Rain leak

[Ruffneck1]

Hi all - we just bought a 2008 safari AS and noticed wet carpet at base of wall in bedroom. I also pulled up the vinyl floor (opposite side of shared wall with bedroom) in front of the entry’s door and plywood is wet (2’ in). All windows are sealed well. Checked the roof and lots of caulking, perhaps I need to scrape it all off and reapply? Where are the most common leak areas?

[Rich W]

I took our 2006 23' to Jackson Center and had them strip and recaulk the roof. We didn't have any leaks there but they said it's something that needs to be done periodically. We had a soft spot in the front and I had them cut it out, replace the insulation under that area and put in a new section of flooring. I removed all of the furniture in that front area and pulled back the flooring to lower the cost. I also had them do a pressure test (pressurize the interior and soap up the outside to locate any leaks. I also had them run it through the pressurized water spray (strong rain). No leaks were found.

Now I have another soft spot in the bathroom. I had a leak in the bathroom ceiling fan. The rubber seal had deteriorated and blown away and rainwater was getting in. I don't think that was the problem but I don't know what is. I've made an appointment again at Jackson Center to have it looked at.

Rain water leaks are hard to find. They can start in one place and end up in an entirely different area. I would say if you can pressurize the interior yourself and soap up the exterior you might be able to find it; or go to Jackson Center.

[jaybauman]

I have learned that where you see the water isn’t necessarily anywhere close to where the water is intruding. In a 2019 Flying Cloud, the bed would get wet during rainstorms and water would flow out of a sidewall electrical outlet. The repair center didn’t find leaks in the normal places, so they ran the pressurized leak test. It turns out I had a bad seal on a vista view window and the area where the front window protection “sunglasses” was attached needed a new seal.

The pressurized leak test will be definitive, and it’s not a particularly expensive diagnostic.

[Crabshack]

I have a 2007 25FB Safari. The 2006 thru 2008 years are known to have leaks, most report leaks occurring along the back at the bumper storage ledge and trim interface. Apparently poor quality control during sealing operation. Check out the Safari owners forum. My rear floor went soft $2500 repair job by AS in Jackson center.

[Jim J]

Leaks at the back bumper are common, I have found that drilling some 1/8 holes in the bumper storage cover near the trailer body will help drain away the water that collects there before it finds its way inside.

Leaks at the panel seams are also common, and can be corrected by cleaning the seam and then applying parbond. I use silver parbond and mask on both sides of the seam before I apply it to get a clean job.

Panoramic windows and rivets that hold awnings or window guards in place are another spot to check.

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by Ruffneck1

Hi all - we just bought a 2008 safari AS and noticed wet carpet at base of wall in bedroom. I also pulled up the vinyl floor (opposite side of shared wall with bedroom) in front of the entry’s door and plywood is wet (2’ in). All windows are sealed well. Checked the roof and lots of caulking, perhaps I need to scrape it all off and reapply? Where are the most common leak areas?

If you see what you describe as "lots of caulking" I'm guessing that new caulking was applied over old. Unless the old was thoroughly cleaned in every nook and cranny it's likely that the new caulking didn't make a tight seal against the old.

My plan would be to strip out the multiple layers of caulking, clean the seams/joints, and properly apply new.

This would be the first step to sealing the leaks down below. As already noted, it's really difficult to know exactly where the leak is that's causing a wet wall or floor as water can take a circuitous route down.

[heslinhotel]

Had a similar leak in rear under window in 99 Safari 25, found 3 areas that needed to be addressed. Running lights power wire and fasteners (rivets / screws), awning mount, and gasket holding glass in window. Remove ALL old sealer and apply new Sikaflex 221.

[Crabshack]

To add a note Jackson tech removed the rear trim and resealed the floor body interface and recaulked the new trim/body interface. Haven’t had any leaks since. I would recommend same for your issue as oppose to only recaulk of the trim body interface.

With all the snow here over the last week I need to do a complete check on my floor

[Dennis C]

We were camped last night in northwestern Illinois when a large Derecho moved across the upper Midwest and we were hit with significant rainfall. It lasted for several hours with heavy rain, thunder and lightning. Upon waking this morning, we found our pillows to be damp where they were touching the wall of the Airstream. We also found our bedspread to be wet where it was touching the floor at the foot of the bed. There’s no sign of water standing anywhere, but it’s clearly getting inside the trailer.

I’m not sure where to begin. I think I’ll start with an inspection of the roof seams and seals.