Hey all, thanks for the recommendations for Dicor, Sikaflex, and Lexel caulking instead of the waterproof silicon caulking I used on the back hinge area. I'll look into those for the future :)

@SouthernGinger

2 ай бұрын

Yeah Dicor is your friend.. :D Good for around your ceiling fan as well. Nice build!

What a beautiful place!!!

I feel for you. Here in So Cal we had some heavy rains also. Always fun working in this type of weather.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Seems like there's storms everywhere. Stay safe out there!

The trailer looks great so glad you guys didn’t have any bad damage.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Thank you! Me too, would've been a bummer.

Put the whole thing in a giant bag of rice....

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Why didn't I think of that??

@corydriver7634

2 ай бұрын

😂

Cool! Here in Brazil we also have a glue that sticks everything together!🙂

Looks good so far.

My first trailer was a used piece of junk (wood) that I flipped and sold off to a poor unfortunate ignorant customer. Working on that thing taught me a ton about RV construction. I quickly learned that the number 1 issue for RVs turning into garbage was wood rot water leaks. Once that foundation gets wet you're screwed!!!! I used the money to buy an RV platform. This time I bought composite fiberglass+plastic. I've been working on that for about 2 years now. So far it's performing great but I still go the extra mile to cover my trailer with tarps, spray it with car wax, coat everything with plasti-dip, etc. If you want it to last forever you have to fight mother nature!!! Get your ass on the roof, slide under your trailer with a magnifying glass and a flashlight, feel the entire ceiling by hand, and check every trim and seal, etc.

Be safe, have a great weekend

Great video Elana

Very nice! Great work.

when i store my camper i have a plastic dish pan that i put the kitty litter of my choice in and set it in my camper to absorb dampness, and condensation from the windows hope this helps .happy trails

Nice troubleshooting!

Great video Elena Makes

Wow that was so cool. Nice appreciate your work.

A dehumidifier would work so much better and faster than those disposable pouches. And would save you a lot of money in the long run. They comes in various sizes now.

This feel's like such an authentic video, life sometimes just throws these situations at us!

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Glad you thought so :) I think we’ve all had situations like this go down.

I built an ultra light camper to pull behind my ebike and water was my biggest worry...so far, it has been outside without a cover for about 6 months...including an entire Canadian winter, and so far, I have been very fortunate to have no leaks. I use drip rails everywhere...along the roof line, around the bottom "skirt", around doors and windows. I didnt put any holes in the roof. I put my fan on the wall at the very top, with a drip rail above it. I made brackets for a roof rack that attaches to the walls instead of roof, and attached solar to the roof rack. Cable passthroughs on the walls. Also...I used a 1x2 wood skeleton, but the rest of the camper is foam. I used vinyl to finish the inside. There is no space in the wall for water...it is a lamination to the foam. The entry way door has dual seals...and exterior seal as well as an internal. The entire exterior is glued foam and essentially one big piece of laminate which is glued to a 1x2 skeleton. All door jams and windows have butyl tape as a seal. So far it has had a foot of snow on it, been through many storms. I think the drip rails might help you here...they are typically rubber with adhesive backing, so you just cut it with scissors and apply like tape. It is pretty cost effective on a small camper...$60 would probably be enough for the whole camper. It blocks wind and keeps the rain dripping off the roof like and eavestrough would on a house.

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

Nice! Sounds like a cool project.

I just love your videos

Life is not about finding yourself Life is about creating yourself

Hopefully the fixed parts help 😮

During travel and temperature gradients, the metal framework can expand/contract and even warp. You towed the vehicle in rain when it was first built and it was dry inside? If so, maybe your weather seal material has failed or, at least, shrunk? Anyway, nice build. Good idea using desiccant during storage. Cheers.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Definitely possible things have shifted / shrunk with time and temperature changes.

This is the first time I've seen your channel. I really like this build and hope you get your weatherproofing worked out. Keep it up!

