Foam/salt/sand/chemicals, the question is...

[Dan S]

Will be picking up our 19' on November 29th in Chilliwack. We're from Minnesota. Our plan is to head south from Chilliwack to California for a quick trip before heading back to Minnesota. Here's 'the' question, we're debating about whether to get the underfloor sprayed insulation. The reason being that when we head back to Minnesota, we may and probably will encounter road salt/sand/chemicals on the road surfaces. If it's a mild start to the winter, we may encounter nothing, maybe. Our concern is if we get the under insulation there will be crevices, nooks and crannies that will hold the corrosive junk and do damage. It won't necessarily be easy to wash the underside either as washing vehicles outside in December in Minnesota is not advisable or even possible most of the time. If we don't get the sprayed on insulation, would you still consider it a problem for the undercarriage? Somewhere in this forum I saw that someone glued up their own exterior grade high density foam board to insulate their floor. I could easily do that once Spring arrives knowing that the undersides of the tanks won't get covered. We would appreciate anyone's thoughts on this. Perhaps we're worrying about nothing. A galvanised frame would be nice - cost, I know. Thanks, Dan

[rbryan4]

The foam isn't susceptible to corrosion - just wear and tear.

It's more effective than the foam panels because it encloses much of the plumbing.

I would suggest getting the foam, and maybe cleaning the bottom in the warmer months, and perhaps touching it up with some black paint.

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

The foam isn't susceptible to corrosion - just wear and tear.

It's more effective than the foam panels because it encloses much of the plumbing.

I would suggest getting the foam, and maybe cleaning the bottom in the warmer months, and perhaps touching it up with some black paint.

I understand that the foam doesn't corrode, its the nooks and crannies that it may create that will capture the corrosive 'junk' that may damage. For example, I installed a steel/painted license plate frame on the rear of my wife's 2016 CX5 Mazda. Less than 2 years old now and because the frame rested on the surface of the tailgate and trapped moisture/salt/etc there, it has actually caused rust and bubbling of the paint! The car was heavily waxed 2x since new also. It can happen fast under the right or wrong circumstances. Thanks for the input.

[ISeyes]

We are tossing around the spray foam vs line-x bedliner option for the bottom.... Has anyone thought about putting line-x bedliner on the bottom of the trailer which will protect against corrosion, rust, is impact absorbing & sound dampening? We had this applied to the bottom of our Nissan frontier that we purchased new in 2015.
Thanks

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by ISeyes

We are tossing around the spray foam vs line-x bedliner option for the bottom.... Has anyone thought about putting line-x bedliner on the bottom of the trailer which will protect against corrosion, rust, is impact absorbing & sound dampening? We had this applied to the bottom of our Nissan frontier that we purchased new in 2015.
Thanks

Interesting idea and then attach HD foam board over that maybe? I wonder if ETI has ever given any thought to undercoating their trailers, for a price of course. I'd be all over that.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by ISeyes

We are tossing around the spray foam vs line-x bedliner option for the bottom.... Has anyone thought about putting line-x bedliner on the bottom of the trailer which will protect against corrosion, rust, is impact absorbing & sound dampening? We had this applied to the bottom of our Nissan frontier that we purchased new in 2015.
Thanks

You could always do the Line-X aftermarket, but it's a poor insulator vs expanding foam. The foam isn't really for undercarriage protection, although there is a nominal amount of protection from having it. It's to insulate the pipes, tanks and floor from the cold.

Insulation and corrosion protection are two different things. I would focus on whatever problem I was trying to solve, and use the solution that addresses it.

EDIT: one other thought. I would sure hate to have to try and remove the Line-X in the event that a part had to be replaced or repaired. With the foam it's a pain, but it would be much easier to remove, do the repair, and reapply foam.

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

You could always do the Line-X aftermarket, but it's a poor insulator vs expanding foam. The foam isn't really for undercarriage protection, although there is a nominal amount of protection from having it. It's to insulate the pipes, tanks and floor from the cold.

Insulation and corrosion protection are two different things. I would focus on whatever problem I was trying to solve, and use the solution that addresses it.

EDIT: one other thought. I would sure hate to have to try and remove the Line-X in the event that a part had to be replaced or repaired. With the foam it's a pain, but it would be much easier to remove, do the repair, and reapply foam.

Please see OP. Trying to determine if the factory foam may trap corrosives in the nooks and crannies that don't get foamed fully as we head back to Minnesota road salt and chemicals in December. Thanks

[freespirit]

thought ETI used some sort of white undercoating on the front/bottom of the optional storage box and it was on an owners Escape 19 wheel well also...all from the ETI factory ...owner had no spray on foam.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Dan S

Please see OP. Trying to determine if the factory foam may trap corrosives in the nooks and crannies that don't get foamed fully as we head back to Minnesota road salt and chemicals in December. Thanks

Yes, I'm aware of the original post. I don't know of any nooks and crannies underneath that don't get fully foamed. Perhaps someone with the spray foam can chime in.

