Need help installing towel rack!

[sjturbo]

I need to install two towel racks in my 316RL. The back of the bathroom door seems sturdy. Where have you put one? What is the best type of anchor to use? Thanks!

[JRTJH]

The door facings are probably 1/8" pressboard. Whether they will hold up to the weight of wet towels is anybody's guess. Some members here have hung towel hooks from their bath door only to have the door fall apart from the weight. You may be better off if you try to find a stud in the bathroom wall to install your towel racks.

[Andymon]

We bought an adjustable shower rod and put it opposite the shower from one wall to the other. No drilling.

[Fire Instructor]

We found a towel bar that slipped over the top of the door (where there is more strength). Two small screws keep it from sliding around, as the RV bath door is thinner than a standard stick-house door.

[JRTJH]

Be careful with heavy wet towels on that door. Check the photo in item #27 of this thread: http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/sho...t=towel&page=3

The damage to his door was directly from a over-door towel bar similar to what you describe.

[diugo]

Three years ago, I hung my towel rack on the outside of my bathroom door using simple 1" wood screws. The screws enter just 1.25" from the door's edge, which is more solid than the middle.

Correction: After looking at the photo in the other thread of the separated door, and seeing how skimpy the internal framing really was, I checked my own screw holes---and discovered they are actually in the hollow portion of the door! But still holding up well. The pressboard is surprisingly strong.

[sjturbo]

Well no wonder they (Keystone) do not install them. They would likely have more warranty issues than they do already. I see the problem with the door, not much bracing there. Although I think I would rather repair/replace the door than have it rip a chunk out of the paper thin wallboard.

[theeyres]

We have two of those hangers that go over the top of the toilet door that easily hold our wet towels. Never had a problem. On the last RV we just used two of those 3m stickum type hooks. I put a screw through the hook to give it a little extra strength, and they held for years. I always wonder about those scare stories--can anybody on the forum actually report first hand that they had a door fall apart due to wet towels? Or are all those stories third hand--somebody told somebody who told somebody else? Or was it one door on one trailer once upon a time that failed?

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by theeyres

We have two of those hangers that go over the top of the toilet door that easily hold our wet towels. Never had a problem. On the last RV we just used two of those 3m stickum type hooks. I put a screw through the hook to give it a little extra strength, and they held for years. I always wonder about those scare stories--can anybody on the forum actually report first hand that they had a door fall apart due to wet towels? Or are all those stories third hand--somebody told somebody who told somebody else? Or was it one door on one trailer once upon a time that failed?

Look at the picture of the "fallen apart door" reported by a forum member who posted the picture of what the over-door hangar did to his bathroom door. That's not "second hand" or a friend who knew somebody whose brother in law's cousin.....

Post # 27 in this thread: http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/sho...t=towel&page=3

[Mike Fender]

use hollow door/wall mollys. they are designed to be used on the thin paneling.

[BulletOwner1]

I could be wrong here, but from what I see in those pictures the door had a considerable amount of weight on it because he wasn't hanging towels on it. He had a shoe holder with a ton of items including hand cream, shampoo, all sorts of stuff. Looked to me to be a lot heavier than a rack with a couple of bath towels.

http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13266

post 1 or 5 That is definitely NOT a towel rack

[theeyres]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Be careful with heavy wet towels on that door. Check the photo in item #27 of this thread: http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/sho...t=towel&page=3

The damage to his door was directly from a over-door towel bar similar to what you describe.

All I can say is that we have been hanging two wet bath towels from bathroom doors, by various and different means, for ten years and never had a problem. Our Arctic Fox was certainly built better than some of our other rigs, but on that one we also hung our bathrobes on the other side of the door with no problems.

[JRTJH]

I stand corrected, Keystone bathroom doors are sturdy enough to support towel bars with towels without damage. Screw away with the installations at whim.....

I'll leave my door intact without a towel bar, enjoy your "new found drying places"

[sjturbo]

Well my intention was not to start an argument over the stability of the Laredo bathroom door, I just thought it seemed to have more structural integrity than the wall. JRTJH, if you still have your 2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS where are your towel bars and did they come installed or did you determine where the best place to put them was?

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by sjturbo

Well my intention was not to start an argument over the stability of the Laredo bathroom door, I just thought it seemed to have more structural integrity than the wall. JRTJH, if you still have your 2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS where are your towel bars and did they come installed or did you determine where the best place to put them was?

When we built our home, we installed Mastercraft molded fiber interior doors. They are significantly heavier than the doors in any RV we've owned. There is a warning in the literature that came with those doors stating that they are not designed to support heavy loads and overdoor racks can damage the door. It's pretty clear to me that a "cheaper and lighter" door installed in an RV would not be sturdier or support more weight than they would, however, since each of us cares for our investment differently, there's no argument over the stability of your door. It's entirely up to you to determine if the door will support the load you expect to place on the door.

If you look at the floorplan of the 27RKS, you'll see that there is a linen closet in the slide. There is a double towel hook mounted on the wooden framework onthe face of the slide and there is a matching double towel hook mounted on the bathroom wall just behind the toilet. Both were installed by Keystone. We mounted a 3M command hook beside the medicine cabinet and the shower for a hand towel. There are two of us so there's enough hanging space provided by Keystone. There is enough space on the wall behind the toilet to remove that hook and install an 18" towel bar (into the studs) and there is enough room above the slide to install a 24" towel bar into the top joist over the slide. That bar would not be usable with the slide in.

[sjturbo]

Thanks for the quick response! We usually travel as a pair but sometimes we have the grandkids. Our 316RL has a curved bath wall so not quite sure what to do there. Using hooks would not work for us as I don't think they allow the items to dry well. The 316RL came with a towel ring, tooth brush holder and toilet paper holder. None of these were installed. Based on that I assume they figured the individual could determine where they fit best. And that way they also assume no responsibility for any structural failure. Thanks all for the responses!

[Sledge Hammer]

We use 3M command Hooks. Towels dry on them just fine.

[sjturbo]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I decided to stay away from the door because of space issues, and I the walls for the same reason. I put a couple of wood braces on the bottom of the cabinet (very sturdy), over the toilet and attached the bars. I added an additional brace to the rear one to drop it a bit. A bit narrow but we usually put wet towels to dry over a chair outside.