Vent Leak

[hoofer]

My 25', 2000 Safari has started leaking water in rain storms. The water runs down the wall behind the range. I am guessing that it is coming in from the range vent. I ran a bead of silicon calk around the outside of the vent, to no avail. I guess next I have to remove the vent, lay in a good bead of calk, and replace the vent. Before I do that, does any have experience with a leak in the area of the range? Am I on the right track? Is there one brand of calk that is best for this job? Thanks for any help/advise, Jim

[Minno]

Do not use silicone caulk on aluminum! It'll eat the aluminum away over time. Best to use what is commonly called vulkum, aka tempro 635. Some of the big lumber stores carry it. Also available at Vintage Trailer Supply, Out of Doors Mart, and Inland RV.

Link so you know what to look for: TremPro 635

Chris

[aquinob]

Usually its the sewer vent that leaks after a few years. There is a piece of rubber that goes around the pipe to keep the water out and when that dries out, water can accumulate and then start to drain down into the walls. Not sure about your trailer, but mine has two, one mid way right near the range vent and one all the way back aft. Easy enough fix.

What they usually look like:


With a new piece of rubber (just a circle in the middle that allows the rubber to surround the pipe).



Trimmed up and sealed. You cant see it, but there is a weep hole or groove in the side closest to the awning. That allows the rain that can get in there to drain out.



With the roof painted and sealed:

[bolerama]

We had a leak in our 2008, in the same area. I thought it was the range vent also. It was the Sky light.. the factory screwed down the Skylight too tight which cracked. Fortunately it was still under warranty at the time..

Paul

[lbdesign]

I've got the exact same problem. Water collects just inside the flap on the exterior, builds up, and then drains out into the trailer at the point where the rangehood vent penetrates the wall. I asked the dealer to fix it. They ran a nice bead of sealant all around the exterior vent, but that did nothing. They said next thing to try would be to remove all the exterior vent screws one by one, dip them in silicone, then replace them.
But based on the amount of water I get, I think it's coming from something else.

Is your AC directly in line with your vent hood? The tech said that although the AC drip pan seldom cracks, there is a little hose that brings water from the AC pan down to the curbside to drain. If the joint where that hose attaches in the ceiling separates or leaks, the water will run down the inner skin and could hit that point over the stove. Or it could be any number of roof leaks that run down the interior skin and out.

I have no idea how they'd figure out my hose condition. I'm not crazy about towing it all the way back to fix something that was already there to be fixed once. I feel like the dealer should have leak-tested it after sealing, since I explained it was a quantity of water and a potentially very damaging leak...

Can anyone else share range leak stories? Is there some secret leaky thing about the range vent?

Thanks...

[sandlapper]

I fought that same leak for 2 years. Water came in/around the vacinity of the range vent. Took the range hood out, things looked fine. Put Parbond around the vent, still leaked. Best I could, checked/sealed rivets, anything that looked suspect.

Finally I used the rubber "gasket" off a standard sheet metal type screw commonly used to screw down metal roofing/siding. One at a time, I removed the stainless screw, put some parbond in the hole, put the rubber "gasket "on the original stainless screw, put it back in. Seems to have done the trick.

I've also noticed that the new trailers come from the factory with a rubber "gasket" under the screw. It is quick and easy to do, might work for you, don't think it will hurt anything.

John

[swede0030]

Same Safari, same leak, cracked skylight at screw holes.
remove the blind and trim and you should find your water trail.
Search "Maxim skylight" and replace it with a unit that won't bother you again.

[murreywalker]

Originally Posted by Minno

Do not use silicone caulk on aluminum! It'll eat the aluminum away over time. Best to use what is commonly called vulkum, aka tempro 635. Some of the big lumber stores carry it. Also available at Vintage Trailer Supply, Out of Doors Mart, and Inland RV.

Link so you know what to look for: TremPro 635

Chris

Chris, Silicone II is formulated to have NO effect on aluminum.

At least that's what GE says and I suppose they wouldn't say that and suffer the results of a great deal of damage suits.

[perryg114]

I have used the Silicone II stuff and it is crap. It stays relatively soft that you can just scrape it off with your finger. Use the urathane based stuff like Trempro-635. I have used that Silicone II around the house because it is paintable and it is worse than the latex caulks.

Perry

[lbdesign]

In advance of soaking rain that arrived today, I pulled out all 10 range vent screws, dipped them in silicone, and replaced them. There seemed to be something black and gooey that held the screws in place -- maybe the gasket that Sandlapper noticed, or maybe some other kind of sealant. I used a LOT of silicone to be safe.
Anyway, so far so good. It rained and there was no leak inside, and I also went outside and felt around inside the vent duct from the exterior, and it was dry in the duct. Previously, water had been accumulating in the duct, even if it was not fully leaking through to the interior.
If it comes back, I'll post again...