Stove range hood vent leak

[frankiannell]

our 2011 30 foot Flying cloud has a leak at the plastic range vent. It's ok until the rain starts blowing hard. I have water tested it and it doesn't leak when the water is directed downward from above but when I hit it at just alittle on an angle it leaks thru the flap.if I tape over the bottom of the flap it's fine..It seems that the little hood that sticks out is just not long enough to protect the flap from blowing wind. Any ideas ? So ..where else should I be looking for known trouble spots for leaks ?

[TankerIP]

Does your vent have little "thingeys" on each side of the flap to secure the flap closed whenever you are not using the vent? I'm wondering why you needed to put tape up there, when there should be some other kind of restraint.

If there is still a leak once the flap is secured closed, then you have another kind of problem that might mean you need to replace the vent itself.

[frankiannell]

yes my vents have those little plastic " thingies " that secure the flap closed.. which I had locked..I place the tape across the bottom of the flap where the flap rests against the base of the frame. As long as the tape is there it won't leak..remove the tape and spray water from a slight angle to allow the water to hit the bottom of the flap, and it will leak

[TankerIP]

Yep...sounds like what I had. ( http://www.airforums.com/forums/f456...ter-59831.html ) Actually, before spending the money for a replacement, I might try to find some kind of adhesive backed sealing strip that you can put on the flap to create a positive seal between the flap and the seat. (Here at home, I would cut a strip of bicycle inner tube and glue it under the flap with something like Goop. Hmmm...may not work but at least a first time attempt). Could be your auto supply store (Autozone, O'Reilly, etc) has a real neat door/window trim strip with adhesive that would make a good seal up there. Good Luck

[Naper]

Was water running in on the wall above the stove?

[frankiannell]

yes we had water seeping down at the seam above the stove.The dealer claims that it's been a problem every so often and that there's really no fix,the factory says that they haven't experienced this before..but that they can fix it by either changing the vent or just removing it and re-sealing the 2 piece unit..Seems to me that they are using a vent that was ment to be used on a straight walled Rv . Since it's on a RV with curved walls it leaves the flap expossed to leaking due to blowing rain.I've proved this by using a hose and directing the water at different angles..from the top ...no problem..from a slight angle hitting the flap...it leaks..why put a $ 2.00 plastic vent on a $ 70,000 RV ??

[lbdesign]

I have experienced the same issue. No problem with mild rain, but with "cats & dogs" rain, or wind-driven rain, water comes in and pours out over the stove, even when the flap is firmly shut by the two plastic tabs. I have tried an experiment using Moritite temporary caulk —*sealing the whole thing over, and am waiting for the next "cats & dogs" rain, which may be a while. I also suspect a design flaw: the plastic "awning" hood that covers the flap on the exterior has a central support piece that connects the outer edge of the hood to the body of the AS. I suspect that this channels water directly to the lower edge of the flap, encouraging it to enter, rather than to drip off the edge of the hood. Since, as you say, the whole thing is tipped back because the AS wall curves, the central support thingie is thus angled to channel water back to the body. If it didn't connect at the very edge of the hood, it might not be a problem, but it does connect at the very edge.

Have you found any solutions since your last post?

[KJRitchie]

Stick on weather strip on the inside of the door positioned so it just clears the frame or positioned on the lower inside edge of the frame.

Kelvin

[SilverEagle6]

I am currently having the same leak. Did any of you resolve the issue? Is the stainless vent cover wort it?

[lbdesign]

I totally covered it in Mortite as a test. While we have not had a repeat of the torrential rains that usually leak through, I have not had a leak since. But that also means I can't use the range hood like that. I think frankiannell's analysis is correct. Perhaps if I can pull off KJRitchie's custom sealer approach, it would solve the problem and still allow use of the vent. (I don't use gas for cooking at present, so it's not a safety issue for now).

[Pahaska]

I have the stainless vent cover and I have a very slow leak in driving rain. A thin bead of water runs down the wall. I don't have to worry in storage since the trailer is under roof.

I have a magnetic strip mounted on the wall just under the vent on which I store small items. If I get caught in the rain when using the trailer, I just poke a wad of paper towels above the magnetic strip and that lasts a day or two before I have to replace the towels.

[Gypsyrebel]

Hey curious how you hung magnetic strip. Tried 3m tape. It fell at 3am haha It had been suggested here so I gave it a go. I am scared to screw into aluminum

[perryg114]

I took the vent off and patched the hole till I get time to redesign it.



Perry

[kittmaster]

We have had almost 5 inches of rain in 2 days, we had multiple other leaks that have been resolved (fingers crossed) but going in this morning, I have exactly this issue.

Now the difference here is, for my investigation, I used my endoscope to probe and capture images of the water intrusion in real time as it rains like crazy. I can see a few "pin holes" right out the trailer which means....water can get it....and it is....exactly as described...It is a small trickle bead coming down in front of the stove.

Has anyone found any type of resolution for this issue? We had AS convert all our plastic to SS and I can see they used a "black gasket" and for the most part....when I remove the baraldi fan, there is water pooling up inside and then when enough shows up...it trickles down the wall.

The good thing here is that I know the source point...but its the resolution of how to fix it that concerns me.

Anyone have a good kick in the rear fix?

Thx.

[vintage6t]

Just reading through this thread out of interest but here's a random thought. Has anyone thought about trying to attach some kind of drip edge to the bottom of the outer hood itself? The goal would be to stop water from running toward and reaching the flap in the first place.

[kittmaster]

Originally Posted by vintage6t

Just reading through this thread out of interest but here's a random thought. Has anyone thought about trying to attach some kind of drip edge to the bottom of the outer hood itself? The goal would be to stop water from running toward and reaching the flap in the first place.

I spent a few hours with this under heavy rain, it isn't coming in via the flap, there are "micro holes" in the frame welding. I have some video and images of what I saw. When it was raining hard, you could actually see the water droplets going by. So it stands to reason that those are allowing the water to come in under hard conditions.

It looks like I'll be removing mine and sealing off all the holes. It will require a high power light so I can see where the holes exist and then reseal it putting it back on the trailer. This is just a bad design overall.