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

Appreciate it :) it's almost there, just needs some tweaking.

Elena, good video. On the bright side, you found leaks and hopefully fixed it. What's great is that you guys built it so you know how to remove/fix it instead of paying someone to fix it. Also, if it happens again (hopefully not), maybe stick a portable fan in there and just let it run so you dont have to sit there with a heat gun. Great upgrades though!!

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

We have a fan in the top vent, so I had that running too, but a couple extra fans wouldn't have hurt.

Elena…..I am so proud of you. I love to see young women take an interest in how to do things. It will really payoff in your future. It is so expensive nowadays to hire someone. I found out a long time ago that the silicone caulking is not as good as a person would expect. It eventually pulls away with the hot and cold flexing. You and I would make a great pair. I know how to do lots of this kind of stuff as well as building houses. I would love to see some camping videos if you could make some of yourself doing that. So impressed with you! Thanks for sharing.

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

Thanks! I would love to share more of the outdoors/camping stuff I do... we shall see.

Place a dehumidifier unit in your teardrop…along with a circulating fan…will dry it all out!

I can recommend Sikaflex instead of usual caulking / sealant. That stuff can be extremely sticky, but barely ever comes off. The teardrop camper is so pretty.

@s.spencerwaldorf7001

3 ай бұрын

I second that. I use both sikaflex as well as 3M 4200 or 5200 in my boats under the waterlines. For what you need Sikaflex or 4200 is perfect.

If this is anything like the rain we’ve been having in Europe since before Christmas I don’t think even the best built house would stay dry 100%, our cellar has been under a few cm water since 23 December which doesn’t seem bad but we are next to moorland and the fire dept will only come out at 6 cm as so many people have had a problem, still, in feb now and black mould is crawling as is the moor colored water on the white walls. Mother Nature is a beach and is sent to try our patience, wishing you lots of luck on the damage control, Greetings from Germany🇩🇪, you got this💪🏻

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Thanks! Sounds like a lot of places are dealing with extreme storms these days 😔

You should try life here in the UK. it rains nearly every day, and during the summer when technically its supposed to be dry, it can rain even more. Anyone from overseas that wondered if its true what people say about the weather here, got a good example last year when the Kings Coronarion was televised to an international audience on a supposedly Spring day - cold and wet!

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

I feel very lucky for the (typically) pleasant weather we get around here. I have heard the constant drizzle of the UK is not an exaggeration!

Hello, I am Amin from Morocco. I like your content, Tawfiq

Your camper was soooo moist 😂😂😂

@alphareano1002

2 ай бұрын

Ladies are soo immature. My sister told me the same nonsense. How the hell am I supposed to describe a delicious cake? It's watery wet...!? It's moist goddamn it!!! Just say it!!!! It's NOT GROSS!!! It's just a stupid harmless word!!!

Wow ❤❤❤

Oh bummer.These winters are getting so bad.

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

Overall, the weather is nice around here 80% of the time, so I can't complain too much.

as others pointed out, use automotive / boat / camper materials, not kitchen/bathroom materials. also, the construction for the trunk may be never watertight. take a look at automotive trunks, there are ways for water and a large sealant area all the way around.

Geocel Proflex is another good sealant, non silicone.

Time to check and double check all of the build, if you couldn’t keep water out, imagine what would happen if the thing comes apart at high speeds on the road! Keep the public safe.

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

It is built extremely sturdy and how water proof something is does not equate to its structural integrity. Additionally, we had to get it inspected and registered at the DMV to even get it on the road.

@tobedetermined4180

2 ай бұрын

@@elenamakes wish you all the luck.

On the bright side, retail rvs will have even more leaks.

I also tried to do my own door but after unsuccessfully I wasn't able to seal it correctly, I bought a used door an modified it to fit my Teardrop.

Even high end RV’s will leak in storms like that. Don’t feel bad. They do make some weatherproof covers but they are kind of expensive.

It is unbelievable where the rain can find its way into when there’s a strong wind🫤 I’m happy it all turned out well, it’s a really nice build!

