Seneca

whporwil · 02-26-2018, 07:22 PM

I have a 2017 rb. Installing a 110 outlet in the forward part of the living area. Between the cab and the coach we have plywood covered in a leather like material. I removed one of those panels and made a discovery I'd like to tell you about. Behind our cab doors we have a fiberglass curved panel the goes up to the overhead bunk. There is a seam where the two come together, it's by the top of the cab door when looking from the outside. Having removed the panel inside the camper I could see 5 different spots showing daylight along that seam. I'm going to use a clear silicone in that seam on the outside, can't hurt do do both sides.

RVermont · 02-26-2018, 07:25 PM

Can you post some photos so we can see the specific areas.

Thanks.

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Sundancer330 · 02-26-2018, 07:25 PM

Good idea but never use silicone to seal anything on an RV. If you ever need to reseal that area again nothing will stick to silicone, silicone won't even stick to itself. Jayco uses OSI Quad Sealant which is available at Home Depot

ready2retire&drive · 02-27-2018, 11:19 PM

I found a water puddle by the base of the panel on the drivers side. I pulled this panel off during the rain and the water was running right through . Resealed both side's and dry ever since. Not sure what type of sealant it was bought it from the dealer.

RVermont · 02-28-2018, 01:00 PM

It official. I hate this site. Ignorance was bliss. I opened this up and I could feel the air ripping through some of the holes. the amount of heat was also shocking, The white fiberglass was radiating heat and the outside air is only 45’ but the fiberglass was well over 100’f from the sun.

Another project to work on. There is no insulation on the exterior fiberglass and the only “insulation is the leather wrapped plywood panel. I will be opening these back up and adding caulking and insulation and probably the rattle trap that ronsimmmons41 talks about in his post. This should reduce sound, heat and cold and maybe keep out some critters as well.

Thanks for posting this.

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whporwil · 02-28-2018, 10:29 PM

RVermont, I agree with you on adding insulation in this area but don't just back the fiberglass. The tin on the floor is all there is between us and the road below, at least on the passenger side. If you have the corner entertainment center your only choice is to seal this seam from the outside of the truck.

Crossingover · 03-01-2018, 06:16 AM

Just proves once again what we all know about RV construction: it's a hit and miss affair unless you go for a custom build. How difficult is it to R&R all the panels to do this insulation job? While I agree it would be helpful to insulate this area (and plug the holes), in comparison to the total exposed exterior surface of the Seneca, this area is relatively small contributor to the overall radiative heat gain. Case in point: with the sun beating down on the driver's side, open any of the overhead cabinets and feel the heat build in there. Another area is the cabinet next to the fridge; the wall there gets very warm from fridge operation (I put a piece of Reflectix there to slow the ambient heat gain).

FloSen · 03-01-2018, 06:24 AM

One of the things I am debating is to use closed cell foam on any area that makes sense. Those pieces of fiberglass look like good candidates. But as a noob who is waiting on Jayco for his new RV it is currently just a consideration for future planning.

submariner · 03-01-2018, 07:03 AM

FloSen,I too am awaiting to have a new Seneca TS to be built very soon,I wonder if its going to be built by craftsmen that are proud of there work,as i have been my whole working career ,or by butchers that don't give a crap!

RVermont · 03-01-2018, 07:08 AM

Removal and replace on the driver side is less than two minutes ten screws under caps. Passenger side will be a little longer depending on the cabinet. 37Ts has just a cabinet. Haven’t pulled that one yet.

Agreed that there are other areas as well that generate heat gain or loss as well and in the scheme of things this might non issue. But this is absolutely no insulation. While solar heat gain is one thing heat loss during the winter driving is another.

I am going to seal and insulate for several reasons.
Leak protection from water and air, heat and cooling reduction and sound dampening.

I am also going to pull the rug and insulate under there and pull the door panels and use sound deadening insulation.

If I can figure out how to drop the cab headliner I will pull that down and sound deadening up there. I have a mechanical rubbing sound that I can not get rid of as I can’t get the liner off.

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FloSen · 03-01-2018, 08:06 AM

In our RV search once we decided on a Super C, I really dug into the issues that owners were having. To get to a Quality Control level that was done to what a consumer would expect, you really needed to get to a custom coach builder. The price point was outrageous. So then high end used custom coaches. But I did not want a condo on wheels, and what we looked at used was mainly finished with things that were appropriately used in houses. With out judgement on those that do, but not for us. And again, the price point was way more than i would spend. So that really leaves Renegade, Duramax, and Jayco in the Super C market. The Renegade builds have better QC in my very humble and narrow opinion, but still have many of the same issues. So then Duramax and Jayco. Almost identical complaints. Jayco for us offered a better price point and a great reputation for backing their product under warranty. So Jayco it is. What I have been doing is building data base so prior to our PDI I will have every one of the issues I have identified through my internet sleuthing built into to our check list. Having had a number of boats, and some from "high end" builders, it seems that QC is a generic problem across manufacturers. Oddly enough the DW does QC for major corporations in order to hold suppliers accountable. She is a beast in this, and goes from a sweet Missouri farm girl, into a ruthlessness mode. And as she wanted to RV versus a boat (we live in Florida and had to evacuate for Irma) is completely on board. I will gladly share my PDI once it is completed.

Crossingover · 03-01-2018, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FloSen

To get to a Quality Control level that was done to what a consumer would expect, you really needed to get to a custom coach builder.

Yup, and the invoice reflects what quality really can cost. Since that's not a reasonable option for the 95% of us, expect your PDI to have a lengthy punchlist and be prepared to walk away until it's made right. Even then, 'right' may not be 'right' for long. We had a bedside nightstand cabinet pull away from its staples/pins. I didn't get upset knowing I could reattach it in a better manner. Yes, stapled cabinetry is the standard; you're not buying into anything more elaborate than that even at the Seneca price point. Good luck, get out and glamp, and put the little stuff behind you.

FloSen · 03-01-2018, 02:43 PM

I am in construction so working on the coach is a given. Just hate to drive off of the lot the first time without a chance for the dealer to fix an issue. We plan on doing mainly boondocking as we travel the west on BLM land. I grew up camping on BLM and while the rules have changed dramatically for land use still will give us the freedom to stay out of RV parks. We had a Winnebago Chieftain that was perfect for camping in and pulled my trailer loaded with dirt bikes for years. And then came kids. So now, time to make this our own. And DW wasn't having any part of my Chieftain plan. If I could have found the right shell with the chassis I wanted would have preferred to build it ourselves, but was not to be.

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