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TexasVine · 12-16-2015, 06:30 AM

Need advise on fixing a leak on our 2011 22FB. We have a minor drip at the corner of our vent when we get a hard rain. The vent cap that opens and retracts appears to have a good seal. There is a minor hairline crack on the exterior vent frame that sets in the roof. The external area around the vent frame appears to to good as well as the closest rivets.

Should I remove the manufactures sealing material and apply a coat of new sealing material where the manufacture had apply and also over the hair line crack?

PaulnGina · 12-16-2015, 06:40 AM

My advice would be to clean off all of that prviously-applied sealant and cover those seams with EternaBond AlumiBond tape. I would use the 4" tape. While you're at it, do the same around all of the vents and anything coming through the roof skin. Once you finish that, I seriously doubt that you'll ever need to worry about leaking seams on the roof.

Here is a link to pictures I uploaded from the work I did on the roof of our Avion:

2014 Roof project - Photo Gallery

KJRitchie · 12-16-2015, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasVine

The vent cap that opens and retracts appears to have a good seal. There is a minor hairline crack on the exterior vent frame that sets in the roof. The external area around the vent frame appears to to good as well as the closest rivets.

Is that crack in the plastic vertical part of the vent frame? If so you may want to drill a tiny hole at the end of the crack to prevent it from expanding and then seal with a suitable caulk or a strip of that sealing tape.

Kelvin

blkmagikca · 12-16-2015, 10:37 PM

I'm not sure if it would work in this case, but you may want to try some Capt. Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure - It is available through Amazon Amazon.com: creeping crack cure

kdickinson · 12-17-2015, 12:40 PM

The world is good when there is a product to repair creeping cracks - especially if it really works!

kds · 12-17-2015, 02:53 PM

I would love to know if you try the above products

Capt. Tolley's creeping crack cure or the eternabond alumibond tape. I have a mystery leak (fortunately small) in my roof and have wondered how to find and repair it. Thanks everyone!

PaulnGina · 12-17-2015, 03:29 PM

Looking closely at where you pointed to the hairline crack, I would definitely us the 4" Eternabond AlumiBond tape. Cut a strip for each side of that vent, make each strip about 4" longer than the vent edge that contacts the roof. Lay it so it covers the seam that contacts the roof, and make it cover the vertical edge of the vent as well. You can trim the ends of each strip to allow you wrap the tape around each corner of the vertical edges of the vent. I found that a pair of tin snips trimmed the Eternabond tape nicely.

PaulnGina
1987 Avion 34W
1995 Ford F250 7.3L PowerStroke

Blessed and highly favored

A W Warn · 12-17-2015, 04:18 PM

I would remove the screws holding the fan in place, remove the fan, clean off all the caulk from both the fan frame and roof surface, to make 100% sure it is cracked. Scratches look like cracks. If it is cracked, since the fan is fairly new, I would call the fan manufacturer and ask for a replacement fan frame.
If you patch it with Eternabond, that stuff is a real PITA to remove next time it leaks. It will leak again, at least mine did!

Sovereign85 · 12-17-2015, 05:30 PM

I had a similar leak problem around our Fantastic Vent ast year. Leak is now gone by (1) scraping away and smoothing the existing sealant with a plastic scraper (2) scrub down well with alcohol, (3) applying 4-inch EternaBond tape, and (4) sheltered all with a MaxxairII vent cover. Jim

Al and Missy · 12-17-2015, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A W Warn

I would remove the screws holding the fan in place, remove the fan, clean off all the caulk from both the fan frame and roof surface, to make 100% sure it is cracked. Scratches look like cracks. If it is cracked, since the fan is fairly new, I would call the fan manufacturer and ask for a replacement fan frame.
If you patch it with Eternabond, that stuff is a real PITA to remove next time it leaks. It will leak again, at least mine did!

The rear fan on my 25 leaked big time about 6 months after we bought it. It had been leaking for a while as there were stains on the walls and rusted screws. Someone had tried to fix it by smearing caulk over caulk. There were three or four different sealants on the fan when I removed it. Two problems - the original gasket was white foam and had compressed and hardened, and the thin sheet aluminum expands and contracts with heat and breaks any surface seal. I put some 1/8" x 1" aluminum bar behind the skin to stiffen the mount and used Sikaflex caulk instead of replacing the gasket. If you use caulk, Don't tighten the screws all the way at first. Tighten them just until you get good squeezeout all the way around and then let the sealant cure. After 24 hours or more, come back and tighten them some more. That way you will have a thicker bead of sealant between the fan and skin and it will be under more compression.