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Thank you 😊

Go to a marine supply and get marine grade sealant. It works a hundred times better

@alphareano1002

2 ай бұрын

Absolutely! I read about this everywhere. Whenever you're building anything just use marine grade anything for RV stuff. It's designed to last long for salty wet weather conditions under coastal blazing sunlight. Plenty of RV manufacturers cutting corners for profits using non-marine grade stuff and it ends up costing everyone. There's no way around it. Pay more and bite the bullet cost of quality!

👌good vedio

You might consider using Sikaflex sealant on your seams rather than any other silicone sealer, it seems to maintain better flexibility and resistance to cracks and UV degradation.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

I'll look into that brand. Thanks!

@truckguy6666

3 ай бұрын

Sika products are excellent.

We live in Florida and when we weren't going to use the RV I put two Damp Rid's inside and was always surprised the amount of moisture collected. Good luck.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Surprisingly, I had never heard of this product until this incident but it does work well.

I like to use Lexel caulking on the exterior, silicone doesn’t work very well

Sideways rain due to bad wind is deffo where your problems came from, that silicone around the end of the hinge looks a bit worse for wear so might as well re do it and do it overkill for peace of mind.

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

That darn sideways rain / wind 😔

Leaks suck, repairing must be smother going since you guy built it. Little upgrades are icing on the cake👌. Definitely a nice camper.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Thank you!

there's literally a song called, "it never rains in southern california" lol. that's a bummer! the camper looks awesome though. y'all did a great job with it!

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

lol don't get me wrong, we need the rain... just not all at once. Thank you! 😊

Hi, I myself open all windows to let circulating and use ventilation by humidity and of course wish off by wetness. I hope that your trailer will be better. I’m happy to read captions because of my deafness. Do you know ASL ( American Sign language ) ? Best greetings from Germany.

Planning for all eventualities is difficult if not impossible at best. Go easy on yourself. You built a fibulas RV. That is a major accomplishment. Storms like the one that came through your are a result of climate change. Prepare as best you can. Where I live snow is possible in winter, but not usual. This winter, in a mater of two weeks we had three snow storms that almost caused white out conditions. This also is a result of climate change. There is not much more you can do. I watch you because of the person you are and the wonderful things you create. Take care of yourself. Take your time. I will be looking for the next one!

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Thanks! Hope you’re staying safe from any storms in your area.

@runnerandgunner7954

3 ай бұрын

How do you know that "this also is a result of climate change"? Maybe you just got three snow storms in two weeks. How long will you now go without any snow storms? If you don't get any more snow storms for three years, does that mean that "climate change" is no longer a problem? Will you then declare the dangerous menace of "climate change" to be solved?

@stevepiechock9234

3 ай бұрын

The nature of your question being sarcastic, I will not address it more than to say, my knowledge is derived from a lifetime of education. Meteorology being one. If you did some basic research, records over the last thirty years would open your eyes.@@runnerandgunner7954

I made my my tiny home with a metal galvanized roof. It’s attached to 2x4’s around the edge so there is no screws through the roof at all.

I guess having the moisture remover inside of the trailer while it is not is use might be a generally good idea. Then you can keep the roof hatch always closed.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Yeah, it might be what I do from now on as it seems to work well.

Super music to work.

Elena, from the "Moist People", in general, Moisture does not have the same triggering effect so you're good. Yes we went through the same storm here in NorCal that knocked out power for 30 hours, blew down trees and branches, and our pergola cover became and airfoil which lifted some of the purlins right off their joists, nails and all.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Yeah it was a rough one, hope you and your family are all ok!

Try a towel on the wood with an iron should work & not damaged it 👍🏻

Hola hermosa dama, acabo de ver tu video y me inscribí a tu canal, desde México te saludo, ojalá un día haya títulos en español, siento mucho que entró agua en tu casa remolque, considero que sería mucho mejor que tengas una pequeña camioneta krafter VW, sería asta menos peligroso al conducir ya que un remolque siempre es más peligroso en las vueltas en carretera, cuídate mucho.🌷

Forgive my little delay but there’s a storm here too🤗

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

haha all good, hope you're staying safe from the storms.

