Underbelly

[Redapple63]

My first suggestion is, if you are going to do this and you are inclined to fix a water or future water issues, upgrade to the water manifold. I can not say what you're water lines are like but mine was designed to continually fail with a string of water lines out one branch and the shoddy pex to flexible tubing connections. This is why my underbelly has been removed so many times.

I wished I could have done this all at once with the underbelly removed. The manifold was installed December. The underbelly was not removed. Just the flex water lines in the pass through were replaced, we left the flex lines that were covered by the underbelly. A friends nephew, apprentice plumber, did the majority of the work so i had to pay him when i strained my back. Total cost around 800. If the belly was off and it was summer, I could do it all for around 500.

It is so much easier to run and fix new lines underneath and pushing through, instead of reaching and crawling in the pass through. Go with the segmented underbelly. I have four sections. I wished I had thought about the furnace return. Take the damn Nautilus system out. All those functions are useless. I blow air out of my lines to winterize, don't use pink stuff. Side benefit, I get to install the star link cable.

Awesome write-up! Thank You. I know this is a very big topic, especially among those living in cold areas that want to protect the plumbing or those that have had to drop the chloroplast to fix the plumbing and ultimately have the same discovery you had.
Thanks for sharing!

Bill

[Dadeo6472]

The total cost was about $800-$1,000. I remember buying:
pipe heater wire and pipe insulation,
wire ties and stainless screws,
50 or so replacement screws that hold the corroplast to the frame (the originals rusted or broke when removing)
electrical tape
wire nuts
spray foam
corroplast
sheets of foam insulation
replacement wiring (some of the original wiring was so bad it had to come out).
protective bunny suit and gloves -- the spray foam is a mess
protective ground cover (you don't want the foam on the driveway).

[Dadeo6472]

I really have to add that the total lack of workmanship I found is a reason I may never buy another RV that was made in northern Indiana. I have the privilege of having an RV and boat mechanic and dealer as a neighbor. He gave me lots of advice on this project. He was both disgusted and not surprised by what we found under my Grand Design trailer. He indicated that the RV industry seems to be in an unstoppable quality free fall, while the quality of the small boats and cruisers he works on has never been better. His opinion is that the RV industry is comparatively small, poorly regulated, geographically concentrated and dependent on an incestuous workforce of managers and workers who jump from plant to plant. Meanwhile the small craft (under 50 foot) marine industry is diverse and worldwide; made up of small and large companies that are part of a huge marine industry with dozens of suppliers and OEMs. Plus I think it helps the marine industry that it is more regulated for safety and has stricter standards... like you'd never see wiring run unsupported or without strain relief every 12 inches in a boat over 20 feet. And you'd never find piles of flammable sawdust behind panels left over from the boat building process, like I found in my trailer.

[lorend]

Had to remove underbelly and insulation, ice maker line broke. Has anyone used closed cell foam board instead of the batten insulation?

It is a mess underneath, glad I'm getting a chance to fix things but wished it wasn't at Imperial Dam LTVA. There is a lot of rub wear on the PEX lines where it runs through the frame.

I like the idea of replacing the insulation with the foam board. I ended up having to make a new hot tub cover and did it with the foam board. I even sealed the foam board in plastic to help repel any water. Spent $60 compared to a new cover at $700. The foam board is definitely more water resistant than the batten.

[exfiredude]

Used black FlexSeal tape for minor patches afterward. Remember "as seen on TV". Actually works!

[Dave-Judy]

I've learned a lot from this thread. Thanks. We had a similar situation. Except it was a broken hydraulic hose improperly installed. The wiring, plumbing and hydraulic hoses were a mess!! No certified plumber or electrician would have left their work like this. If we are going to pay this much for a unit, at least build it right!! There, I've vented and feel better now. :-) I wrote a blog post about the incident here. http://davidsipher.blogspot.com/2022...adventure.html