Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 07-14-2010, 09:41 AM   #1
berghild
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: EVERYWHERE
Posts: 291
Send a message via AIM to berghild
searching for leak in roof

could someone please help me find the source of my leak? Is there a trick to finding it....is there a special place to go for help? we have cleaned and calked like crazy....even our favorite repair shop tried.
it comes and goes....and then sometimes it shows in a different spot. sometimes it drips by the kitchen fantastic fan and sometimes behind the tv upstairs.
howard will attack everything he can think of and it seems to be fine for a couple of storms and then starts again.
We are in New England now and of course we get those summer storms...we are very worried about ruining our rig.
Where do we go for help?
And yes we are using the Dicor caulk, and cleaning before recaulking. I want to go up there so bad and look for myself ....I figure the more eyes the better.
__________________

__________________
CYNDY AND HOWARD
2004 SIVERADO DURAMAX 3500
4X4 DRW
EDGE CHIP,exhaust brake,ATS tranny, ATS turbo, AFE sir filter
ETC
2008 36TK3 ES3917/no granite
berghild is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2010, 10:42 AM   #2
Motor31
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 2,130
Start checking for gaps in the seams where the cap mates with the walls of the rig. You may have a leak up high on a side seam.

It might be time to stop trying to recaulk and start laying down the eterna bond roof tape. Put it on the vent and cap seams on the roof. Look for any places where the roof may have an overhang too. Things like the AC covers. Pull them off and look inside especially if you have 2 AC units. If there is standing water inside there the weep holes may be blocked and it's putting water inside the roof.

Check the vents and make sure the pipes are sealed well and the caps extend below the opening of the pipe.
__________________

__________________
Mike Nancy and the fuzzies
Fulltiming since June 2004
Volvo 660 MH tow vehicle
2005 MS 38RL
2007 Saturn Ion "toad"
2010 Gold Wing "piggyback"
Motor31 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2010, 10:57 AM   #3
BobW
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Welches Oregon
Posts: 523
I saw a way to do this on TV. They pressurize the inside of the RV, or house, and go around with a smoke tool and see where the air is coming out. This is very effective. You would have allot more air escaping from your RV than a house, but, still it would show up where the leeks are. You can find out from the people that put in insulation.
__________________
Bob and Kate Weigant
Welches Oregon
Elite 2006 36TK3
2007 M2 Freightliner
2005 Wrangler
In a land of the blind, the one eyed guy is king.
BobW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2010, 12:36 PM   #4
ontheroad
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7
If yours is the Elite Suite and has the fiberglass roof with the seam across the middle I would guess this seam is the place to start. I put eternabond 4 inch tape across to finally stop the leak. Water would come in and run to different places before it came out. Be sure and dry the attic space out well also. I removed the exhaust fan in the kitchen area and dryed from there. The factory recomended eternabond as a fix for this. It worked. I have used it on most of the seams on my fiberglass roof. If we order a new it will not have the fiberglass roof.
__________________
2006 38 RL3 Elite Suite
2006 Red Dodge Ram 3500
ontheroad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2010, 02:00 PM   #5
berghild
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: EVERYWHERE
Posts: 291
Send a message via AIM to berghild
n okay i found the website...seems to be a lot of different products for RVs...and recommendations? ...i am sure you are right...this is the stuff we need. and maybe the roof isn't the leak....it's the big seams.
Don't forget to tell me how to dry out the attic!
__________________
CYNDY AND HOWARD
2004 SIVERADO DURAMAX 3500
4X4 DRW
EDGE CHIP,exhaust brake,ATS tranny, ATS turbo, AFE sir filter
ETC
2008 36TK3 ES3917/no granite
berghild is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2010, 04:11 PM   #6
BobW
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Welches Oregon
Posts: 523
Quote:
Originally Posted by berghild
Don't forget to tell me how to dry out the attic!
I took all the lights out and just let them lang for a week or so. Also you can take the inside vent cover off to expose the insulation. My leak was where the roof antenna was attached. Why they put the antenna on the seam is, I don't know. Take it off and caulk the devil out of it. Put it back with bigger screws.
__________________
Bob and Kate Weigant
Welches Oregon
Elite 2006 36TK3
2007 M2 Freightliner
2005 Wrangler
In a land of the blind, the one eyed guy is king.
BobW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2010, 04:42 PM   #7
ontheroad
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7
If you remove the lower cover on the fantastic fan if you have one in the area close to the cross seam, it will give you access to see and get some air in the attic. Also the lights can be removed. I used the 4 inch eternabond in the white. It comes in different length rolls. It is a good investment. Be sure when you put it on use dicor on the edges which is what DRV said.
__________________
2006 38 RL3 Elite Suite
2006 Red Dodge Ram 3500
ontheroad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2010, 08:25 AM   #8
hitchup
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Currently: working on the road
Posts: 770
Our 2006 ES developed nearly all of those leaks and more, over a period of time.

The last leak was around the roof ladder on the rear of the coach. DH had to unscrew, clean out the mold/moss buildup and reattach with better screws. I think he used new gray putty on each screw hole.

We never got around to doing the SealTest to check for more leaks, but suggested to the dealer we traded it to, that they do it right away.
__________________

__________________
2014 Mobile Suite Estates 38RSB - custom home
2014 F450 KR CC 4x4 ...... his office
2015 Lance 1172 - traveling Motel (solar and generator)
Working Fulltimers since 3/2005
hitchup is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:21 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
×