loose walls

Lljpence

Member
Hello all,

We have a 2018 Northtrail 26DBSS. We picked it up in March and have had it out 12 times to date. We have noticed that the wallboard behind the toilet has bowed inward, and does not appear to be attached to anything in the center. In addition, one of the walls on the side of the slide out is bowed inward at the bottom as if it is to long. Has anyone had an similar issue? If so, what did you do to fix it? Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!
Linda
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Linda - could be the panels were cut tight and that some humidity from using the RV (cooking, showers, open windows) may be affecting it as well. If you're within the warranty period (1 year), consider asking your selling dealer or anyone that takes Heartland's warranty to make it right for you.

If outside your warranty period, carefully remove any trim in corners, at floor and at ceiling and peel the panel off the wall structure. Remove any staples / nails. Review structure. If you feel more needs to be added, do so. Then consider trimming your panels on whatever sides you feel are cut too tight. Reinstall using crown staples and maybe even consider adding construction adhesive to the in-wall structure so it glues the panels on too.
 

sengli

Well-known member
The interior walls dont attach to the ceiling, at least in the last three fifth wheels I have owned. They kinda float, as the coach I am sure flexes as its going down the road.

As for the bowing, I have seen that on several new RV's, on the lots as we have been shopping recently. Going to have the wall board popped loose and re-fastened. Due to temp changes though how much?
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
The back wall in ours, under the large window started to bow this past summer. Located the framing and used my narrow crown stapler to secure it. I need to contact HL for some matching seam tape next spring, though.
 

LCH

Member
I realize this is an older thread but wanted to comment that we had this issue as well. The fix described is correct. We have a 2019 Pioneer 355. The wall behind the commode and end of the shower in the bath, the hall wall outside the bath, the wall behind the cabinet with the controls in it and one of the bunk walls all bowed off the studs. I'm a general contractor with the knowledge, tools and skill set to repair this but felt it was too much since we had just recently purchased the camper. I took it back in to Camping World Nashville and left it this winter to have it repaired. When I went to pick it up most of the walls were repaired but I was left with scuffs on the exterior, dust and debris, broken rickety interior steps where they pried them apart and put large deck screws down through the carpet, a hole in the wall just above the bottom step they had put several pieces of seam tape over, a bunch of nail holes where they kept shooting trim nails through the thin paneling trying to get it to pull in and a battery so dead it ruined the cells and had to be replaced.(Camper was there several weeks)
I picked up the supplies yesterday to rebuild the steps and plan to add skirt boards to the stairs to hide the hole in the wall they left me with. The reason for me telling the details is I would encourage you to watch some paneling repair/installation videos online and lean how to do the repair yourself or ask a carpenter to help you repair yours yourself, it's not that hard. You may be lucky enough to have a competent repair shop but I didn't have that benefit. I regret letting them work on mine since they left me with almost as much work to repair what they tore up as I would have had if I did the original repair. They offered to keep it and try again but no way I was going for that. Service manager handed me a roll of seam tape, apologized and I went on my way. I really wish they would stop putting the paneling in so tight causing this. It's not like they don't use large trim at all the seams anyway. :rolleyes:

LCH
 
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