1994 Solaris 2654 rebuild

[B.Smith2]

Greetings. In march of 25 , I bought my '94 sunline with the intentions of using as winter quarters as I tried out this "snow bird" thing. The ad disclosed that there was "some" water damage. Well when I got into it I found that the front 12 feet of a 26 foot unit had to be replaced! Fear not!! All of the rot and mold has been removed, and replaced with new wood in the foundation, sub floor and walls. Once I got the wall stable I could move onto the roof. Luckily I was able to water tight it with just seam work. New roof is next years project. That is enough about the intro of me and my unit. Look for me in the solaris forum room as I have questions that are to big for the intro section Thank you B.smith65

 

[JohnGB]

Welcome B.Smith2!

I see you are "Into it". Yes, the prior owner may have had no idea what a "little water damage" that they saw inside might turn into.

I can see that you had a corner molding to siding seal leak, window-to-siding leaks, and possibly a roof seam leak. All that water goes "down" into the basement and then can't get out. And the basement water starts rotting out the floor. The putty tape that seals the moldings or frames to the siding breaks down, and then leaks slowly seep in. Years of seeping then turn into what you are seeing. It took many years to create all that damage.

The good news is that the way these campers are made, if you have some woodworking skills, as we see you do, it is all repairable. Keep up the good work!

John

 

[B.Smith2]

Welcome B.Smith2!

I see you are "Into it". Yes, the prior owner may have had no idea what a "little water damage" that thethey saw inside might turn into.

I can see that you had a corner molding to siding seal leak, window-to-siding leaks, and possibly a roof seam leak. All that water goes "down" into the basement and then can't get out. And the basement water starts rotting out the floor. The putty tape that seals the moldings or frames to the siding breaks down, and then leaks slowly seep in. Years of seeping then turn into what you are seeing. It took many years to create all that damage.

The good news is that the way these campers are made, if you have some woodworking skills, as we see you do, it is all repairable. Keep up the good work!

John

 

[B.Smith2]

As you can see i gutted it down to the belly pan. The only thing holding up roof was the fridge cabinet. I had to do the floor first so I had something to stand on. Then I could do the walls to support the roof. I had no idea where plumb square and level was, so I had a 4x4 on a jack with a 2x6 spanning what was left of the roof trusses. I jacked it up until the door quit sticking. Squared and leveled from that point. I ended up building 3 roof trusses, replacing 12 feet of wall on the road side, and 4 feet on the curbside. On the bright side, I was able to waterproof it with eternabond. New roof is next year. New(used) awning to cover the open air workshop, then start the mechanical side. More to come later.

 

[B.Smith2]

Than

 

[B.Smith2]

Thanks for the support John g! Northern Michigan winters are not friends with uncovered campers.

 

[JohnGB]

Wow, almost the white shed layer on the EPDM rubber roof is gone.
https://www.sunlineclub.com/attachments/20250902_143844-jpg.1940078/

There is very little membrane left. It may only be 15 mils (0.015") thick left. It started out being 45 mil (0.045") thick with the white layer. Dicor warranted it would last 12 years, and it exceeded that expectation by a considerable margin.

The Ebond will help, but that membrane is fragile right now. Your 1994 camper may be one of the first to have the EPDM rubber roofs.

If the roof itself is still sound and all the roof plastic has been replaced, there are coatings to restore the white layer. If you are considering a coating route, let's discuss that separately, as it's a topic of its own.

Keep up the good work.

John