2000 tradewinds roof leak

[hbrown]

hello all,

i just in the last week scrapped all the old nasty caulk off the roof seams and used eternabond 2 inch tape along the edge of the roof front to back just above the rain gutter to cover that seam.

then i used 4 inch tape to go across the front and rear caps from one rain gutter all the way over to the other rain gutter in one piece.

stuff looks really strong and hopefully will last a while. i did this for preventive maintenance, but now have a leak.

has not rained here in months and last night came down 2 inches and went to go bask in my glory of keeping no leaks and i be danged if i dont find water on the floor in the rear bedroom to the right of the bed base cabinet with 3 drawers.

i have the coach level high in the front to shed water as it sits to the rear. any ideas were water could really pour in? water was actuall puddled on top og carpet under cabinet when i pulled drawers out.

i anm sure no leaks from upper cabinet or windows, it is as if it is wicking up under the wall and it is pooling up under the cabinet due to way rv is leveled.

does anyone know how the roof, wall and rear cap is assembled. trying to figure out ways for water to get in the wall.

also noted the bay under this is perfectly dry inside were the floor above is soaked.

i also checked the seal above the rear window,awning,verticle seal connecting rear cap to wall and can see no defects. i know water can travel but this is a lot of water and no visible signs for it to get in

any tips is appreciated from owner with this style coach.

thanks howard

ps roof is fiberglass and looks great, could water leak in a ac gasket and travel to right rear wall with out any signs of seepage in roof or walls,only at base of wall???

[LVJ58]

Could it perhaps be migrating down to the floor from the side window seals??

Just a thought..

Good luck finding the source of your leak..

[Vegasdan]

I replaced all of the silicone sealant on every seam on the outside walls and around the windows a year ago. I found that while the old silicone looked good it had actually "loosened" it's grip on the filon fiberglass sides and was a source of a couple leaks. If you've done all of the roof seams and resealed the vents and all openings on the roof, the sidewall seams should be your prime suspect.

[millers-cave]

Hi, First time thread reply so bear with me if I screw up. I had this happen to my 2000 36 Dolphin and found it to be where the rear post for the awning mounts at the bottom was where mine was leaking. All I did was get some calking and fill the mounting bolt holes and retighten. Hope this helps. Harry from Vancouver Island B.C. Long time reader by the way. Thanks to those that have helped me over the past two years.

[hbrown]

ok really stumped now,

i replaced all the caulk on the outside wall from the entry door to rear cap. except the 2 windows because no black caulk, plus the caulk looks great but will reseal this week anyway. plus is the caulk just a rain cap on the window, the butyl tape under the window really seal it??

the other is the refrigerator grill because i have a new one ordered.

saturday got more rain and carpet soaked in same place, so i tore out all drawers in kitchen, under fridge and bathroom to see water at were the wall meats the floor starting from about the stove and progressing all the way to bedroom were it was pooled due to way i have coach level to hopefully shed water off to allow me more work time on caulk and keep carpet dry

i am wondering to see so much water without a big place to come into with just a steady drizzle or misting rain, no wind to say drive it into non caulked areas.

the rain gutter on top i sealed the top side of it with 2 inch eternabond tape from were that rubber c shaped trim covering the the screws that hold the fiberglass cap to the wall and raingutter. now there is no way to get the tape, or caulk on the lower edge of that c shaped rubber stripping. can water be wicking up into that trim if the gutters over fill???

how can the factory fill that seam??? i did notice in a couple areas under the gutter water running down the exterior wall due to crack in caulking, but i did not caulk in fear water would get trapped there if i recaulk, so how is water getting from behind were the gutter mounts to wall to drip out?? how does the factory prevent this??

it seems that if u caulk this seam under the gutter, it will trap any moisture,but in theory no moisture should ever make it behind gutter expecially if upper seam is taped fully.


sorry so long and not perfect sentence structuring,just desperate to stop leaks and my fat fingers have a hard time hunting and pecking on keyboard

thanks for any tips

howard

[millers-cave]

Morning H. Brown. As I said in my previous reply check the bolts that mount the awning at the rear of the motorhome. I had water from my kitchen to the bedroom along the wall also also and it drove me nuts. I know it depends how the motorhome is parked, nose high or low. I don't know if you have water under pressure in your unit but check the taps that are under the stove that are the roughin for the washer dryer that can be installed later. I was cleaning under there with my vacuum and just barely knocked one of these taps and broke it off. More Water. All hell broke loose and the flood was on again! Oh Boy What Fun Owning a motorhome! Let us know how you make out. Harry.

