Anyone else get a surprise Escape package?

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by Rossue;

ETI ought to wake up and deal with things more appropriately. To think new owners should have to take a tube of caulk and fix something due to their improper installation is absurd.

I have to chime in on this one.

Are you kidding? Escape finds an issue that "may" be a problem down the road, sent out letters, and then shipped the owners the material and instructions to fix it. I think Escape has done more than they are required. If I had that kind of response from my past trailer manufacturer, I would have been in shock. Their mantra was to deny anything was wrong and to refuse warranty if possible.

If you think I am making this up about the past trailer - I have pictures.

[Rossue]

You know what- there have been other instances of water intrusion due to poor design. Like the rear upper taillights that warped. One person had their bed ruined and they had to pay 1/2 for the replacement. This is a mom & pop business that ought to take more seriously the ramifications of things like this. My trailer was draining water after storing it then hitching for the first year and ETI never sent out an email to me about the taillights warping. So I'm not kidding.

[Kountrykamper]

Wow, it's only a potential problem. We got the email a couple weeks ago but being such a small item decided not to do anything until I received the fix instructions. It took all of 15 minutes to fix. Ours did not have foam and seemed sealed good with silicone but I liked the idea of using Proflex better so removed the silicone and redid it tonight.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Lemme tell you about my week: water intrusion into an apartment unit we own in "The Peoples Republic of Santa Monica" with tenant with six month old baby who works for an attorney. Ok, mold inspection which showed the air fine but found some mold inside a wall cavity from the rain event whereby a gutter downspout broke free and allowed water to flow onto the window and a vent in a wall of the building. Insurance agent tells me no mold coverage; tenant is demanding copy of the report. Finally call my attorney who says don't give it to her and file claim with insurance company because of sudden nature of incident. She was 100% correct and our insurance agent wrong! When I get the attorney bill am going to send it to the insurance agent. Meantime my trip got delayed as I thought we were dealing with a Pandora's box without insurance.

ETI ought to wake up and deal with things more appropriately. To think new owners should have to take a tube of caulk and fix something due to their improper installation is absurd.

Sorry you had to go through that crap, Ross.

I think Escape handled it quite well. What else could they do in this situation. They were proactive in addressing it, and took measures to come up with an appropriate fix. I would be they would be more than willing to do the service work themselves, but that just is not feasible for the majority of people. Caulking is quite an easy fix for most homeowners to do, and if they did not feel comfortable with it, I bet they would have a friend that could do it. I know I would gladly help out anyone near me if they needed.

This is why I am surprised it was even mentioned in the first place. Nobody else bothered, mostly just seeing it as an easy fix they are glad to do, and instead it gets looked at as though Escape is screwing up.

[thoer]

From my experience with them, were this Scamp, they would have done nothing, then denied it was a problem, then eventually blamed it somehow on the owner not doing proper maintenance.

Escape discovers a potential problem, spends the money on the caulk and shipping and then get ripped for it. The phrase "no good deed goes unpunished" yet again rings in my ears.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by thoer

From my experience with them, were this Scamp, they would have done nothing, then denied it was a problem, then eventually blamed it somehow on the owner not doing proper maintenance.

Escape discovers a potential problem, spends the money on the caulk and shipping and then get ripped for it. The phrase "no good deed goes unpunished" yet again rings in my ears.

And " Two wrongs don't make a right"

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

And " Two wrongs don't make a right"

Though we haven't even hit one yet.

[FlatlandFlyFisher]

I got the email, but I did not rush out to apply the tape. It's minus -20 C in Saskatoon, so there's not much liquid water around. I will apply this fix in a few weeks, when we're down in warmer Moab.

I got the ETI email one week after the pick-up of my trailer. From my eye, it looks like ETI became aware of the potential problem, diagnosed the potential problem, and communicated the temporary solution within one week of discovery. Diligent.

[skyfree]

Jim's post was asking about how to use proflex in a small space and why spray foam isn't adequate. I think these are fair questions that have been answered, but beyond that I like to hear about these things so I can go check my new trailer. It was expensive and now that I know where to look (although the 17B is different), I will go double-check it. I haven't received any email or mailing so I think mine is new enough to not be affected but I will feel better if I have a look.

If the community doesn't mention these things, what use is it to a current owner? The forum tends to focus on the ordering process so it's good to see more content like this.

[NW Cat Owner]

Originally Posted by skyfree

(snip)
If the community doesn't mention these things, what use is it to a current owner? The forum tends to focus on the ordering process so it's good to see more content like this.

Yes, I'm glad that Jim/CPAharley mentioned this. Bummer he didn't get the email as that would have explained the package he received. The thought briefly crossed my mind to post about it, but I didn't due to Lucy's death.

Interesting you didn't get the email and package. Maybe your trailer was done after they found out about the problem. Or you got left off the list, so you might want to contact them, just in case. Jim didn't get the email, but others did, so who knows until you ask.

