July 11, 2020 - Waxing Homer

Homer's body is all aluminum except for the front and back caps which are gelcoated fiberglass. The fiberglass really gives Homer some style and class but it oxidizes over time and is hard to keep "shiny". There are several "cleaner" waxes on the market, mostly used for boats, to remove the oxidation and wax the surface. I have had mixed success with these products over my years of waxing our first fiberglass motorhome, Marge (the fifth wheel), and now Homer. Fortunately Homer has spent most of his life under cover so the oxidation isn't "horrible". I waxed Homer from head to toe when we bought him in 2015 and haven't since. He's been to Alaska and back, California and back, and on several other trips. He's had a couple of baths but now he needs to be waxed.

It was so hot outside this week I could only work on waxing Homer for a couple of hours in the morning before the temperature got too hot and before he was in the sun. Here is a picture of the back cap after I finished putting on two coats of the "cleaner" wax product. It was hard to get a picture of the "shine" because of the sun but it came out nice overall.

The next day I tackled the front cap. It is lot smaller in size but is a pain to clean and wax because it extends partially over the hood and it is hard to reach from the ladder to do a good job. After two hours I was really hot and tired and quit for the day. The next morning I redid the second coat and it came out fine.  Here is a picture.  With the angle you can see the shine.

I also inspected the roof, which is also aluminum. It has one seam down the center which is covered with aluminum tape. The edges of the tape are beginning to curl up in a few places and the center rivets throughout are starting to wear through the tape. The aluminum tape on there is four inches wide so I ordered six inch Eternabond Tape to put over this tape to prevent any leaks. When the tape arrives I will wash the roof and apply it. It won't take long since there is just one seam. After that I will wash the sides and wax them as well. A complete outside cleaning is a slow project when I can only work a few days in the heat.

I'm still waiting for the new charger/converter to arrive. I currently have Homer hooked up to a battery charger to keep the new batteries up. Installing the new charger/converter will be a snap since it is the exact model I had that shot craps. It is still rated the best on the market so I bought it again. I hope I have better luck with the new one.