Truck Camper Magazine Blog

EZE RV Gutter Mod Gone Wild

It seems the July Mod Contest winner put a few reader minds in the gutter.  Immediately after the July Mod entries were published, we got not one, but two readers who performed Jim Kauffman’s EZE RV Gutter mod on their campers.

You can practically imagine them reading Jim’s mod and shouting, “Hot diggity dog!” and running out the door hollering with excitement all the way to their local RV parts store.  Yee ha!  Who says TCM doesn’t create excitement?

EZE Gutter front nose of Eagle Cap Camper

“I just finished my EZE RV Gutter mod and am awaiting the first rain storm to test it.  I bought the 50-foot roll instead of a 10-foot piece because I came up with a couple of other ideas.

EZE Gutter over water heater and exterior shower

The horizontal compartment doors on my Eagle Cap 850 (propane compartment, driver’s side rear storage, etc.) don’t leak internally, but the frames store water.  After a rain storm, when you swing the door open, you get soaked; water has filled the space between the door and the frame and just sits there until you (forgetfully) swing it open.

EZE Gutter propane compartment

To prevent this, I put a piece of EZE Gutter over each of those doors and one just below the fresh water filler tube.  When the tank reaches full and blows back, it usually runs down inside my hot water heater, so I figured what the heck, let’s see if I can stop that too.

EZE Gutter over windows

Please thank Jim Kauffman for me!” – Jim Duarte

“I have had problems with chalking due to moisture dripping from the nose of the camper (EEUUUWW!) and leaving ghost rings on the windshield of the truck.  As luck would have it, these are exactly in the sight line from the driver’s seat.  Jim Kauffman’s EZE RV Gutter mod featured in the recent TCM contest seemed the perfect thing to try to prevent these issues.

I thoroughly cleaned all stains, bug guts, dirt, and black streaks from the nose of the camper by scrubbing with a commercial bug remover and also some dryer sheets for the most stubborn insect innards.  Then I rinsed and dried the cabover completely, and degreased the intended installation line well with denatured alcohol.

EZE Gutter front nose side view

My plan was to mount the gutter as low as possible on the nose yet still maintain good function.  I  determined that I’d like a 1-inch drop from the center to each side to facilitate drainage.  To get the best position, I carefully trimmed and removed about a 1/2-inch from the bottom of the nose decal as a perfectly smooth seat is required for the gutter adhesive to bond properly.

After precisely leveling the camper,  I located the center and used a 48-inch level to mark the same point on either side of the nose of the camper.  1-inch wide masking tape was used to lay out the line for attaching the gutter.  I know from experience that my eye is not trustworthy!

EZE Gutter front nose Ascent camper

The 1-inch drop was achieved by putting the bottom edge of the tape at the center point and the top edge at each side mark (bottom of tape edge is now one inch below level).

I then applied the gutter by peeling the backer about 6-inches at a time, carefully and firmly placing it along the bottom edge of the masking tape guide.  By peeling and applying about 6-inches at a time, I achieved a near-perfect application.

When reaching the opposite end, I left the backer in place long enough to cut off the excess gutter with a very sharp knife at the exact end point desired.  Then I peeled the remainder of the backer and finished the application. I peeled off the masking tape and then followed the manufacturer’s final instruction by spending a few minutes firmly rubbing the entire length of  the gutter flange with a toothbrush handle to get a firmer bond between the adhesive and the camper nose.

I can’t wait to see how it works out!  “I ain’t afraid of no ghost (rings)!” – John Wells

 

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