[War Eagle]

I got the e-mail and received the fix-it package today. Too late to do the fix tonight, will do in the morning. But my take on this whole thing is that the bottom panel of the vent frame had depressions intended as vents to let escaped propane out and direct any rain that might have seeped in around the hatch toward the refrigerator's condensation drain. It looks to me like whomever applied the foam sealant at the factory didn't understand that the depressions were to function as drains and sometimes let the foam expand up and block the drain. So what we're being asked to do is cut away any foam that is blocking a drain depression and then re-seal with the ProFlex - being careful to not block the drain depressions again. To those who have already done the fix, does that make any sense?
P.S. Laura - I'm sorry for your loss....

[tdf-texas]

From the description that Escape supplied, it looks like water can get into the fridge cavity through those three vent tracks and Escape sealed the fridge deck to the shell with foam which could allow water to drain into the area below the fridge.

They want us to remove all the foam in the channel behind the vents and reseal with ProFlex.

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

From the description that Escape supplied, it looks like water can get into the fridge cavity through those three vent tracks and Escape sealed the fridge deck to the shell with foam which could allow water to drain into the area below the fridge. They want us to remove all the foam in the channel behind the vents and reseal with ProFlex.

So the main issue is the type of sealant itself, not the placement? Foam = bad? ProFlex = good?

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Lemme tell you about my week: water intrusion into an apartment unit we own in "The Peoples Republic of Santa Monica" with tenant with six month old baby who works for an attorney. Ok, mold inspection which showed the air fine but found some mold inside a wall cavity from the rain event whereby a gutter downspout broke free and allowed water to flow onto the window and a vent in a wall of the building. Insurance agent tells me no mold coverage; tenant is demanding copy of the report. Finally call my attorney who says don't give it to her and file claim with insurance company because of sudden nature of incident. She was 100% correct and our insurance agent wrong! When I get the attorney bill am going to send it to the insurance agent. Meantime my trip got delayed as I thought we were dealing with a Pandora's box without insurance.

ETI ought to wake up and deal with things more appropriately. To think new owners should have to take a tube of caulk and fix something due to their improper installation is absurd.

Hi Rossue , very sorry for your bad week . We sure got a lot of rain and a lot of problems because of it . Also read a little farther down the thread about your trailer lights . I know what a nightmare sometimes having apartments can be also. I watched my parents deal with that all my growing up years . Hopefully everything is going to work out . Sorry Rossue , Pat

[SFDavis50]

I suspect the recent record rains with approx. a meter of slushy snow may have exposed the issue in more than one trailer parked outside so they quickly did some troubleshooting, came up with a fix and got it out to everyone affected. Seems like pretty good service. Perhaps it would never have shown up if the snow had been good dry powder.

[Kountrykamper]

After redoing mine that was done correctly anyway but with silicone instead of proflex I saw better why ETI wants any with foam redone. The foam is not a good sealer because it can crack or chip and is to rigid and can crack under vibration of traveling. Once you remove it and clean up the area you will be able to see a small gap at the fridge tray where it meets the outside wall of the trailer. If the foam was to let water by it could go down that gap and possibly into the trailer. When you add the proflex any water that might come in the vent tracks will run from the vent track onto the fridge tray where it is suppose to go and not be able to go down the gap between the fridge tray and the outside wall.

After looking at the vent tracks it would probably have to be the perfect storm with wind blowing the water back into the vent tracks for water to go that way anyway but I think ETI saw a potential issue and wanted to head it off. To me it looks more like a another Dometic design problem and not a ETI install problem.

Casita has used the same vent and had problems forever with water coming in under the fridge and have never addressed it or fixed it. Looks like Reace has figured it out and came up with a fix.

[War Eagle]

Tom, Thanks for your clear explanation. I thought I'd need to wait until the weather warms, but I see no ambient temperature restrictions on the ProFlex RV tube. So I guess I'll get on it.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Tom, Thanks for your clear explanation. I thought I'd need to wait until the weather warms, but I see no ambient temperature restrictions on the ProFlex RV tube. So I guess I'll get on it.

I don't care about the ProFlex temperature restrictions, I have some of my own, and I am not using it outside at -20°C (-4°F). It can wait.

[Robind]

One of the main appeals and attraction of the Escape for me is that they are supposedly more water proof as compared to other TT's,
Water leaking into a TT destroys the fiber board flooring used on most TT's as usually it goes undetected behind cabinets. Once fiber board gets wet it expands like a sponge and immediately begins to deteriorate and mold if it can not be dried out. What kind of subfloor system does escape construction?
This seems like an obvious leak point that the designers should have addressed and manufacture should have never allowed to leave the factory.
Leaking water is always the enemy of trailers of any kind!

[cpaharley2008]

Any water that penetrates this area will gather and travel to the lowest spot, in the Escape the floor is elevated and there is a trough around it to collect any water. There are drain holes drilled underneath outside to allow the water to Escape, no wood to rot or delaminate.