open up under belly??? how...need advice

[al7601]

I have an 08 Jay feather 311 lgt and I want to open up the underbelly to inspect the flexible heat ducts for pinches. problem is the screws at the edges are mostly rusted so I was wondering if I should cut it around the perimeter of the coach and drop it....if so what tool works best to cut it? also, what should I use to close up the belly when done?

my main goal is to look for pinched ducts because heat is only coming from vent 1 foot away from the furnace and I already inspected the connections coming from the furnace. there are 7 total vents and only 1 getting strong air flow.

[ctbailey]

A razor blade should work fine if we're talking about the corrugated plastic sheet material.

Home Depot sells it on 4x8 sheets, and then standard silicone adhesive works well to glue your patch back over your inspection hole.


Craig Bailey
New England
2007 Chevy 2500HD crew
2015 Jayco Jayflight 32BHDS

[norty1]

Its only a self tapping screw. If it strips or is rusted in just remove it the fastest way. Drill break off or what ever. New ones can be installed in the same hole or nearby.

Another great tip is to map it with pictures so you can use them for the next time. On mine, I just remove screws on a small section and pull in down enough and as far as needed for access to where I need. Mine even has some rather large access panels already installed for places that may need regular access, like slide motors etc.

[wanderlust]

I cut a small access opening (3 "U shape" cuts with a razor knife) so it opens like a door, or flap, to get in a certain area. I use Gorilla Tape to close it shut. This also allows access in the future.

[Doboy Dawg]

The screws will come out easy with a cordless drill or impact driver. Mine used the square head screw bit. They're self tapping sheet metal screws easily replaced.

[ShawnR]

My dealer cut mine in a capital "I" fashion making it accessible like french doors. Gorilla tape didn't hold very well long term so they ended up screwing another piece over the hole to close it up.

[Lakehound]

Originally Posted by ShawnR

My dealer cut mine in a capital "I" fashion making it accessible like french doors. Gorilla tape didn't hold very well long term so they ended up screwing another piece over the hole to close it up.

I was wondering how Gorilla tape would hold up long term, thanks for sharing. I have a creaking floor right between the stove and table that's driving me nuts. My dealer is backed up and may not get to it until December so I am going to fix it myself and move on. My underbelly is not heated and enclosed like a polar equipped model. All I have is the Poly sheet holding in the insulation. Less than 2 years old, pulled to a lake less than 10 miles away about 11 times should not be creaking (in my opinion). Another possible quality control issue.

[maromeo]

On our previous TT the dealer cut ours and used gorilla tape and it didn't hold up, started coming off in just a month. We then tried duct tape and that held up longer. Not sure how it's holding up today since we traded the TT for the current one.

[Doboy Dawg]

Originally Posted by Doboy Dawg

The screws will come out easy with a cordless drill or impact driver. Mine used the square head screw bit. They're self tapping sheet metal screws easily replaced.

Didn't get to finish my post, had to answer a call.

In my Jayfeather the heater ducts that traverse the underbelly are cheap flex duct, like a clothes dryer hookup. The ducts that where laying in the middle, where there was a slight downward bow, the spiral wire in the flex duct had rusted and broke though the duct. I had several holes in the ducts. This is from water that will find a way in the liner and pool in the center of the liner causing the downward bow, because there is no drain holes in the liner. I used aluminum duct tape to repair the ducts, since the holes were small.

On my trailer I installed a couple of extra cross bars of 1" angle and I placed a thin sheet metal strip across the joint I cut in the liner.