Extract moisture from wall

[TheWub]

Hello!
My Vegas seems to have more leaks than my Ola boat.

The dealer just repaired the interior walls after they bulged from leaks. I removed the tail lamp yesterday to change a bulb and saw all of this moisture that I think got in through the screw holes since the exterior had been sealed with silicone.

It’s a bit humid and rainy but I was thinking of ideas to remove the moisture and wondered if anyone had had a similar experience. I thought about removing the lamp cover and placing a shield to keep the rain off of it and letting it evaporate or wick out over time. Any suggestions? I really don’t think it’s feasible to repair the wall at this location. I’m glad Thor doesn’t make boats. The dark wood doesn’t appear to be mold but just water darkening the wood.

[DavidEM]

Following up on your boat analogy, it can take 3-6 months of sitting out of the water for a boat that has water intrusion into it's hull laminate to dry out enough to begin repairing it.

And the balsa core will never dry. It needs to be opened up, removed and replaced.

So for your RV, stop the water coming in then it will slowly dry. I don't think RV builders use balsa or any coring in their laminates.

Yes Thor and maybe most RV builders are like the Taiwan Tub builders from the 60/70s. Their boats leaked, the fiberglass core got water inside and then they rotted.

David

[TheWub]

Hi David,
I went over last night and began the process of airing it out by removing the lamp cover and placing a large plastic 1/2 “A” frame over it to keep the water from getting into it. I’m hoping that will work. There were really small mites that seemed to like the moisture too so I can’t have that going on either. If it works I’ll make sure the lamp cover and the screws are sealed.

[paulwadley]

Since you have the tail light open, why not just treat the area with a spray bottle of water/bleach just to be sure no mold grows. There is also a mold spray you can buy at Home Depot to treat the area and no mold will grow after treating it.

Paul

[nosticks]

A hair dryer works for removing moisture, but you can't just turn it on and leave it. Try it in a spot where the wood is dark and see if it begins t lighten. I had your problem on one tail light and it worked. Follow up with a sealant but not silicone.

[Sk8nmike]

No help on Drying it out. But I discovered the same problem, water had gotten in to the tail lights and rotted the wood core. I used epoxy resin to repair the damage. This one has a long curing time so it soaked into the wood..



https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Once it was dry I seal the entire compartment with Flexlseal..

[TheWub]

That’s a good idea. I’ll try that out.

[TheWub]

I have a sealant I used specifically for the window when my Emergency Exit Window leaked. It’s not silicone but it looks like it. That’s what I was planning on trying. Thank you.

[TheWub]

So it cures into the wood? That may be a good idea since the wood looks like it lost some of its structure, cohesion, from the expansion in the water. Thanks!

[Bob Denman]

How about those bags of desiccant? Could you pack them into a damp area, and see if it pulls any of the moisture out?

[mcr1010]

Several of us have had leaking tail lights from the cheap gaskets that were used. I left the covers open for several days facing the sun and the wood dried out nicely. I did not have any rot, so just applied liberal amounts of polyurethane inside on the wood, let dry then installed lights with sealant and no gasket.

If you have rot, there is a penetrating epoxy, somewhat like Git Rot that is sold in Lowes. It kills mold also I think. I used that on the passenger side wall under window that had some rot. Then used bondo over that to smooth out the wall.

[Projectman]

I was thinking of removing ours to check. Nothing visible around the lights , just reading these posts makes me want to see. Ok, now I just have to look this weekend. Has anyone replaced the lights with butyl tape rather than the foam gaskets?

[Yvonnemarc]

I caught my delamination early. I painted with Marine paint and caulked the corners after the repair. I put in LED tail lights from Command Electronics one of which failed about a year later. They sent me a new LED disk to replace it but I have to open the tail light and cut and solder it myself?? Yep. No whole replacement light because you were 2 weeks past your 1 yr workmanship warranty. [emoji35]

[Yvonnemarc]

Originally Posted by Projectman

I was thinking of removing ours to check. Nothing visible around the lights , just reading these posts makes me want to see. Ok, now I just have to look this weekend. Has anyone replaced the lights with butyl tape rather than the foam gaskets?

I used a roll of dicor to seal mine. Comes in a roll about 1” wide. It’s very soft with a paper layer. Put it in the fridge for a day as once it’s warm it’s hard to work with.

[TheWub]

Today we’re going to dry it out as much as we can, put some verathane on the wood and then paint it with some Kilz. I haven’t opened the other light yet....

[sheilamcc]

See if someone can do an injection drying system. That may help. Please do not let anyone let you seal this up until the water issue is solved.

[Korey & Tana Jackson]

I just opened up the right rear taillight to replace a bulb on our 2018 Vegas 24.1.

Discovered similar wet conditions; drying out now (thankfully we have a streak of dry weather forecast).

Two questions:
- would liberally coating the gasket with plumbers grease help?
- what are those two non-connected wires on the left used for?

[Luc]

I don't see any gasket between the wall and your tailling

[axis earl]

Originally Posted by Projectman

I was thinking of removing ours to check. Nothing visible around the lights , just reading these posts makes me want to see. Ok, now I just have to look this weekend. Has anyone replaced the lights with butyl tape rather than the foam gaskets?

Yes, I did use butyl tape when I replaced ours with the Command Electronics LED units. They came with the right plug when I told CE that it was a Thor. I did not use the crap sponge gasket that came with it and used the butyl tape instead. I even used rubber o-rings with the stainless steel screws but seems that some moisture still entered through the center backup light lenses that are not sealed perfectly. Still better than what came on it orginally. (2016 24.1)

[The_Breeze]

I wish I could remember the name so could give credit where it's do. There's another fix for this out there using Flexseal. I did what he did and have pulled my taillights quite a few times to check. That and a homemade gasket works like a charm.

If you're good, and patient, you can make a really good gasket out of rubber tubing. Just split it down the middle and wrap it around the lens edge. Leave a weep hole in the bottom for condensation. You shouldn't have to touch it again until you lose another bulb.