There was a lot more flexing near the front fan due to the TV antenna. After mounting the fan I sprayed some "Minimal Expanding Great Stuff" foam between the inner and outer skins. The area is now very rigid and should keep the skin from flexing and breaking the seal.

Al

TxDave · 12-17-2015, 11:04 PM

I have built 6 teardrop style camping trailers from scratch. All of them had Fantastic vent fans installed. I used butyl tape between the fan frame and the aluminum skinned roof instead of the gasket that came with the fan. None of the campers have ever experienced a leak related to the fan installation. I certainly don't consider myself to be an AS expert, but this stuff seems to work well.

VTS sells some good quality tape. Butyl RV Putty Tape

carver 1 · 12-18-2015, 08:07 AM

Another vote for butyl tape

>>ron<<

A W Warn · 12-18-2015, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TxDave

snip>>>>I used butyl tape between the fan frame and the aluminum skinned roof instead of the gasket that came with the fan. None of the campers have ever experienced a leak related to the fan installation<<<<<snip

^^^^
I agree!
The foam gasket should not be used.
Both of the fans in my 2000 Safari were leaking when I purchased it in 2010. After letting the butyl ooze out for a few minutes I trimmed it, then caulked with Dicor on the screw heads and fan edges. No leaks since then!

silverbacksurfer · 12-18-2015, 07:34 PM

look at this thread http://www.airforums.com/forums/f455...cor-96561.html I have the eternabond for 3 years now you cant beat it when you need to replace it who knows when , just use a blow dryer on it and pull it up watch the video.

silverbacksurfer · 12-18-2015, 07:38 PM

I have photos of my trailer with the new eternabond on the fans. you can get it a granger. http://www.airforums.com/forums/f455...cor-96561.html

blkmagikca · 12-19-2015, 06:08 PM

I used to have a 1994 AS LY motorhome (diesel pusher) that suffered with roof leaks. I used Eternabond to seal the roof seams (and it did a good job of stopping the leaks). However, I'm not so sure that just using a hair dryer would allow the tape to be released. It chemically welds the tape to the roof. On the motorhome, the roof was fiberglass - the same type as is used on sailboat decks - the walls were fiberglass laminate and the quarter round where the roof and the walls met was aluminum. The Eternabond welded itself to the aluminum and could never be pried up.

silverbacksurfer · 12-20-2015, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blkmagikca

I used to have a 1994 AS LY motorhome (diesel pusher) that suffered with roof leaks. I used Eternabond to seal the roof seams (and it did a good job of stopping the leaks). However, I'm not so sure that just using a hair dryer would allow the tape to be released. It chemically welds the tape to the roof. On the motorhome, the roof was fiberglass - the same type as is used on sailboat decks - the walls were fiberglass laminate and the quarter round where the roof and the walls met was aluminum. The Eternabond welded itself to the aluminum and could never be pried up.

here is a link https://www.eternabond.com/articles.asp?id=165

silverbacksurfer · 12-20-2015, 06:16 AM

I did not say it would be easy what is about fixing a leak on a trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGiKusd5r8A

here is u tube video .

Pygmypoacher · 12-20-2015, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverbacksurfer

look at this thread http://www.airforums.com/forums/f455...cor-96561.html I have the eternabond for 3 years now you cant beat it when you need to replace it who knows when , just use a blow dryer on it and pull it up watch the video.

Do you see any drawbacks to using eterabond on the ZipDee awning attachment to the AS? They have a alumibond product as well - any experience with this? Thanks for your time.

PaulnGina · 12-20-2015, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pygmypoacher

Do you see any drawbacks to using eterabond on the ZipDee awning attachment to the AS? They have a alumibond product as well - any experience with this? Thanks for your time.

Can you describe more of what you mean? If you are meaning the upper and lower mounting brackets, I would suggest removing the brackets one at a time, clean the back surface of the bracket and the skin of the trailer, apply a layer of ParBond http://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/...-p/VTS-256.htm then reattach the bracket to the trailer. I can't imagine a good way of using the Alumibond to seal those brackets. However, I could see using the narrower Alumibond tape to seal the upper edge of the awning attachment strip on the trailer. And, I used the Alumibond to seal the seams on top of our Avion, and around the air and plumbing vents. http://www.airforums.com/photos/brow...c=3530&userid=