Water leak

[James Schmidt]

I know (from experience) that you are willing to consider any suggestions at this point.
Here are a couple:
1. Try unleveling the rig and put the front end down Wait for a rain or wet it down.-see if water still comes out at the window hinge. Then do the same thing but unlevel it from side to side and see what happens. This might point to where the water is coming in.
2. Take a close look at the awning rail. There is a small screw on each end of the rail to keep the awning from working out as you travel. I found that the PO had changed the screw to a longer one with a sharp point and it had penetrated the skin. It is extremely hard to find. I took the screw out and inserted an ice pick and measured how far it went down-presto-through the skin.
3. This one is obvious--Do your searching above the leak and anywhere on the trailer skin. IT WILL RUN A LONG WAY DEPENDING ON HOW THE RIG IS LEVELED.
4. Don't forget the vent pipe gaskets. They only last a few years and can really be a large leak.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Raptorrider2001]

Thanks James. I have tried lowering the front as well as raising the front. Still leaks. When we have a good rain, it takes about 30+ minutes for it to begin to show up. I think it is pooling somewhere and eventually creeps back along the struts to the back window area. Blocking up one side or the other just diverts it to the side of the window. It is not coming in at the window. It is actually running down between the inner and outter skins where the insulation and headliner are. It drips just in front of the window frame and onto the night stand between the beds. I have also redone the vents and refrig cover. I have pulled both skylights during a rain and can not find any evidence of water in the insulation around them. The same goes for the a/c. I can leave the plenum off and still see no signs of water coming in around the seal. The shop has even replaced all of the rivets on the rear cap fwith the new O-ring type and I have had the front 5 panels replaced because of hail damage. I had the leak before the hail damage. It has actually gotten worse since they started messing with it. Originally, it was just a small drip once in a while. Now it is a drop about every 5 seconds. So far, I have been able to keep a bucket under it. I catch as much as a quart during a good rain. The last time I had it pressurized, I had them take out both the front and rear bolts that hold the awning on and fill the holes and then reseal the bolt. I take it in tomorrow to be fitted with a new awning and I am going to ask them to take the entire railing off and redo it before installing the new awning. It just seems that with it leaking this much, I should be able to see some evidence on top where it might be entering. I may just have to have a cover made for it and throw it on when it looks like rain....

[dscluchfc]

Sounds like water hose time to me. Process of elimination.
If it is appearing at the night stand, then it has to be above the nightstand.
I might wait until there was a rain so that everything is "soaked up" in the insulation, have the front raised high, and then start rivet by rivet at the beltline in the back hosing the rivets while having someone watch for water inside. A time consuming aggravating process to be sure.
Eventually, running water on each potential entry point in the trailer WILL produce results.
Some of the leaks I have found have been so hard to discover and so simple to repair once found. The last one for me that puzzled me forever was a clearance light, and running light leak. The lights were sealed with Parrbond to the trailer, so I am thinking, can't be that....wrong. Inside the light, under the lens, there is an opening where a single wire emerges for contact. Over time, the lenses had retained some dust inside the lens caps that prevented any water getting under the lens cap from draining on the outside. Therefore it drained to the inside of the outer skin of the trailer via the wire path because the seal around the wire on the mounting plate had failed due to heat and time.
So, I removed the lenses, cleaned them up, and placed a dab of Parrbond around the wire entry point. Now, the water that manages to get under the lens during a rain is free to drain on the outside of the trailer.
You probably have three clearance lights over the rear window, each one a potential point of entry in a way that you may not see at first inspection. I certainly didn't.
Anyway, keep chasing the leak....eventually you will prevail and save the need of a full monty floor replacement in the process. It IS worth it to find the leak and stop it.

[Raptorrider2001]

Thanks David. We have done the clearance lights like you described also. I thought at first that sealing around the wiring was bound to fix it. We even did it again the last time it was pressurized just to be sure. I will try the hose again.

[tincanholiday]

Just a recap on the caulk products, I am going to redo the seams on the roof and above the windows, I am removing the windows cleaning and replacing- (vista views) and it seems that Vulkem is the product of choice for both jobs or am I misreading.

[Raptorrider2001]

TinCan- This is a note I received from a friend recently about the caulking. Vulkem was all that I had been told about from AS. I used the white on top and aluminum on the windows, etc. as per their instructions.

"AS recommends Acryl-R for exterior seams – have some – have never used it & Sikaflex for interior seams. Parr-Bond is very thin &
wicks into small gaps – not very good for anything over 1/16” . Comes in clear, aluminum and gray I think. Bostik 1100 is the AS recommended
sealer for roof vents (the recommended list changes over time – but these products are all available at the AS store). Vulkem is “the’
recommended sealer when replacing sheets of metal and is really good stuff – should be good for 20+ years. Bostik 1100 is a urethane
sealer."