Hot fiberglass above water heater vent

[JeffreyG]

I just cut a piece of aluminum with tin snips, filed it smooth, bent it in a vice, and riveted it on. This perspective accentuates the slightly crooked line of rivets, but I swear it generally looks better than this in person.

[brroberts]

Originally Posted by JeffreyG

I just cut a piece of aluminum with tin snips, filed it smooth, bent it in a vice, and riveted it on. This perspective accentuates the slightly crooked line of rivets, but I swear it generally looks better than this in person.

Looks good to me. I may copy that. I’ll have to engrave it with an attribution!

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by JeffreyG

I just cut a piece of aluminum with tin snips, filed it smooth, bent it in a vice, and riveted it on. This perspective accentuates the slightly crooked line of rivets, but I swear it generally looks better than this in person.

Looks great Pat

[Ron in BC]

Has it been established what the original problem, if any, was?

There seems to have been different folks getting different temperature readings but was it ever established that there was a hot water tank issue?

Quite frankly I'm not seeing the need for adding anything to Gen 2 type units. To my knowledge no one has ever reported a problem attributable to the lack of a heat deflector on a Gen 2.

In the tropics a f.g. boat deck is so hot that you'd get burned feet yet the f.g. does just fine.

Ron

[JeffreyG]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Has it been established what the original problem, if any, was?

Not to my knowledge. I just wasn't comfortable with my hull getting so hot, and so for $5 and 20 minutes I made a change that keeps the side of the RV cool.

[Patandlinda]

Ron comparing boat fiberglass to our fiberglass trailers ? Pat

[Centex]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

Ron comparing boat fiberglass to our fiberglass trailers ? Pat

Sure, why not? Though very different end applications the underlying technology, materials, and construction techniques are very similar, in many cases identical.

[Ron in BC]

That's right and the resin that I used last week for a kayak mod is the same as I've previously used on boat construction and the same as I'd use if I did a "Myron" that required a structural repair first.

Ah, polyester resin, glad that I'm no longer buying it by the 45 gal. drum. Definitely had my lifetime fill of it.

Ron

[MVA]

I would still check the relief valve for weapage/leakage. A small amount of grit introduced with the water would preclude the valve from closing fully. Given that some owners have concerns and others do not, it does not appear to be a systematic design issue, but rather a concern with unit-to-unit variability.

2 cents

[JeffreyG]

Both the fiberglass gelcoat and the vinyl decals are probably safe to around 200F / 100C. I don't know how hot my hull was getting as I did not measure it.

I found the hull too hot to touch, but it didn't cause a visible burn during a very short touch check. Based on that, It was probably between 140F and 180F.

But again....$5 and now it isn't hot.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by JeffreyG

Not to my knowledge. I just wasn't comfortable with my hull getting so hot, and so for $5 and 20 minutes I made a change that keeps the side of the RV cool.

If our fiberglass was getting hot would do the same as you did . Comparing boat fiberglass to our trailers , don’t think so . No comparison but even boats melt . PT

[Centex]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

..... Comparing boat fiberglass to our trailers , don’t think so . No comparison ....

Becoming a tangent but I'm genuinely curious to know what you think the differences are?

[brroberts]

Fiberglass tangent:

ETI chopper gun

Boat mat and roving and much thicker even on the small sailboat I have now.

Did have a single layer epoxy kevlar canoe with no gel coat once. Flat water only. 17” and 39lbs.

[Centex]

Sure, boats can be built different, with woven rather than chop fibers and with various fiber and resin chemistries, but the fact is that thousands of units of watercraft having hull-length and width similar to molded fiberglass trailers like ours have been and continue to be built using the exact same materials and techniques.

That includes the gelcoat, the blown chop-fiber and resin, the solid wood 'stringers' and plywood 'bulkheads' bonded in identical fashion to the fiberglass 'hull' to facilitate fastening interior and exterior fixtures, etc. Upper and lower sections (hull and deck) are often joined using virtually identical systems. There are different thicknesses of materials built-up appropriate to the structural requirements at hand, and yes wood-glues may differ according to the water-exposure risks.