@paulpass3813

3 ай бұрын

@@elenamakes🙂😊

It's the wind that is a nightmare in these situations. Seals are normally designed with rain following the path of gravity, with overlapping sections protecting the joints. But add strong wind and water will just go straight up a wall and find its way through cracks with pressure. Even roof tiles are a nightmare for this.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Totally. We are lucky it just barely fits in our garage for any future storms.

Silicone is not a good calking for RVs. You should really use something like Dicore for your sealants.

@alphareano1002

2 ай бұрын

Wax is also a great first line of defense!! In the automotive world wax is used to resist water and make your paint and materials last longer. They even have wax in spray on and rub in form. Definitely worth the time and investment imo?

مرحبا فيديوجميل جدا❤❤رائع جدا❤❤❤😊😊

Bring it back in…rains coming.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Yep, already back in. Sadly, her freedom was short-lived.

@farnitureshopalmari6836

3 ай бұрын

hi ........ plz

That's a shame that it leaked. Not that I know anything about building an rv, but from what I saw in the video, it looks like the sealant peeled away from the plastic trim? If so, maybe scuffing up the trim where the sealant is going to be applied would give it some bite? Anyway good luck with the fix.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Yeah, we might need to re-do that whole sealant section around the hinge. Some people have recommended other types / brands of caulking that work better for RVs / campers so I 'll need to do more research.

Closing it up and installing Damp Rid is probably the opposite of what you should do. Open everything up to get maximum air circulation and run as many fans as you can get your hands on. If you’ve ever seen a home with water damage from flooding or maybe a broken pipe, this is exactly what professional mitigation companies do. Air flow is key. I have several friends in the mitigation business.

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

I hear ya. I did open up everything for awhile with the fan going but the garage isn’t fully insulated and humidity was a bit high due to the storm so made the call to go with the damp rid route and it worked well enough.

For the future, caulk, especially those cheap silicones, don't stick to plastics. They aren't chemically compatible. Any movement will cause the bond to fail. Also, you can't fill a void with caulk like a plug and expect it to stay sealed if there is any movement. If left outside, thermal movement is movement. Movement will cause what adhesion there is to fail as caulk needs to move. Caulk plugs don't move, therefore won't stretch and will fail from the surface of least adhesion. Rule of thumb with good caulk sealants, you want the depth to be half the width up to 3/8" but not less than 1/8" to 1/4". If the depth exceeds that, you will need a bond-breaking material like backer rod behind the caulk sealant. Try to find caulk sealants that are compatible with your materials.

@alphareano1002

2 ай бұрын

Something I learned when bonding to surfaces with cements is that you wanna make the surface course and rough so the glue has something solid to bind into and grip. Never bind directly to a smooth surface. If you do remove/clean off the protective wax first and then score it a bit before applying your bond on a clean and dried surface. Walmart also sells specific RV roof sealant designed for this very job. Worked perfectly on my new roof vent system!

Faină rulotă cumpărată făcută❤😢😮😅😊

Boa noite Elena Sou brasileiro moro na Bahia, encontrei seu canal pôr acaso, gostei muito do seu trabalho, também sou apaixonado por marcenaria, já vi vários vídeos seu vejo que também gosta muito da arte, e pena que a legenda só está em inglês.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Hello! I’ll look into captions for other languages :)

There was a light leak coming from bottom Wright part of your door

😇

lotta risk for... small amount of return. galley side/seal/overhang is too short. lotta hatches have kind of a channel through them so if water does get back there it runs around a seal and out.

🥰

👍👍👍🌻

What a great thumbnail! How did you come up with that idea? It is very well fitting or the video!😊

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

haha thank you. Just good ol’ fashioned brainstorming 🧠⚡️

At 9:59, is that light seen from a bad door seal lower right corner?

