure. I'm not sure this was necessary but it couldn't hurt.

[jhaan]

Thanks Rich--mine seems very flexible--like the caulk would easily rip/separate. Was yours flexible like that? Or pretty rigid?

[RichCarter]

The enclosure is pretty thin and flexible. Once the silicone dries, it's a decent adhesive however. I wiped the area down with denatured alcohol to clean the surface first and then ran a bead across the seam, smoothing with a finger. It can make a mess don't overdo it.

[craigav]

Originally Posted by jhaan

Hello and apologies if you addressed this already in your thread. I'm sure this is not unique to our trailer, but I'm concerned about gaps between the shower insert and the walls. I don't see caulk working for these, but eternabond tape seems extreme. Yet these gaps are super concerning to me. Yes we shower in here and have a good fan installed now. But I'm not sure what lies behind the shower insert--is it bare wood? Is it wallpapered like the rest of the bathroom?

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated!! I'm also going to post in the other 24RBS thread in case there are any insights over there.

While I can't determine where the first picture is taken from, it is common for the walls not to be sealed where they contact the plastic tub. This is not an issue and instead is by design as the tub pan itself has a lip behind the wall to keep water from going behind the tub wall. Similar to in this picture.

https://external-content.duckduckgo....6pid%3DApi&f=1

~CA

[Rustic Eagle]

jhaan,

Yes, my 24RBS has similar gap conditions as your 24RBS around the perimeter edging of the shower plastic wall insert, and I haven't had any moisture issues/concerns when using the shower along the top or side edging.

I would "assume" the wood wall panels are full length ceiling-to-floor behind the plastic surround insert..., I do recall a solid backing 'feel' when pushing against the plastic insert.

Slide open the small access panel near the floor and with a flashlight you may be able to confirm if the wall panel is viewed on the outer side wall, or otherwise.

Bob

[Bike_pilot]

Originally Posted by Rustic Eagle

The best charge voltage I could get with the WFCO 8955 was 13.4Vdc - 13.6Vdc....., the PD 4655L provided me with 14.1Vdc - 14.2Vdc on a pre-charged (100%) single 12V battery (initiated at remote).



PD 4655L Converter/Charger source:

PD 4655L MBA WildKat 55 Amp Main Board Assembly for WFCO 8955 or Parallax 7155 (Includes 4600 Remote)

Happy Camper

Bob

Hey Bob,
Where did you place the shunt for your Tm-2025? Is everything mounted behind the converter/charger assy? Seems like the only accessible waterproof area.
-David

[Rustic Eagle]

David,

I mounted the shunt behind my A-frame battery bank in a sealed plastic electrical box. I believe it's recommended to locate the shunt as close to the battery(s) as possible for connecting to the negative battery cable.

The battery monitor came with 50ft of 22-gauge 4-wire twist pair cable length to run back (through plastic conduit) to the actual monitor. One could consider routing the wire through the interior or underbelly of the TT, but in my case I transferred my monitor set-up from my prior TT.

I've seen some shunts mounted in the pass-through area as well.

Note: The red and grey wire seen to the left in the following photo aren't part of the battery monitor wiring......





Conduit routed through floor into floor kitchen cabinet where monitor is mounted.....



Bob

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Jay2504

Rustic Eagle, did you come up with any solution to the furnace problem? We have a new 2020 24RBS with the same set up. I am thinking or adding a vent on the bottom of the couch so that the return air has a straight shot at the opening of the wooden box.......snip

Yes, last winter (2019/2020) I put to rest my concerns about the elevated operating temperature of the furnace, top panel temperature of the wood box enclosure, and the compromised cold air return flow with the following modifications:

OEM wood box enclosure in place covering the furnace with single front black screen vent......



The top blower fan louvers are located on the top/rear/corner of the furnace, and louvers also hidden down the back-side of the furnace facing the bedroom wall.....



I installed a new vent on top of the wood box directly above the blower fan louvers, and a 2nd new vent on the side of the wood box (2 following photos). The location of the two new vents are located within inches of the Dometic/Atwood specified/required minimum 65 sq. inches of cold air return passage (opening) located between the sofa back & wall. Prior to the addition of these to two new vents the cold air flow had to pass over the top of the wood box (rear to front of), down the front of the box through the OEM black screen vent, back over the top of the hot furnace (front to rear of), then enter the blower fan louvers in the rear corner of the furnace.





When the jackknife sofa was positioned for use as a bed, the Dometic/Atwood specified/required "minimum" 65 sq. inches of cold air return passage (opening) was totally blocked off. Dometic/Atwood states "Failure to meet "minimum" return air requirements nullifies furnace warranty"......, and for obvious reasons. I installed a cold air return vent on my bedroom wall directly across from the back-side blower fan louvers.





Modification(s) summary:

* Exceeds Dometic/Atwood's minimum (65 sq. inches) of cold air return..., tech support stated that "more is better".
* Lowered furnace operating temperature, good for electrical components.
* Lowered temperature of top panel of wood box enclosure (2" under sofa fabric).
* Reduction in blower motor RPM, noise reduction (not starving-racing for air).
* Smoother/quieter ignition.
* Reduction in overall furnace operating noise.

It should be noted that my furnace was not under Jayco warranty when modifications were incorporated. However, I did have a number of communications (phone/e-mail/ photos) with Dometic/Atwood technical support on the subject of my initial concerns and modifications.

Bob