Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Thor Forums > Thor Tech Forums > Maintenance and Repair
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 12-07-2014, 12:29 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 31F
State: Georgia
Posts: 166
THOR #631
Removing Shower Stall?

Has anyone on this forum removed their shower stall? I've been thinking about taking down the corner shower stall in our 2013 Thor Four Winds 31F and it looks like I'd need to remove the glass door and sides, frame and all, but once that's done just four plugs and a few screws near the hot and cold handles in order to get to the rattling pipes that I want to secure or re-secure.

__________________
JDHoge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-07-2014, 08:27 PM   #2
Moderator Emeritus
 
FW28z's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2011 Four Winds 28Z
State: Michigan
Posts: 1,273
THOR #531
Have not done anything like that, but take lots of photos.
__________________
The only thing that works on a RV is the owner...
FW28z is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-08-2014, 02:13 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Tiffin Open Road 32SA
State: Colorado
Posts: 238
THOR #1147
In our Axis there is a layer of that lovely "paneling" they use everywhere between the shower wall and the studs. Not sure it applies in you rig, bit it would tend to complicate things.

I know this because I can see the back of the shower wall through the hole where thieves ripped the tv off the bedroom wall.

Randy
__________________
groswald is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-08-2014, 03:32 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2013 31L
State: Florida
Posts: 2,183
THOR #908
I was thinking of this thread as I was "camping" over the weekend..... (I still struggle to call it camping in this thing)

My shower faucets are in a wall that backs into the bedroom. I think that IF I were to take on this project, I would likely go in form that side rather than trying to remove the shower door. Looks like it would be easier and less invasive to remove the corner trim and peel back the wall a bit.

But I see that your coach has the neo-angle shower (which I really wanted btw )
I'm guessing the faucet is in that dead corner. I wonder if you could get at it from below through the floor.... or through the outside refrigerator access panels?
Or perhaps from the top..... does the angled surface in the shower enclosure go all the way to the ceiling?

Honestly though, how bad is the problem? It just doesn't seem worth the trouble to me....
__________________
blw2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-08-2014, 10:20 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 31F
State: Georgia
Posts: 166
THOR #631
Quote:
Originally Posted by blw2 View Post
I was thinking of this thread as I was "camping" over the weekend..... (I still struggle to call it camping in this thing)

My shower faucets are in a wall that backs into the bedroom. I think that IF I were to take on this project, I would likely go in form that side rather than trying to remove the shower door. Looks like it would be easier and less invasive to remove the corner trim and peel back the wall a bit.

But I see that your coach has the neo-angle shower (which I really wanted btw )
I'm guessing the faucet is in that dead corner. I wonder if you could get at it from below through the floor.... or through the outside refrigerator access panels?
Or perhaps from the top..... does the angled surface in the shower enclosure go all the way to the ceiling?

Honestly though, how bad is the problem? It just doesn't seem worth the trouble to me....
Well, it is pretty bad. I've seen many places where the water lines were not properly secured even in easy places, so I'm guessing that this is what is wrong and why we hear such pounding when the pump runs.

I'm thinking that all of the approaches you suggest might be pretty difficult as the corner of the shower is in the dead corner as you put it. I honestly don't see any way that I can get to it without disassembling the shower glass and then taking out the plastic surround.

Which leads me back to the crazy foam approach again, of course.

Thank you all for your input!

John
Athens, GA
p.s. I'll document what happens for the good of the group!
__________________
JDHoge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-08-2014, 11:17 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2013 31L
State: Florida
Posts: 2,183
THOR #908
Yeah, I'll bet the tubing is just slapping loose against the plastic shower enclosure....
How would you even get the foam in there? Doesn't look to be an easy wall to drill through. I wouldn't want to drill through the enclosure....

Without being able to see it, I'm tapped out of ideas....
__________________
blw2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-09-2014, 04:34 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 31F
State: Georgia
Posts: 166
THOR #631
Thanks to all of you who thought about this and offered suggestions. I'll take a second and third look at everything before I decide on an approach.

If I do attempt to drill through the shower wall below the hot and cold handles, I think I'll start with a single hole positioned directly between the two handles (I'll drop a plum bob) about 6 to 8 inches from the shower pan. I'll use a bit that is smaller than the tube of the crazy foam, in the hope that I can keep to a minimal size and still get some foam into the opening. (I’ll probably just press the end of the tube firmly to the wall and try a brief squirt, or I’ll figure out some way to reduce the size of the tube, which, as I recall is about 1/8 inch and IMO large enough to be pretty ugly if filled with something like clear silicone.) Or maybe I can find some kind of plastic plug like Thor used….

If I take the above approach, the plan would be to work my way up the wall drilling and squirting foam every six inches or so, letting it expand and solidify prior to moving up to the next hole.