But I'd posit that insofar as the materials, techniques, and characteristics of the end-product (a molded fiberglass shell with supporting structure) there's no shortage of recreational boats having far, far, more in common with the molded trailers that were inspired by, grew out of, and continue to apply the lessons learned from that much larger recreational boat industry than there are meaningful or nuanced differences.

IF the molded fiberglass RV industry, small as it is, required or utilized particularly specialized materials and techniques / skillsets different from the huge recreational boat industry (which doubtless supports the development and manufacture of the systems and components used to make both), IMO it's quite likely that the niche molded trailer industry wouldn't exist at all. Noting that insofar as the trailer components other than the molded shell, those are (for better or worse) mostly the same as those items used in the much larger (dare I say it? ) 'stick-built' trailer industry.

OK, I'll drop the 'fiberglass tangent' ....

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by brroberts

Fiberglass tangent:

ETI chopper gun

Boat mat and roving and much thicker even on the small sailboat I have now.

Did have a single layer epoxy kevlar canoe with no gel coat once. Flat water only. 17” and 39lbs.

When was the last time you heard of a fiberglass structural failure with an ETI trailer?. FG tech has come a long way in the last 60 years... I haven't heard of any on the forum, but I have only been following for a year. Seems to me, it is appropriate for service intended.

[Ron in BC]

Well I was considering a response but that pretty much covered it. There's so much mis-conception about what a chopper gun is also. At the end of the day, and there's been days when I've put down two 45 gal. drums of resin with a chopper gun, the layup can be remarkable similar to hand laid mat.

Yes, sometimes only chopped strand is used, Kenworth cabs come to mind, but typically it's just taking the place of hand positioned mat and things like woven roving are still used.

Back to the original situation. If adding a heat deflector gives peace of mind, go for it. But unless it's established that the heat from a hot water heater exhaust is having any negative effect on the f.g. I'd hate to think that it's going to viewed as something that ETI should still be doing on Gen 2s.

Ron

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by brroberts

Fiberglass tangent:

ETI chopper gun

Boat mat and roving and much thicker even on the small sailboat I have now.

Did have a single layer epoxy kevlar canoe with no gel coat once. Flat water only. 17” and 39lbs.

Thankyou for your response really don’t want to get into it . Those will believe what they want to . All this for not wanting your trailer heating up and fixing the problem . Pat

[brroberts]

I agree it seems sufficient, but I’ve never owned a chopper gun boat, and won’t. I don’t mind wind and waves in my sailboat. Even my 18’ has seen gale force winds on smaller bodies of water. The Escape is built for it’s intended purpose and so have been my boats. It’s not my first fiberglass RV or boat. While they have many commonalities in construction, the layup schedule is far different between RV’s and a decent quality boat, as are the intended purposes. .

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by brroberts

I agree it seems sufficient, but I’ve never owned a chopper gun boat, and won’t. I don’t mind wind and waves in my sailboat. Even my 18’ has seen gale force winds on smaller bodies of water. The Escape is built for it’s intended purpose and so have been my boats. It’s not my first fiberglass RV or boat. While they have many commonalities in construction, the layup schedule is far different between RV’s and a decent quality boat, as are the intended purposes. .

A chopper gun thin laid up boat/trailer will burn just as fast as a heavy hand laid up boat/trailer.... Once FG ignites, its quick... Wood boats don't burn anywhere near as quickly as a fg boat...Wood boat may take a little less time to ignite, but the common misconception of "its glass, it won't burn " is sadly misplaced.... Watching F/G boats on fire is a scary scene..

[brroberts]

I agree in terms of fire. I was referencing strength and failure. I like JefferyG’s solution, and if my fiberglass gets hot, I’ll do something similar. Fiberglass boats do burn hot. I’m sure RV’s are no different in that regard. I’ll definitely have more options than just the ETI supplied fire extinguisher. I don’t know what temp polyester resin starts failing, but I used a propane torch when I needed to break the epoxy bond when moving hardware on my ice boat.