What next for leak?

[SnooMc]

The bad news: a major thunderstorm has revealed a leak somewhere on the roof.
The good news: the leak is...leaking...from one point on a seam directly over the toilet. Lifted the lid, no puddles!
But obviously the source has to be traced and fixed. What is the best way to do this? Get up there and seal everything in sight?
It's a 2019 Flying Cloud, if that matters, and we cannot take it to anywhere to be fixed, as we are full time and if we leave this campground right now, we can't return.

[Foiled Again]

Look for likely suspects.
Fan
Vent pipe
Seams
If you have any kind of tape - duct tape preferably - duct tape the likely area turning down one corner for easy removal and see.if that fixes the problem. Keep going until the leak stops. Repair with appropriate caulk as appropriate.

Also double check the toilet or rather the pipes behind it. You may have something that leaks only when you push the pedal.

Happy hunting.

[Jonmad]

Originally Posted by SnooMc

The bad news: a major thunderstorm has revealed a leak somewhere on the roof.
The good news: the leak is...leaking...from one point on a seam directly over the toilet. Lifted the lid, no puddles!
But obviously the source has to be traced and fixed. What is the best way to do this? Get up there and seal everything in sight?
It's a 2019 Flying Cloud, if that matters, and we cannot take it to anywhere to be fixed, as we are full time and if we leave this campground right now, we can't return.

I remember reading somewhere on this forum the same issue during a blowing storm. Turned out to be the vent on the roof. One put a PVC cap over top. Another said there is a funnel inside the cap that wasn't glued in place. Search the forum and you should find the post.

[AirstreamInc]

Originally Posted by SnooMc

The bad news: a major thunderstorm has revealed a leak somewhere on the roof.
The good news: the leak is...leaking...from one point on a seam directly over the toilet. Lifted the lid, no puddles!
But obviously the source has to be traced and fixed. What is the best way to do this? Get up there and seal everything in sight?
It's a 2019 Flying Cloud, if that matters, and we cannot take it to anywhere to be fixed, as we are full time and if we leave this campground right now, we can't return.

Hi SnooMc,*

We're very sorry to learn about the issue you are having. Please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team. We look forward to helping you get this resolved.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at*customersupport@airstream.com

Thank you.*

[BigSxyWhtGuy]

We had a leak above our toilet and it was the weather stripping around the fan that failed. Quick fix. Another leak appeared at the seem by our couch and it turned out to be the fantastic fan. Just went up there and looked for cracking caulking, exposed screws, or low point... went over it with the recommended sealer from the dealer — silaflex I believe? $11 for the tube but the repair was fairly simple.

[SnooMc]

No obvious places for leaks on the roof. Wondering if it's worth removing the AC cover or more to look under there.
We removed the vent fan cover in the bathroom, from the inside, and it was dry all around. Could not get the round AC duct cover down but messing with it produced some small drops of water, which made sense as it is about 6 inches away on the same seam where the leak was. There is a rib between the duct cover and the vent, so guessing the leak is higher up or sideways from that duct and has nothing to do with the vent.
We'll inspect the skylight and AC in more detail when it cools off this evening.

[LSGAirstream]

Originally Posted by AirstreamInc

Hi SnooMc,*

We're very sorry to learn about the issue you are having. Please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team. We look forward to helping you get this resolved.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at*customersupport@airstream.com

Thank you.*

This is a common problem on newer trailers including our 2019 27fb Globetrotter. We screwed and glued a rubbermaid bowl - 4" diameter, upside down over the two tank vents. Air can still escape so the vent functions but the water cannot get in even in high wind. Solved the problem until Airstream acknowledge and come up with a fix.

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by SnooMc

No obvious places for leaks on the roof. Wondering if it's worth removing the AC cover or more to look under there.
We removed the vent fan cover in the bathroom, from the inside, and it was dry all around. Could not get the round AC duct cover down but messing with it produced some small drops of water, which made sense as it is about 6 inches away on the same seam where the leak was. There is a rib between the duct cover and the vent, so guessing the leak is higher up or sideways from that duct and has nothing to do with the vent.
We'll inspect the skylight and AC in more detail when it cools off this evening.

I just fixed my leak in the same area after a $$$ trip to dealer to fix—they didn’t. Discovered same leak a couple of weeks later on the road. Found the post on water coming in tank vent and followed their fix and glued 4” pvc cap on top of vent cap. Two months later and several heavy rain storms and no further leak. I wouldn’t pull AC cover unless you just want to look inside. Good luck

[TMBashor]

Originally Posted by SnooMc

The bad news: a major thunderstorm has revealed a leak somewhere on the roof.
The good news: the leak is...leaking...from one point on a seam directly over the toilet. Lifted the lid, no puddles!
But obviously the source has to be traced and fixed. What is the best way to do this? Get up there and seal everything in sight?
It's a 2019 Flying Cloud, if that matters, and we cannot take it to anywhere to be fixed, as we are full time and if we leave this campground right now, we can't return.

