Black dripping Porch light gasket?

MikeWright01

I've had my T@B 320 for a year and from the first time it was in a good rain, a black stain would drip from the gasket around the yellow porch light next to the front door.  Every time it gets wet the black oozes down the side panel.  I finally decided to take off the light to see what was causing the black staining and I found the entire rubber gasket under the light fixture had carbonized into a powdered surface.  My fingers were black just getting off the light lens.  I was wondering if anyone else had this problem.  If so how did you resolve the problem?  I have not contacted nuCamp about the problem since I can wipe off the dripping smear after it dries.  It's just annoying.  I love the camper.

Denny16

I would replace the gasket, it is going to fail and allow water unto the light fixture.  I would contact nüCamp and let them know, you might get a free gasket and/or light fixture.
cheers 

Sharon_is_SAM

@MikeWright01 - this may be a warranty claim.  Contact your dealer.  nuCamp can probably send you the gasket for DIY repair.

MikeWright01

Thanks for the advice.  I will call the dealer and nuCamp.

Rodent77

MikeWright01 said:

Thanks for the advice.  I will call the dealer and nuCamp.

I have notices the same problem when washing the trailer...following to see what your outcome is....cheers

CanadianTabber

Same problem here... contacted NuCamp and they told me to caulk around the light!

Brent

subdudely

subdudely

I have the same problem after 1 year. This is hard to remove and staining my wall panels. Not interested in adding ugly caulk. New caulk would need to compatible with existing gasket and would likely fail. These gaskets are defective and will allow for water penetration into walls, thus leading to mold.  Nu.camp should make new, better gaskets available for free replacement to all recently purchased campers.

manyman297

Mine is starting to deteriorate as well. It's not staining anything (yet). But I need to find a replacement gasket. I'm surprised how quickly it deteriorated as that side of our camper is pretty much in the shade. 

bergger

I would refer NuCamp to their own youtube video about how to check the seals and re-caulk their trailers.  Their own video says you should not need to worry about caulking areas that have an actual gasket.  Being a 2022 that you have I would be surprised if the gasket has degraded yet to the point of leaking but you never know. Ours is still looking good after 3.5 years but they may have changed gaskets and/or it may also be the climate you are in.   I would inspect it carefully and if it is leaving bad steaks and looks to be allowing water in take photos and contact NuCamp Warranty.  Tell them you would like a replacement gasket and per their video suggestions do not want to caulk this area.  The one time I worked with NuCamp warranty for a part they were very easy to work with and sent me the parts no questions asked.  

jbajor

I had the same issue.  I use 

303 Aerospace Protectant

on it to keep it from degrading

Mobean

Anyone having an issue with the rubber/vinyl gasket deteriorating and sending black streaks down the sides of the trailer?  Our 320S Boondock is only 2 years old.

manyman297

Yeah, ours is doing the same thing. Less streaking but definitely cracking. They sell a bunch of different types of these lights but in varying sizes. I feel like finding a new seal maybe more difficult than just buying a whole new replacement light. The challenge is finding the exact same size so you aren’t drilling new holes to mount it. 

bjn2

Looks like I'll want to treat our gasket with 303 protectant to stave off rot.

SLJ

Same on my 2021. I just keep wiping around it. Not a good choice. Will start looking for a different outside light to replace it.

ChrisFix

Another "same on mine" with a 2021 T@B 400. In my case, all the LED bulbs in the porch light burned out as well, so I just replaced the whole light with the same unit.

Mobean

Thanks for attaching to prior thread.  I will contact NüCamp for recommendations.

cyoung

Same problem on mine. Thinking about getting some gasket material and cutting one to fit.

Mobean

NüCamp referred me to the dealer for parts.  They do not provide parts directly to customers.  Not sure I want to replace a part with a seal that went bad in less than 2 years.  Agree with cyoung - will investigate fashioning my own seal.

Rodent77

It is a lousy product to have the gasket deteriorate so easily and cause such a mess on the trailer. Does anyone know the manufacturer of the light. Would like to see it the manufacturer has a better rubber gasket or if I could find a replacement that lines up with the current one.

cottonmouth

There are gasket companies out there that will laser cut new gaskets from a template. They'd probably be knowledgeable about materials too. It needs something with UV protection and resistance to temp swings. Maybe a silicone or fluorosilicone gasket. Mine is starting to do the same thing, and I keep my trailer covered when not in use.

CharlieRN

I also have the same issue. It's surely a low-quality gasket that deteriorates quickly due to UV rays and/or contact with low pH water (aka rain, these days). My camper is covered during the off season, which has no impact on the streaking. I too would be interested in seeing if there is a higher quality replacement out there, perhaps as @cottonmouth suggests, silicone or butyl.

Yoshi_TAB

Maybe we can get a group order coordinated?

manyman297

@ChrisFix Where did you find a replacement? My concern is finding a new gasket or entirely new light that has holes in a different position. I’d want to try and avoid drilling new holes.

ChrisFix

@manyman297
I ordered it from nuCamp via Princess Craft. It was an exact replacement.
They ask for your model/year info, but also a photo to make sure it's the same part.

Rodent77

ChrisFix but with the new light, did you end up with the same problem with the gasket. Any brand name on the light or box it came in?

@manyman297
I ordered it from nuCamp via Princess Craft. It was an exact replacement.
They ask for your model/year info, but also a photo to make sure it's the same part.

manyman297

@Rodent77 Do you recall how much they charged?

Rodent77

manyman297 said:

@Rodent77 Do you recall how much they charged?

Sorry manyman297 I was asking the question to ChrisFix, I'm having the problem with that crappy gasket.

cottonmouth

I've thought about purchasing a sheet of white silicone rubber sheet and cutting my own gasket. I've decided before going that route, I'm going to clean around the current gasket (perhaps with DNA?) and then apply some Capt. Tolley's Creaking Crack cure to coat the gasket edge. Anyone try something like that? It wouldn't be near as messy as caulk.

ChrisFix

@Rodent77 @manyman297
I bought the replacement almost exactly 1 year ago. It's not dripping black down the side currently, but I'm sure if I wiped it with a rag, the rag would be black. Like I said, it's an exact replacement, so I don't expect it to perform any differently.
Here is the info from the invoice:

66-00-4090     WHITER PORCH LIGHT AMBER LENS        1.00       34.56

rfuss928

I cleaned the gasket off as best I could although it still would leave a black streak on the rag no matter how much I wiped.   Then I covered it with a couple of coats of clear Polycrylic.  I'll see if that holds up next season....