2009 Passport 195RB Rear Wall bulge

[blemas]

Hi all, love my new to me Passport but noticed something last weekend that I am a little concerned about. The rear wall has a bit of a bulge at the bottom and general play throughout. I checked under the shower and on the roof for any obvious leaks but all appears to be in order. I searched a few threads which stated that the rear wall is constructed differently and some play is normal but I'm just not to sure. I thought maybe heat from the sun or the hot water heater may be to blame but would like some experienced eyes to have a look. Thoughts?
http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_85011_0_05451f1b18a28e2593655808f2e4f84b.jpg

[Englishman]

You are correct that bulge is right. It looks like water damge. The rear real have some give but not a bulges. What's on the other side of the wall?

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[blemas]

The bathroom is on the other side but I didn't see or smell anything when I looked under the shower enclosure. Do I need to start pulling the bottom skin off and look up from the outside?

[Englishman]

I would wait you may get other more advice from other people. If you don't then I would drop the belly liner and see if its wet. What wall is the shower on side or back? If it on the back then it may be a leaky pipe. Have you tried running the shower and looked for water on the outside? Looking at he floor plan it looks like the toilet I also on the back wall check the water feed ad also check that its sealed onto the waste pipes.

Good luck.


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[Festus2]

Before you go pulling off things, the bulge and flex that you see at the back of your TT is not that uncommon. Unlike the fiberglass on the side walls which is glued to backing - rigid insulation - the rear wall is not glued to anything and is simply fastened in place in certain areas by screws and other fasteners. The back is essentially "floating".

The rear of our Cougar 5th flexes and gives when you push on it. The rear window holds it more securely in that area but it does appear to bulge out in other areas.

The flex and bulge in mine is more or less seen and felt all over not just at the bottom so you may have some other issues at work such as been mentioned in the previous posts. Have you just noticed this bulge or has it been present for some time? Is it getting larger?

I'd have a good look and feel for any signs of leaks - either from your plumbing, window, or join at the top. Does the interior floor/carpet seem damp? Soft or spongy?

[blemas]

Before you go pulling off things, the bulge and flex that you see at the back of your TT is not that uncommon. Unlike the fiberglass on the side walls which is glued to backing - rigid insulation - the rear wall is not glued to anything and is simply fastened in place in certain areas by screws and other fasteners. The back is essentially "floating".

The rear of our Cougar 5th flexes and gives when you push on it. The rear window holds it more securely in that area but it does appear to bulge out in other areas.

The flex and bulge in mine is more or less seen and felt all over not just at the bottom so you may have some other issues at work such as been mentioned in the previous posts. Have you just noticed this bulge or has it been present for some time? Is it getting larger?

I'd have a good look and feel for any signs of leaks - either from your plumbing, window, or join at the top. Does the interior floor/carpet seem damp? Soft or spongy?

Thanks for the reply, all appears to be well with the joints & seams on the top of the trailer, The wall has some give all over with the exception of the area under the window which falls in line with what I have read. There are no signs of obvious leaks in the bathroom area under the shower, when I get in it this weekend I will have a good look at the inside shower wall but we have only used the shower 3 or 4 times each time taking a 'submarine shower' to conserve water since we did not have a full hookup site. I have not noticed any leaking under the rear of the unit either. I will also check the area around the hot water tank this weekend as well.

I am perfectly fine with the bulge if that is how it is and had figured on letting it ride for at least the rest of this season since we have a couple trips planned and only address it if I notice that it is getting worse. I just wanted to take some prudent steps to mitigate any potential problems, especially if it has an impact on the structural integrity of the trailer.

Let's say that it is water damage, how would you go about fixing something like that on that particular wall?

[Festus2]

If that rear wall is just a "skin" and not of the same composition as the side walls, I am now thinking that the bulging is not due to water damage. The sides are made up of a core material like closed cell PVC foam or similar to which a skin of fiberglass has been "glued". In this case, the outer layer of fiberglass might have separated or delaminated from the core forming a bulge.

If the back is just "skin", while delamination is still possible, it is unlikely that your bulge has been caused by that. If it were, then while it could be repaired, it would be very costly, complicated and it would be far easier and just as cheap to replace the whole back.

I'd check the floor around the back for signs of softness or swelling. Can you see the back and if so, is there just loose insulation there? Is that dry? I forgot to mention about checking the connections of all plumbing that might run through that area - including those to and from the HW tank. Don't forget to have a look at the seals around your rear lights - sometimes those can be a source of leaks.

Until you can find any signs of leaks, I wouldn't worry too much just yet about fixing something that isn't "broken".

Let us know what you find.

[hankaye]

blemas, Howdy;

Noticed in your photo that your Hot water heater is accessed
through the rear wall. That's another place to check for leaks.
I also think that a check of the bottom of the trailer would be
interesting, especially if you have driven through any kind of rain
storms. Just a few thoughts ...

hankaye

[gahanunda]

We have a 2009 195RB with the exact same bulge. Have checked for leaks and have found none so think it is due to type of construction of rear wall as Festus said

[blemas]

Gahanuda,

Thanks for the reply, makes me feel better about the issue!

Me being slightly type A, I will still check it out tonight. I store the trailer at my parents place an hour away and we are headed out for the holiday weekend so I will be going down tonight to hook up for an early AM departure!