I also really like the idea of trying to get to this area in some other way as suggested by blw2 so I’m going to investigate how hard it might be to pull the refirgerator to get at the back of the shower wall. If I could pull that off, it would be ideal.

I’m not giving up on just taking the whole thing apart, either. I was hoping that someone was going to say they had done this and could tell me how hard it might be.

Thanks again for all of the comments. Whatever I do, I’ll take lots of pictures and post them to the forum.

John
Athens, GA
__________________
JDHoge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-09-2014, 12:29 PM   #8
Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE
State: Florida
Posts: 76
THOR #698
You should consider getting one of these flexible probes (boroscope) that has a light and a small camera. Amazon has one just for over $100 and maybe money well spent.

General Tools & Instruments DCS200 Professional Scope Color Camera
I tried copying the web page but no luck

I also think I saw one at Harbor Freight
__________________
Ed-Helen pns is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-09-2014, 03:05 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2013 31L
State: Florida
Posts: 2,183
THOR #908
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed-Helen pns View Post
You should consider getting one of these flexible probes (boroscope) that has a light and a small camera. Amazon has one just for over $100 and maybe money well spent.

General Tools & Instruments DCS200 Professional Scope Color Camera
I tried copying the web page but no luck

I also think I saw one at Harbor Freight
I was thinking the same thing while reading JD's last post.
Before I went drilling a bunch of holes in my enclosure, I would sure try to go through the fridge maintenance area. I'll bet you could get at it through there.....
one small hole to stick a scope through, so that you can see what you're dealing with. another option to HF is renting a scope, or if you know mechanic or home inspector, barrow one.....

I think I would pull the door and the enclosure if my choice was either that or drilling multiple holes through the enclosure..... would be hard to make a nice looking patch as you've already pointed out. Also potential for future leaks.... and there's the potential for hitting something with the drill that you don't want a hole in.

Also, rather than a series of holes, I would think only one, higher, with an extension tube that could be inserted deep and slowly retract while squirting in the foam....

If for some reason you can't take the shower door &/or the enclosure loose, and IF you are dead set on foam insulation it might be money well spent to hire an insulator that squirts this stuff into walls for a living..... or maybe you could rent the equipment.
__________________
blw2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-27-2014, 11:51 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 31F
State: Georgia
Posts: 166
THOR #631
After visiting with my two sons, both a lot smarter than me, they suggested that I (1) use low expansion foam, and (2) start by removing what plastic I can at the handle area of the shower so that if there is any space there, to squirt some foam, to try that first.

I'm going to try their suggestions and will get back to the group with pictures and a report of the results.

Hope everyone had a good holiday. Stay safe on the roads as New Year's Eve approaches.
__________________
John
Somewhere, USA
JDHoge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-28-2014, 01:24 PM   #11
Moderator Emeritus
 
FW28z's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2011 Four Winds 28Z
State: Michigan
Posts: 1,273
THOR #531
One thing about expansion foam, make sure you leave an adequate air vent or void for the foam to expand. Otherwise, the foam could "bloat" the wall, causing it to push the wall out.

Unfortunately, I do have some experience in that. Not in a RV, but one time I built a small boat and wanted to fill it with foam for buoyancy. I used expanding foam and it blew out the sides of the plywood hull... as I overfilled it, and there was not enough strength in the structure to keep the foam from expanding the sides of the hull.

Perhaps by using just a bit of foam at a time and see how much it expands, you could probably control how much the foam so that it does not push out on the walls - which of course are thin.
__________________
The only thing that works on a RV is the owner...
FW28z is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-28-2014, 01:36 PM   #12
Moderator Emeritus
 
FW28z's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2011 Four Winds 28Z
State: Michigan
Posts: 1,273
THOR #531
I have a small inspection camera that I bought on that is indispensable for RV projects. The going price for them is less than $20 and you can find literally dozens on eBay and Amazon.




They are USB type cameras so you need a laptop to connect it to to power it. The "head" consists of a camera and 3 LEDs to illuminate dark areas.

They typically have 15ft or so of flexible cable which can be an advantage in some situations and a disadvantage in others. But if you need to control the direction of the camera inside a wall, you can always tape a coat hanger wire, etc. to the camera to use as a handle to control what you are looking at.

For the low cost of these, everyone doing projects should have one. If you buy one though, don't bother with installing the driver application, which is a crude made-in-China software application. Rather, they should work out of the box on a PC by using the webcam software that (should) comes with your PC. I even got it to work out of the box on my Ubuntu/Linux netbook without even having to install or configure anything.

