Leak Near Battery Box - 83 Sovereign

[Alsupp]

Well, I have been battling a leak in my new to us '83 Sovereign 31' . It is under and near the battery box at the front of the trailer. I have replaced the window seal above and re-sealed all the obvious seam leaks at the entire front of the trailer with Sikaflex 1A, but there is still some dampness.

We are having lots of rain here in Kansas right now, so I have not yet had a chance to try the 'ol garden hose trick. Has anybody else fought a similar battle and have a tip on where to look?

The pressure testing concept sounds neat - I may just have to rig up something like that!

[ckeysor]

Does it leak just sitting there or when travelling? I had a panel underneath leaking and it was wicking up through the insulation to the floor board. I would also consider the vent on the roof.

[Alsupp]

Thanks for the response - I checked up top and everything appears OK. I did, however, find the corners of the square window frame were most likely the cause of the leak. Having sealed them up, I believe the worst is over. I am tempted to simply seal that front window permanently shut, but will refrain for now!

[blickcd]

I had a leak above both battery boxes on my '79. I know your leak looks like it is below the box, but just in case it is above and running down the side where you can't see, let me tell you how I fixed mine.

My leak turned out to be the seams, which looked tight outside but water seeped in and eventually oozed out of a pinhole leak in the sealant on the inside. I discovered this while I had the inner wall skin off and insualtion removed for another project. The fix was to scrape out some old sealant around the leaks and apply some fresh vulkum, and wait for a few rains to make sure the job was really done.

I know you have sealed the outside of the seam, but you just never know. I might also suggest you look at the fasteners along the bottom flange of the battery box, and even remove the battery so you can inspect the inside for cracks.

Christopher

[wahoonc]

Seams, Lights, Window(s), Rock protector, level (if mounted) and anything else above the area. You have stringers that run the length of the trailer that could be channeling water towards the front of the trailer. For fun, try tilting the trailer so the nose is higher and see if the leak goes away. I have also found there is seldom a single source for a bad leak, it is usually a confluence of multiple smaller leaks.

Aaron