Storage Door love

[surfsup1955]

So after watching my 3 storage doors develop signs of corrosion in the past year, today I decided to take them off and investigate. Actually, the big door on the back left is now delaminating in one area.

The problem/solution seems obvious, i.e., the way the door top frames (the black part) and their hinges are screwed together has allowed water to seep inside the doors and there's no way for the water to escape very well. I set the doors on their lower corners and the water just poured out. I'm letting them drain for a few days so the laminate insides can totally dry out.

I plan to use sealant between the upper door and the hinge when I put them back on.

I'm also considering drilling a few small drain holes in the frame bottoms as well?   






 


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[surfsup1955]

Digging in a little deeper today and here's the damage to the big storage door on the rear left side.




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[DavidM]

What is the core material and the outside lamintate? It isn't Azdel is it? It looks like a foam core and a layer of something, maybe Azdel laminated to it.

Are you in a climate with snow/ice thawing, leaking inside and refreezing? That would explain the delamination.

I am not sure I would try to glue it back together. You may be able to find fiberglass/foam panels at Home Depot, etc that would be a good replacement. Just make sure the edges are sealed to prevent water getting in again.

David

[surfsup1955]

What is the core material and the outside lamintate? It isn't Azdel is it? It looks like a foam core and a layer of something, maybe Azdel laminated to it.

Are you in a climate with snow/ice thawing, leaking inside and refreezing? That would explain the delamination.

I am not sure I would try to glue it back together. You may be able to find fiberglass/foam panels at Home Depot, etc that would be a good replacement. Just make sure the edges are sealed to prevent water getting in again.

David

It does NOT appear to be Azdel, thankfully. It is a sandwich of (approximate measurements) 1/16" outer aluminum skin, 1/8" veneer (looks like a wood luan paneling?), 1/4" foam core , then another 1/8" of the veneer, finished with white vinyl skin for the interior cover.   

I am in discussions with KZ via my dealer for an answer.

Definitely will not be repairing the big door - it's toast. The 2 smaller doors up front are not delaminating and still seem very solid. I'll just clean them up, seal the top screwed in aluminum edging/hinge area, drill drain holes along the bottom, sand, prime and paint the affected aluminum.

If need be I plan to replace the big door with 1/2" exterior plywood, epoxy resin the whole thing, then have a local guy skin the outside with aluminum. Reinstall the original aluminum edging back with sealant, etc.

I'll report back any progress.


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[surfsup1955]

So far, KZ has not responded to my dealer. I get the feeling they're not going to be much help - hope I'm wrong..


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[Whipfinisher]

Thanks for sharing what you are finding out.  My storage doors look fine, but I live in an arid area.   Sealing the top and adding drain holes to the bottom sounds like it could be good preventative maintenance. 

My camper is the same metallic bronze.  If you find a matching paint, please post the specs.   With LL shutting down operations,  this forum is going to be more and more important.

[surfsup1955]

Thanks for sharing what you are finding out.  My storage doors look fine, but I live in an arid area.   Sealing the top and adding drain holes to the bottom sounds like it could be good preventative maintenance. 

My camper is the same metallic bronze.  If you find a matching paint, please post the specs.   With LL shutting down operations,  this forum is going to be more and more important.

Glad yours are looking good. Our camper was built in 2014, we bought it in January 2015 and it's been cross country twice with a few southeast and mountain trips here and there. We live in eastern NC so we get hot and humid but not much snow or freezing temps. I just posted in case folks might want to do a door check [emoji1360]

Here's the info on the paint:




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[Whipfinisher]

Thanks for posting an image of the paint.  I need to touch up a couple of spots.  Hopefully your repairs are successful.

[surfsup1955]

Thanks for posting an image of the paint.  I need to touch up a couple of spots.  Hopefully your repairs are successful.

No problem. The front doors are back on. Took the opportunity to replace the door seals while they were off - they're good as new.

The rear door will be as I described above. Basically using wood boat technology skinned with aluminum. Should last a very long time. I'll post pics.

Btw, for anyone in need, I believe Rollie Williams has the paint codes and can mix all the LL colors - aerosol or canned quantities.


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[Merlin]

Thanks for posting the paint. And for the detective work on the doors. Mine are bubbling too, probably from the wood core getting wet. I'll take a more careful look after this camping season.

[surfsup1955]

Thanks for posting the paint. And for the detective work on the doors. Mine are bubbling too, probably from the wood core getting wet. I'll take a more careful look after this camping season.

If you want to, just open the doors and drill a few holes along the bottom, especially near the corners. That'll help them drain and dry out over the season.


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[surfsup1955]

***HELP REQUESTED***

So KZ has requested that I take a picture of "the ID tag" on the door to help them better identify the door.

There were never any such tags on any of my storage doors - or on my neighbor's Camplite? I've let them know this and am again awaiting for their response.

I would appreciate any or all of you checking your storage doors and letting me know if an ID tag/plate exists on your campers' storage doors - thanks!




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[nhlakes]

Just checked all 4 storage doors on on 2016 cl21rbs, no decals on.  I do have decals on my entrance door.

[MitchB]

2013 13 QBB this sticker is on the rear outside door.

[surfsup1955]

Just checked all 4 storage doors on on 2016 cl21rbs, no decals on.  I do have decals on my entrance door.

Thanks for looking [emoji1360]


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