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Old 07-27-2013, 06:20 PM   #1
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Squished door seal ?

Has anyone used the round foam rod suppied by Escape to repair a squished door seal ? How is it installed ?
E-mail to Escape:

Hello

When we were exploring our Escape 19 after delivery we found a roll of 1/2" black round foam material. It is like the foam backing rod that we have used during home construction to fill voids before caulking. it looks like: http://www.westernloghomesupply.com/backer-rod-per-foot.html

Can you tell us what it's intended use is ?
Reply:
That round foam is for your door seal. Sometime the door seal will squish down and that is to beef it up again.

Have a great day.
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Old 07-27-2013, 07:39 PM   #2
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That is correct, there is a rubber seal around the door which if left compacted for long period of time (closed) it may not spring back to correct shape. In the winter, you may see some gaps around the door. You push this stuff behind the rubber seal to make it firmer and the seal will now be expanded. Good to have just in case you need it. I used it on my 19' and it made the door fit tighter with no gaps. Just be careful and not use too much, the door may not shut.
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Old 07-27-2013, 08:25 PM   #3
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"You push this stuff behind the rubber seal to make it firmer and the seal will now be expanded".
Do you push foam behind the seal from the body side ? I regret that I could not benefit from the orientation in Chilliwack. I am not intuitive.
Thank you, Jubal
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Old 07-27-2013, 08:31 PM   #4
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I'd wait until you need it, do you see daylight anyplace around the door? If not, then you are fine. If yes then you pull the rubber away from the door gasket only and squeeze the foam behind it, along the top and both sides. But if you do not see any light then wait.
FWIW I did not attend any orientation nor even looked at the dvd. But being a house owner of a 70 year old home, you track down draft locations and seal them, this is what you are doing.
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Old 07-28-2013, 09:12 AM   #5
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Jim
Thank you again. I believe that you should be on the Escape trailer's payroll as a technicial service rep.
Jubal
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Old 07-28-2013, 09:56 AM   #6
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I offered my services here in Pennsylvania to have owners arrange deliveries here and then go to a local camp and I could show the new owners the ins/outs of the trailers, but Escape felt there was an implied legal issue. But anyway, I'm glad to help where and when I can.
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Old 07-28-2013, 10:29 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
I offered my services here in Pennsylvania to have owners arrange deliveries here and then go to a local camp and I could show the new owners the ins/outs of the trailers, but Escape felt there was an implied legal issue. But anyway, I'm glad to help where and when I can.
Hi: cpaharley2008... In this suit happy society you wouldn't want a part of someone's improper loading of a trailer resulting in a catastrophic loss. Even though showed whats proper... the owner can hold the Mfg. and its agents accountable and drag them thru the courts for years!!!
Now back to our regularly scheduled thread on squishy door seals. Alf
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Old 07-28-2013, 10:30 AM   #8
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Yes, I know. Sometimes I'm afraid to offer suggestions here on the web for that reason.
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Old 08-25-2013, 09:19 AM   #9
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Please take this suggestion in the spirit of improving an already great trailer. Having owned and worked on a few older (like 1976) trailers, I know what an issue sealing doors can be; problems include curved-style doors straightening, rotted hinge mounts, and fibreglass settling around the door. The system that seems to both hold up and seal the best is a square, flat door with a piano hinge. Why not modify the trailer design so as to eliminate potential problems? Would the reduced aesthetic of a square door (think Bigfoot and some older Casitas) not be worth eliminating door issues?
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Old 08-25-2013, 09:30 AM   #10
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On my Escape 19', all I did was install approximately 12 feet of foam rubber behind the factory black rubber on the door after about 6 months of use. I had some on hand, costs maybe $3 local hardware, about 3/4" thick, made the door tight to where no light nor air came in around the 2 sides and top. Simple fix to a small issue.
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Old 08-25-2013, 10:16 AM   #11
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Jim,

It's an easy fix for those that are DIY-inclined. As such, it's easy to brush away issues like these. But for those who aren't "generically skilled", things like this can be a real issue.

Then there are people like me who have the skill set but have "things to do" lists that are miles long; having to add one more thing to the list is aggravating, particularly when it's something that could be considered a design flaw that shouldn't exist in the first place.

Plus we're paying for a premium product here. I'm happy to pay a premium price for a premium product, but I expect that big price tag to come with a minimum of hassles.