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Yep, the method we used ~a year ago to put weather-stripping around the doors needs improvement. We made it difficult for ourselves to weatherproof by deciding to go the custom door route. 😅

Damp Rid won't help dry the wood, it only pulls moisture from the air, that has already evaporated.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

That’s why I opened up the spaces the water was settling so that it could evaporate and get picked up in the closed camper.

@sdspivey

3 ай бұрын

@@elenamakesThat's my point, don't close up the camper and it will dry faster. The Damp Rid can't speed it up any more, just wastes your money.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

@@sdspivey I hear you, but once the storm cleared up, I wanted to get the camper back outside as it's near impossible to work on anything in the garage with it in there. In that case, the Damp rid helps to continue to dry it while it's closed up + covered outside.

Unwanted - and worse, unlocatable - water sucks. My 2017 Ram 1500 gets water under the back seats in heavy rain, and I've already replaced the 3rd brake light gasket and sliding rear window seals. Very frustrating. I hope you get this all licked. It's a pain in the ass.

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

Appreciate it!

dear Elena you are so beautiful.

😢

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 je suis Marocco

Send the camper back to the dealership you should have two three years warrantee,

Btw you are so beautiful 🥰

Aren’t campers supposed to be water tight ?

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

Yep, and this one is but when you make one for the first time from scratch there might be some little issues to fix / figure out later when the history making storms come through.

I’m planning to build an airplane it doesn’t look very difficult

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

best of luck bud

There are people who don't like the word moist? Really?? OMG!!

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

lol there are.

Don't worry, even tesla cars are leaking :)

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

haha well now I don't feel so bad.

Moist Von Lipwig

Moist.

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

💧

next time instead of a heat gun... just use a dehumidifier and some high power fans. you want air flow to dry the best. I used to do fire and water damage resto. Your heat gun was useless.

Also, I'm 99% convinced that people saying they hate the word moist are just being dramatic whiners, and just want to be relevant. $.02

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

It definitely was a big trend there for awhile lol.

You made a camper... but didn't make it independently waterproof and it requires a cover? What?

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

As I said in the video, we did waterproof the camper and it has been driven/sat in rain many times with no problems. This was the first time getting a leak due to extremely intense high winds + rain.

I loved you very beautiful

I hate this happened. Stuff like this happens to us all, rolll of the dice. At the risk of sounding stupid, are you being funny about people reacting to "moist" or are there actually people who "react negatively" to the word moist?

@elenamakes

3 ай бұрын

Both lol. Some people (at least in the US) do get really weird about that word.

@AodhMacRaynall-dr1sf

3 ай бұрын

@@elenamakes oi, some people in the US get really weird about all kinds of things. W'ere's yer 'elicopters?

😍❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🍎🍑🍐🍒🍓🍥🍭🍬

don't make it pretty make it durable

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

Good thing it’s both. And if an issue comes up, you find a way to fix it.

dear u r looking like Indian may I right watching from Pakistan ❤

Why would anyone be surprised ? You don’t have the skills to build a camper .

@elenamakes

2 ай бұрын

Actually I do. Not sure if you noticed, but there’s a camper I built in this video.

@alphareano1002

2 ай бұрын

People don't realize weather is the campers worst enemy! If you're ever building something make sure to constantly keep that in mind! Even the stuff from manufacturers will eventually leak to. It's inevitable. If you're gonna own an RV it's usually constant maintenance and a life long cost to maintain everything. F.Y.i. Sealing caulk needs to be reapplied at least once a year! The sun and rain will eventually wear this stuff out. Nothing last forever so don't sweat it if something went wrong. It's normal and expected in most cases. The real good stuff that last long is unfortunately also the stuff that cost an arm and a leg. The only quality RVs out there are the ones that cost about as much as a house!!! OMG!!! You just gotta pick your pros and cons and roll with what you got and make it work for you.