Black dripping Porch light gasket?

Rodent77

I think I will check the width of the mounting screws and see if I can match a RV Porch light that lines up with the holes. I've see ones that are dimmable on Amazon, so there may be other choices out there....Unless someone has done this already and can provide us with some details....please :-)

cyoung

Took my light off again today and the sticker on the back side clearly shows the manufacture, see link.
https://itcshopnow.com/products/assurance-exterior-flood-light
Still debating on how to fix this.

SLJ

I will be ether replacing mine or replacing the gasket with something else cut to size. Don't care about the original holes as long as the new light covers the old holes. I'll just fill them with epoxy.

Rodent77

cyoung said:

Took my light off again today and the sticker on the back side clearly shows the manufacture, see link.
https://itcshopnow.com/products/assurance-exterior-flood-light
Still debating on how to fix this.

I sent the mfg a note on this issue and they responded that it is the first they have heard of this. I sent pics that some have posted here(hope you don't mind) and indicated a few of us are having the issue. They promised to look into it and see if there is a solution.

BandB

@Rodent77 thank you for contacting the manufacturer. Our 2022 Tab 320S BD has that black streaking from the porch light, too. Nucamp sent a replacement light but I do not want to bother putting it up if it will have the same problem. Looking forward to what you find out. Thanks again!

Yoshi_TAB

Hi @BandB,

Any chance you can take a picture of the gasket?    Just curious of thickness and shape before I remove  the light.  I plan just to make my own gasket out of silicone rubber or foam. Sounds like the light folks either didn't get what they asked for or specked out the wrong stuff.

Thank you

Rodent77

This is their response from the consumer support team "Thank you so much for the pictures and again for bringing this is to our attention. I will make sure these photos get seen by the right people, and hopefully we are able to come up with a solution! I will get back into contact with you when I have some answers for you! "
Hopefully they will come up with an answer soon.

BandB

@Yoshi_TAB here are a few pictures. 

BandB

@Yoshi_TAB there's a slight ridge all around the gasket which the black plastic housing fits into. I forgot to mention that no screws came with the replacement light. The white wire is marked negative and the black wire is marked positive.

Mobean

@BandB - Are you planning to splice this replacement light to existing wires or have you found an access to the porch light wires inside the TAB?

Rodent77

@BandB I wonder if that black gasket is a different rubber compound that is on the trailer. Let us know if they are when you replace your light please.

Yoshi_TAB

Rodent77 said:

@BandB I wonder if that black gasket is a different rubber compound that is on the trailer. 

Hi,

Every sub supplier of a component is likely to supply a gasket material for their item whether it be a window gasket, outside outlet gasket, etc.  There maybe some cases where NuCamp has to provide something such as their own gasket or sealant.

Outdoor gaskets are everywhere...my guess is the light folks  either didn't get what they asked for or their supplier provided them  an inferior gasket material  not rated for UV, outdoor use.

SLJ

I wipe mine off every once in a while. If it becomes a real problem I'll just make my own gasket and seal the outside edge with non-leveling lap sealant.

Rodent77

This was the response from the supplier of the light. "We did look into the issue further, and this does appear to be a common occurrence for products on the outside of RVs and trailers. We would recommend using a good streak remover- that should help clean up those unwanted streaks. If you google "Cleaner for black streaks on RV" there are some different types of cleaners and videos with reviews as well. "

Mobean

@Rodent77 - I received the identical response from the supplier.  I do not want another one of their gaskets anyway.  I found strips of EPDM rubber from Grainger https://www.grainger.com/product/APPROVED-VENDOR-EPDM-Strip-Std-1MYJ7 .  EPDM, butyl and silicone rubber are supposed to have better UV protection:


https://www.swiftsupplies.com.au/news-tips-and-guides/uv-resistant-rubber-guide/


The strips are 2 inches x 36 inches x 3/16 in thick.  They have different widths and thickness available.  3' more than I need but will fashion a template of existing gasket and cut a new gasket during the winter months.  Rewiring will require further research.

bjn2

The part number for our 2023 trailer is 69711F-BK-AM. BK is for a black shell and AM is for amber LEDs. I just bought a two-pack of 69711F-CH-3K (chrome and 3000K white LEDs) for $15 from trailerfix on eBay. 

