Underbelly damage

[Dlawhun]

My 1st blowout last year I ran thru insurance & pd $500 deductible toward a $3k+ repair to the underbelly. Fast forward...two separate blowouts (& one flat) in one weekend trip recently led to a full set of new higher quality tires (& higher load range) & my 1st TPMS. So I defaulted to again dropping off my TT today to have a dlrship assess the underbelly repair--separate incidents so separate claims, deductibles, etc. Ugh!



Having read similar underbelly repair issues in this forum, I'm thinkin' perhaps I could do a decent job of repair myself & save $100's as there seem to be enuf products, e.g., belly repair kits, tape, Coroplast, HDPE, etc. out there to accomplish basic repair.


Attached is a pic of one side where the webbing is torn w/ fiberglass & wood (?) showing--this seems simple enuf to patch.


The other two pics are on the other (non-slide) side & show 1) last year's blowout repair material (Coroplast, HDPE?) cracked and 2) the adjacent OE webbing torn w/ fiberglass showing where gas line(s) are feeding up thru into the substructure. I also temporarily removed three metal support brackets that were dangling after the blowout.



All this to express my concern that the visible copper (?) gas line has a significant kink in it--refer to lower left of pic--that I can't readily ascertain whether it's OE or damaged by the blowout. (I didn't notice the kink at time of blowout & don't recall what it looked like before.) My fridge was running on gas up to & hours after the blowout--obviously without catastrophic ill effect.


As I'm leery & respectful of gas & have no experience working w/ copper, checking for & repairing leaks, etc. am I best off leaving the assessment & any needed repair to a professional? Would a simple soapy water test on this questionable location / connection be a valid 1st step to see if I even have a problem there?

[P & T]

Originally Posted by Dlawhun

All this to express my concern that the visible copper (?) gas line has a significant kink in it--refer to lower left of pic--that I can't readily ascertain whether it's OE or damaged by the blowout. (I didn't notice the kink at time of blowout & don't recall what it looked like before.) My fridge was running on gas up to & hours after the blowout--obviously without catastrophic ill effect.


As I'm leery & respectful of gas & have no experience working w/ copper, checking for & repairing leaks, etc. am I best off leaving the assessment & any needed repair to a professional? Would a simple soapy water test on this questionable location / connection be a valid 1st step to see if I even have a problem there?

That is a pretty good kink. Sure you can test the connections with dish soap and water but you are better off replacing or repairing the lines and have the lines properly leak and pressure tested. If you are not comfortable or unsure, pay a professional. It is about peace of mind and safety.

[Camping family]

I think repairing yourself is doable. Just take your time and ask further questions if needed to get it done correctly. Also I wonder why manufacturers don’t put some kind of metal under where the tires are to prevent damage in a blow out. Maybe even start putting fenders under it. After all the pics I see of damage I’m going to start looking at mine and see if I can come up with a way to prevent it in case of a blow out. Good luck on your repairs.

[chuckster57]

You can repair it yourself, the gas line will require a flaring tool, and you may want to use a tubing bender to avoid another kink while doing the repair. Single not double flare.

[sourdough]

I agree with Chuck. Nothing there that we can't walk you through and it will be a great learning experience IMO if you haven't done it before. The upside beyond having everything repaired is knowing you did it, what went where and that it's done right. Having a dealer repair it and put back the same things in the same way is a waste of time and money IMO.

[dutchmensport]

"Would a simple soapy water test on this questionable location / connection be a valid 1st step to see if I even have a problem there?"

If you have a gas leak at that location, you'll smell it. You don't need the soap. You'd already know if its leaking. You can do the soap test, nothing wrong with that however.

[travelin texans]

If you don't feel you have the skill or tools to do the copper gas line, take it off & find your local LP distributor, they can most likely make it up for you or offer a safe alternative.

[flybouy]

Pull that cover off the gas line and see what the other end looks like. You likely have a kink on each end of that tubing.

[P & T]

Also, it's hard to tell from the pic what the material of the tee fitting is, but I've seen those fittings with hairline cracks and the soapy water will pick it up where the smell might be difficult, being outdoors with any breeze.

If you are doing your own flares, be sue the properly ream the pipe after cutting so that you don't crack the flare ends. The flare might look good but when you tighten them down, the cracks can further run, so soapy water should be used to confirm the "final" connections.

[skids]

The kink almost looks like factory from the picture. I say this because the diameter coming out of the fitting looks bigger than the line tubing. BUT I am just looking at the photo...