I had a similar problem with my 2019 Classic. I took it back to Jackson Center to fix along with some other minor warranty work and a recall issue. We parked for free for 3 days while they fixed all the issues and explained some maintenance issues with me that my dealer left out. In all, it was well worth the trip and the Airstream team were terrific.

[VeloBuckeye]

SnooMc,

My bet is it's likely the vent pipe on the roof (the one above the toilet) -- what Jonmad states. After two sideways driving rain storms, both times we had water come in from the seam exactly above the toilet seat. When I removed the vent stack cap, the cone/funnel part was inside was loosely resting on the top of the pipe rather than being firmly attached to the cap. It was easy to see how rain blowing into the cap was not being directed into the vent pipe (and down into the black tank), but rather was seeping between the outside of the pipe and AS roof hole. There is a great post covering it, where I learned about the issue.

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f45...ml#post2338340

[SnooMc]

Ah! Thanks for the heads up, Colonel and Velo! We assumed that it could not be the vent stack, as it seemed that rain would just go into the tank. We'll check it out!

[jeffmc306]

Originally Posted by SnooMc

The bad news: a major thunderstorm has revealed a leak somewhere on the roof.
The good news: the leak is...leaking...from one point on a seam directly over the toilet. Lifted the lid, no puddles!
But obviously the source has to be traced and fixed. What is the best way to do this? Get up there and seal everything in sight?
It's a 2019 Flying Cloud, if that matters, and we cannot take it to anywhere to be fixed, as we are full time and if we leave this campground right now, we can't return.

Hi SnooMc, sorry to hear you encountered the leak but the permanent fix is fairly simple.

I posted my experience and how I fixed it here: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f45...in-200768.html

The vent stack has a plastic funnel that’s supposed to direct rainwater down into the tank in the event of a sideways rain. The funnel needs to be glued into the top cap - making it impossible for water to get around the stack pipe and into the trailer. For some reason, the factory just drops it into the vent stack leaving a gap. If they don’t seal the stack well enough, water will leak into the trailer.

I fixed both vents and have not had another leak.

Good luck!
Jeff

[Farmer Dan]

Here's one for QC - or lack of it !!! We have the leak over the toilet on our 2019 27' Globetrotter. After reading jeffmc306 description, I knew we had the same problem. 2 weeks ago I removed the vent cover from the roof. And I found that the black ABS pipe nipple that should go up into the funnel / cover assembly could not work. The reason being that the ABS nipple was every bit of 1/2 a hole off !!! (The vent pipe doesn't go straight through both skins and connect to the roof vent.) The assembled ells and pipe in the ceiling gap were too long for the offset to align with the vent cover. I am now waiting for Lowes to ship ABS parts so I can fix it correctly myself !!

Dan

[SnooMc]

Jeff - thanks! The symptoms are the same. Looks like an easy fix.

Does anyone know if any further repair needs to be done, after having had water dripping through a handful of times? Any problem with mold or other nastiness? Or can we just assume it will all dry out okay?

[BayouBiker]

Originally Posted by SnooMc

No obvious places for leaks on the roof. Wondering if it's worth removing the AC cover or more to look under there.
We removed the vent fan cover in the bathroom, from the inside, and it was dry all around. Could not get the round AC duct cover down but messing with it produced some small drops of water, which made sense as it is about 6 inches away on the same seam where the leak was. There is a rib between the duct cover and the vent, so guessing the leak is higher up or sideways from that duct and has nothing to do with the vent.
We'll inspect the skylight and AC in more detail when it cools off this evening.

Yeah as others advised, the cover on the A/C is not likely to reveal anything, I know I tried it when looking for a leak that also came out of the seam over the toilet and around the vent fan.

Turned out I had three places leaking. the gasket for the vent fan which I sealed with Silkaflex 221 flexible polyurethane. Don't use silicone, it will form stress cracks within a year. Had a second leak at the TV antenna gasket and a third one on the gaskets to the three solar panel connectors. that third was a tricky one.

Good luck, other posters provided some great ways to track the leaks down. Using the tape method once you stop the leak, assume there are other leaks and pull some tape off and retest. that way you can find undisclosed leaks you previously taped off.

[jeffmc306]

SnooMc, regarding what else to do, ours occurred last summer and the sun dried everything out quickly; we have not noticed any unwanted smells or seen anything on the surfaces. I think you'll be fine.

[crkbdga]

We had exactly the same leak. 2018 FC 27' twin FB. After several tries to fix, we took it in to the local dealer. Apparently the vent pipe was cut too short, resulting in a "gap" that caused leakage. Was repaired under warranty.

[dnsapp]

Had the same thing on my 25FB. Took it to the dealer 3 times and each time said it was fixed. Each time I left it for repair it took six weeks to get it back. Finally, AS sent a machine that put positive pressure inside coach. They put smoke inside to see where leak was. Sure enough , it was leaking around vent pipe on slight angle. The vents picture on the post was the type I had from factory. They allow blowing rain and hard rain to bounce over into vent. They are junk. Take them off and put the large mushroom type on and you troubles are over.

[KL1979]

I had the exact same problem, recently repaired by Airstrem, but used a PVC end cap over both stacks, worked perfectly and was cheap.