The mounting screws are square drive. NuCamp used a very stiff sealant (probably styrene-butadiene like Shoe Goo) to mount the light and seal the hole for the wires. That makes it very difficult to pry the sealant loose enough from the wires to pull them through the hole. The fixture's gasket appears to be natural rubber, and it's not really the kind of gasket someone could craft (well) from rubber sheet. It's precision molded to fit a groove in the light assembly, and there's a raised rim around the outside shell for the light. There's white RTV sealing where the wires pass through the gasket, so replacing the gasket will mean removing the fixture's rtv and, of course, pulling the wires out through the wall. You can access the hole for the porch light and its wires by unscrewing the inside control panel. In our trailer, the thin wires for the porch light are crimped to heavier wires. The ground wire connects to a bus bar in that compartment and the positive wire connects the rocker switch for the light. To pull the fixture's wires free, I'll have to undo the butt connector crimps to the heavier wires inside. 

There are many protectants and dressings for rubber and I treated the exposed edge with expensive 303 rubber protectant, but the edge is still eroding. I'm inclined to try painting the gasket with a rubberized paint like Plasti-Dip to prevent the rot.



Note the molded groove and raised rim of the gasket. 

If you want to try and find a similar size light, this drawing with dimensions is from the ITC product page. 

bjn2

I bought a couple of these lights (chrome with white diodes) from ebay for about $15. Our 2023 trailer has a black shell with amber diodes. I removed the white silicone sealant to remove one of the gaskets and painted the edges with clear Flex Seal Liquid. But I decided to try and use the gasket already in place on the existing fixture. I removed the fixture and cleaned the eroded edge of the gasket with isopropyl alcohol. I also removed the residue of the stickers that were stuck to the gasket and the trailer wall. 

Here's what the molded gasket looks like (with the sealant painted on): 



After going through all this, I'd advise leaving the porch light installed and clean the exposed black gasket with alcohol until you you don't get a lot of black on the cleaning cloth. Then use a small brush to paint a sealant onto the rubber. A clear sealant would be a lot easier to apply with good looking results than a black one would. I don't know how well my choice of sealant will work over time. Right now the trailer is covered, so the proof will come after some months of exposure. All the black staining came from the thin exposed edge of the rubber. The unexposed rubber showed no signs of oxidation or erosion.

rfuss928

rfuss928 said:

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....

Just a follow up. 
 I never really thought about this again until this Spring as we got ready to hit the road.  I looked up at the light and thought "I can see the Polycrylic around the edge I coated - Oh! and no black streaks".  It has a bit different sheen at the right angle in bright sun.  A bit visable at the lower left end of the light.  Seems to be solving the problem so far.  I did notice the black gasket around the wheel well trim does the same thing to cleaning rags.  It just doesn't drip down the trailer side...

CampsiteGal

I have the same issue in my 2022 T@b 400 BD with the over the door light. Also I have a problem with the gasket around the external 110 outlet near the door. Black streaking off of it. I painted some silicone sealant around it, but not the light yet.

Sorry to see the manufacturer is not standing by their product. They need to get a different supplier for the gasket.

Clifco

Fixed mine from running with my wife's clear nail polish, 2 coats

Mobean

Sounds like others found a much easier fix.  I decided to fashion my own gasket during the winter from EDPM rubber which is supposedly more UV resistant.  Wires accessible from the switch plate on the wall are easy to disconnect.  Used old gasket as template and cut new gasket from 3/16" EDPM with box cutter.  Black Shoe-Goo'd the gasket to the back of the light fixture and attached to the original location.  Will see if the EDPM works any better.

cottonmouth

I wound up replacing the whole fixture. I was just going to clean up the gasket edge with isopropyl alcohol and apply Capt. Tolley's. The fixture felt a little loose, so I thought I'd tighten the screws a bit first. I barely gave them a turn to snug them down and it cracked the plastic at the screw head. I ordered a new light from the nucamp store and installed it. I went ahead and applied the Capt. Tolley's to the gasket edge to protect it.

I keep my trailer covered when not in use, so I was surprised that the plastic on the light was so brittle.

Maple_Geek

Inoticed the same issue on my 2022 TAB320S Boondock this past weekend. I will try the clear nail polish trick to see if it helps and go from there.

bergger

@Clifco and @Maple_Geek let me know how the clear nail polish works out.  After 4 years of use our 2021 400's porch light finally started to have the dreaded black streak.  

Clifco

Works great, once you apply a few coats black streaks no longer happen

bergger

Great I'll give that a try!

Maxcamp

same streaking, 2021 320s.  Documenting the commonality of this issue.  Not going to address anytime soon.