I also have a Milwaukee 2300-20 borescope that I paid around $100 for, but I don't think it is made any longer. I used it when I did boat projects, but I never use it anymore since I bought the USB version.
__________________
The only thing that works on a RV is the owner...
FW28z is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-29-2014, 12:23 AM   #13
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 31F
State: Georgia
Posts: 166
THOR #631
Quote:
Originally Posted by FW28z View Post
I have a small inspection camera that I bought on that is indispensable for RV projects. The going price for them is less than $20 and you can find literally dozens on eBay and Amazon.




They are USB type cameras so you need a laptop to connect it to to power it. The "head" consists of a camera and 3 LEDs to illuminate dark areas.

They typically have 15ft or so of flexible cable which can be an advantage in some situations and a disadvantage in others. But if you need to control the direction of the camera inside a wall, you can always tape a coat hanger wire, etc. to the camera to use as a handle to control what you are looking at.

For the low cost of these, everyone doing projects should have one. If you buy one though, don't bother with installing the driver application, which is a crude made-in-China software application. Rather, they should work out of the box on a PC by using the webcam software that (should) comes with your PC. I even got it to work out of the box on my Ubuntu/Linux netbook without even having to install or configure anything.

I also have a Milwaukee 2300-20 borescope that I paid around $100 for, but I don't think it is made any longer. I used it when I did boat projects, but I never use it anymore since I bought the USB version.
That's a great idea. I'lll look into getting one. I can think of many uses!
__________________
John
Somewhere, USA
JDHoge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-29-2014, 08:44 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 34E
State: California
Posts: 524
THOR #937
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed-Helen pns View Post
You should consider getting one of these flexible probes (boroscope) that has a light and a small camera. Amazon has one just for over $100 and maybe money well spent.

General Tools & Instruments DCS200 Professional Scope Color Camera
I tried copying the web page but no luck

I also think I saw one at Harbor Freight
Yes, what FW28z said!


You can order many USB borescopes on Ebay that cost under $30.

They connect directly to your notebook computer USB port and come with the necessary software, (or you can use the notebook's camera software).

We use them in the aerospace manufacturing industry as "disposables".
__________________
Beacher is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2015, 07:52 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 31F
State: Georgia
Posts: 166
THOR #631
Members,
I got a few minutes today to start on the rattling water pipes behind the shower stall. You all were absolutely correct: neither the hot nor the cold pipes are anchored anywhere! I guess that made installation easier? Ha!
I'll post pictures and a very short video of the wobbling handle unit in a few minutes.
John
Athens, GA
p.s. So now the only thing left to do is to decide what type and how much foam to squirt into that cavity.
__________________
John
Somewhere, USA
JDHoge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2015, 11:38 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 31F
State: Georgia
Posts: 166
THOR #631
Here are the pictures:
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Under Shower.JPG
Views:	225
Size:	119.8 KB
ID:	144   Click image for larger version

Name:	Hot & Cold w Wires.JPG
Views:	206
Size:	80.3 KB
ID:	145  

Click image for larger version

Name:	Faucet free from wall.JPG
Views:	226
Size:	100.0 KB
ID:	146  
__________________
John
Somewhere, USA
JDHoge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2015, 11:43 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 31F
State: Georgia
Posts: 166
THOR #631
And here is the wobble video:
__________________
John
Somewhere, USA
JDHoge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2015, 11:53 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2013 31L
State: Florida
Posts: 2,183
THOR #908
Hey, please describe that second picture a bit more....

Is that shot form above? How did you get that access?

Just returned from our long trip.... our shower banged as you described a few random times when operating the bath sink..... made me think of this thread and your problem..... no i get why you are willing to do this work. Mine seems minor though, but I'm watching your progress with interest.....
__________________
blw2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2015, 01:31 AM   #19
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 31F
State: Georgia
Posts: 166
THOR #631
The second picture is shot from above, looking down. The shower wall is prominent in the front of the photo then you see the two water pipes hot red and cold blue. The wires behind are down low and I'm thinking that I need to put a temporary baffle of cardboard in front of them to keep them from becoming entangled in the foam. Also, I'm now thinking that I probably should squirt some foam into an oblong cardboard box and let it set up and then cut it up as needed and insert the strips into the cavity and then and only then squirt foam to fuse them in a more controlled manner. What do you think? Could that work?
__________________
John
Somewhere, USA
JDHoge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2015, 01:53 AM   #20
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2013 31L
State: Florida
Posts: 2,183
THOR #908
yeah, could work....
But I'd say that it's the kind of thing that you'd best determine since you're hands on.

I'd speculate that even a simple partial attachment of the tubing would solve the problem.... like perhaps a few shots of foam or some other adhesive to spot attach the tubing, say every foot or two...... I doubt if they need to be fully encased in foam.....
__________________
blw2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Thor Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.




All times are GMT. The time now is 04:52 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2