Originally Posted by freespirit

thought ETI used some sort of white undercoating on the front/bottom of the optional storage box and it was on an owners Escape 19 wheel well also...all from the ETI factory ...owner had no spray on foam.

Yes, there's a coating on the storage box to protect it from road debris and dings. That's not an issue because there is no need to ever remove that coating to access parts underneath it.

[freespirit]

Originally Posted by Dan S

Interesting idea and then attach HD foam board over that maybe? I wonder if ETI has ever given any thought to undercoating their trailers, for a price of course. I'd be all over that.

perhaps there is a vendor in same town as ETI and exchange rate might make it a better deal there.

perhaps the OP wants a selective coating applied to just the frame and the underside of the fiberglass hull..not the plumbing?

[thoer]

Dan, Leon W is in St Paul and has a spray foamed 21' that you could most likely visit and inspect the bottom of. He has many thousands of miles of travel so you could see how it is holding up. If you want to see a nearly new 21 with it, we are about 2.5 -3 hours away and you are more than welcome to come see it too.

[Dan S]

Thanks very much. Maybe I posted my question incorrectly. Maybe it's a simple as, is it a bad idea to pull these or any trailer over roads that have chemicals on them for ice and snow removal?

[steve dunham]

We made a trip through Minnesota and Wisconsin one fall and naturally it snowed. They salted and used chemical to treat the
roads instead of plowing. I washed the underside of the trailer when we got back home .Next Spring I tried to remove some bolts from the underside of the trailer . They were so badly rusted that I had to cut and chisel the bolts off.
Trailer manufacturers do a very poor job of rustproofing the undercarriage IMHO. A coat of spray paint looks nice for a short time but is of little help against road salt.
The OP's guestion expresses a legitimate concern . If the foam allows road chemical to be trapped , the foam may do more harm than good.
The idea of applying a coat of rustproofing to the undercarriage before spray foaming seems like a good idea.

A FG trailer may last 30 years but if the trailer's frame is rusted away the trailer is useless. I've seen vehicles that are less than 5 Years old with rust holes in the doors ,fenders and rocker panels.

[Ian and Sue]

Dan go to a do it yourself carwash if you are really concerned....I would not be. I see plenty of people using their trailers near the Ocean and little concern about all the spray. Pick a day that is above freezing and hose it down...that is what I do here in the mountains of Vermont. I often give the underside of my truck a hose down during the winter. Also the spray foam is great....warm floors when shoulder season camping is soo nice.

[skiman]

I wish Escape offered a galvanized frame as an option. I would of shelled out $1000 gladly for the option.

[padlin]

Originally Posted by Dan S

Thanks very much. Maybe I posted my question incorrectly. Maybe it's a simple as, is it a bad idea to pull these or any trailer over roads that have chemicals on them for ice and snow removal?

I thought about it before going to FL a couple winters ago, it had snowed the previous day along I-81, I went anyway. I did find the frame surface rusted last summer over a good portion of it where there was no foam, can't say if it's from road chemicals though, I did spend a month at the beach so it could be sea spray. The foam looks to seal very well, it only covers the inside of the frame, maybe 3/4 of the frames depth. I wish the whole frame was covered with it, it's the non foamed parts that rusted.

I painted the frame with POR-15 last summer.

I've also encountered snow on the highways in the CO passes mid fall. Don't know if they treat the roads there.


So sure, if you can avoid driving in chemicals it would be a good thing. Personally, I'm not going to let it stop me from going where I wish.

The factory paint on the frame of mine was pretty thin, Wish ETI offered a better paint job, even if it was an option. I did drop them a note on it.

[Dan S]

Great input and comments. I may ask ETI if they could have a 2nd party rustproof or undercoat before they spray the foam.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Dan S

Great input and comments. I may ask ETI if they could have a 2nd party rustproof or undercoat before they spray the foam.

Now that would make sense. I've always thought the frames on small fiberglass trailers were the weakest link, except perhaps for the Oliver which uses an aluminum frame.

I suppose you could arrange to have such work done, but logistically I doubt that would mesh with Escape's production process.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by skiman

I wish Escape offered a galvanized frame as an option. I would of shelled out $1000 gladly for the option.

Or an aluminum frame . Having to crawl underneath my trailer every Spring and repair rust spots / damage is a PITA.

[cpaharley2008]

I once saw a T@da from Canada that had a 12v anti rust system installed where current was sent thru the frame to counter corrosion? Have never seen one again. Anyone else experience such an item?