All that to say I agree with Cam: this is an issue that should be fixed at the factory.
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Old 08-25-2013, 10:30 AM   #12
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I'm afraid you will always have this issue, regardless of the brand of trailer as it is inherent in the door design to have flex, more so in the curved but even with straight doors, like in the Eggcamper there were be gaps at one time or another. My friends $55k Airstream has the gaps also.
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Old 08-25-2013, 10:55 AM   #13
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I don't buy it. Any problem is an opportunity for innovation. Not to say that there is a solution that is obvious or feasible or economical, just that it should be pursued.

Regarding the issue of flex: I'm not a materials expert, but I believe flex can be defeated at expense of weight and/or cost. Door and/or frame flexes? Reinforce with stronger material that doesn't sag over time.

Keeping things light weight makes sense for the 15 and 17, where you need to get in under 3500lbs. It makes much less sense for the 19 and 21 (and new 5.0) where tandem axles give you more capacity. But my impression is that Reace is still in a "light-weight at all cost" mindset (and I freely admit I'm only guessing here, but we've discussed a few different problems that seem to stem from trying to keep things light).
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Old 08-25-2013, 11:02 AM   #14
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I don't see a problem with the "curved" door. The trailers I've seen with a flat door seem to be from the Flintstone School of Design. Seems to me that cars have had curved fenders for many years.
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Old 08-25-2013, 11:05 AM   #15
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I'm thinking long term, in 15 or 20 years. Likely not high on the concern list.
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Old 08-25-2013, 11:16 AM   #16
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I believe the shape of the Escape door makes it stronger. Think of fender as Glenn mentions. It is made of very thin sheet metal than in flat form has little rigid strength. Bend it into the shape of a fender and it becomes strong enough to perform its job. Our Scamp's door was much flatter than the Escapes and I don't even want to remember the trouble that thing was.
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Old 08-25-2013, 11:31 AM   #17
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There's no doubt that the curved shape is stronger than a flat shape. But that doesn't mean it's strong enough to avoid flex. And I don't know the long-term properties of fiberglass -- will it sag or relax under stress years down the line?

But people do report problems with their door seals, some times immediately or some times within a couple of years of new. There is *something* wrong here. Reace's current solution is to include several feet of open cell gasket material with a new trailer. This says to me that he admits there is a problem. But I don't believe his solution is sufficient (certainly not for the non-DIYers).

Now I don't pretend to understand what the problem is (though that won't stop me from speculating !, hence my comments on flex ). I'm just of the opinion that Reace has a responsibility to get to the root of the problem and solve it. Maybe "responsibility" is too strong of a word, but I believe the high price we pay for these trailers justifies our expecting problems like these to be resolved. Or maybe it's better to say that I'm a customer already, but if he wants me to be a repeat customer then it would serve him to keep a cycle of continuous improvement (not just new products, but new *and better* products).

Let me temper this by saying that I think Reace has a very good product, and he does work to improve it. (That is, he's meeting my expectations -- I'm sure he'll sleep better tonight knowing that ). This discussion is just about one of those areas he could focus his attention. It's not the first or the most important, and it won't be the last.
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Old 08-25-2013, 01:25 PM   #18
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I noticed daylight around the door on my trailer the first week after picking up the trailer. Glad someone posted a simple solution. Didn't even bother calling them about it, as they were not real responsive on other issues I had with the trailer.

They didn't include any extra open cell gasket material when I picked up my trailer. Just disappointed I had to make numerous DIY repairs on a new $32,000 trailer.
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Old 08-25-2013, 02:00 PM   #19
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I guess owing a Scamp immediately before our Escape has given me an entirely different perspective. The manufacturing faults and flaws with cheap components on the Scamp were myriad and no one I talked to there seemed interested in the least in improvements. The philosophy seemed to be that they could sell every trailer they made so that was all that was important.

With Escape, every year seems to bring some improvement or another, things that used to be add in options becoming standard and even price drops sometimes. My communication from Reace about some problems I have had have been amazingly helpful - I would say that he and Tammy have done everything possible.

One example of what for me has been more than I could expect from Reace and Tammy is that on our trip home a part broke on the closing mechanism of our Maxx Fan. I emailed Reace and shortly after arriving back home, an entire new Maxx Fan arrived from him. Other trailer companies would have told me to contact the Maxx Fan manufacturer for warranty replacement.
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Old 08-25-2013, 02:17 PM   #20
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I think you will find stronger doors on certain newer models, as Reace mentioned he is starting to insulate the doors if you have the thermal package.
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