[hippy]

well i just have a lowly travel trailer, but this my second new one in the past two yrs, made by gulfstream. first one had gutters so eneven, they would flow out in low spots and run down windows. looked like a future prob for sure. new one has level gutters,BUT have the same problem as you with water leaking out underside of gutter, and down sidewall. both trailers have done this, and its drivin me nuts. like you i say that water has to b going inside the trailer somewhere eventually. i have caulked everything except the lower edge of moulding you are referring to. have removed all screws for awning support and caulked, some were already rusted. water leaks sure seem to b a problem with rv's. let me know if you find a solution please!!!

[hbrown]

Originally Posted by millers-cave

Morning H. Brown. As I said in my previous reply check the bolts that mount the awning at the rear of the motorhome. I had water from my kitchen to the bedroom along the wall also also and it drove me nuts. I know it depends how the motorhome is parked, nose high or low. I don't know if you have water under pressure in your unit but check the taps that are under the stove that are the roughin for the washer dryer that can be installed later. I was cleaning under there with my vacuum and just barely knocked one of these taps and broke it off. More Water. All hell broke loose and the flood was on again! Oh Boy What Fun Owning a motorhome! Let us know how you make out. Harry.

harry thanks for the tip, i did check all the awning mounts and seen no areas that it could leak, but for security i did redo them just to be safe.

also no water on, but i do have the washer hook ups, just not using them.

the leaks i have are only after a rain

[hbrown]

Originally Posted by hippy

well i just have a lowly travel trailer, but this my second new one in the past two yrs, made by gulfstream. first one had gutters so eneven, they would flow out in low spots and run down windows. looked like a future prob for sure. new one has level gutters,BUT have the same problem as you with water leaking out underside of gutter, and down sidewall. both trailers have done this, and its drivin me nuts. like you i say that water has to b going inside the trailer somewhere eventually. i have caulked everything except the lower edge of moulding you are referring to. have removed all screws for awning support and caulked, some were already rusted. water leaks sure seem to b a problem with rv's. let me know if you find a solution please!!!

i have looked again tonight and just cant see how this gutter can leak,, except to run out the backside of the gutter which means the only way out is between wall and gutter which means, what keeps it from wicking over into the wall

wish i could see a digram off assembly. guess i need to get my saw z all out and cut a chunk out

[millers-cave]

WOAH, I wouldn't get out the Saw Z All yet, fella could get carried away and loose himself. Those things can cause a lot of damage. Another place to look at is where the awning bolts to the top on the rear post. When I did mine I noticed that the calking was bad around the mounting bolts and when the awning was installed, by the manufacturer, they drilled right through the gutter so as to get the mount on a solid piece. This method in turn interfears with the operation of the gutter in that it now has a hole drilled through it. Maybe in your killing with kindness by removing all the calk you didn't recalk around the bolts at the top mount. This is just something simple that is causing you a lot of grief. My grand father always said, "if something is working, don't fix it!" Oh Boy What Fun!

[hbrown]

Originally Posted by millers-cave

WOAH, I wouldn't get out the Saw Z All yet, fella could get carried away and loose himself. Those things can cause a lot of damage. Another place to look at is where the awning bolts to the top on the rear post. When I did mine I noticed that the calking was bad around the mounting bolts and when the awning was installed, by the manufacturer, they drilled right through the gutter so as to get the mount on a solid piece. This method in turn interfears with the operation of the gutter in that it now has a hole drilled through it. Maybe in your killing with kindness by removing all the calk you didn't recalk around the bolts at the top mount. This is just something simple that is causing you a lot of grief. My grand father always said, "if something is working, don't fix it!" Oh Boy What Fun!

i originaly had not messed with this area, but went ahead and redone.

i also have completely stripped and resealed the entire passanger side of the rv.

now the bummer, it rained again last night. so feeling confident with the complete redo, i went out at 530 this morning before work and shined a light and floors soaked

i tryed to do a quick assesment of were all the water is coming from and narrowed it down to for sure between the floor and wall, from the stove area all the way back to were the washer dryer should be.

i also pulled the refrig outside cover and seen the wood all around the opening is soaked.

when i came home this evening i made sure i missed no seams of caulk, and really tryed to look over the frige vent on roof and found nothing.

i am still noticing water leaking from behind the rain gutter and running down the exterior wall telling me to get there it HAS TO BE PASSING to the inside also, but how??? i am bummed upon closer inspect there is rotted wood telling me this has been going on a long time.

any ideas on how to seal that small are ontop of gutter , but under the top lip of were i run the eternabond tape. i cannot even see under there with a mirrir or enen get a finger in there.

i running out o patience and tired of trying to keep dry, and fear mold issues.

thanks again howard.


also any one know how i can get a hold of a guy i think bulldog??

i think i read he was a national employee that has helped many people on construction of the vehicles.

[ctusdenny]

Some RV parts & service shops can do a pressurized test to find leaks. I'd say stop messing with it and start looking for a shop that can locate the leak for you.

Might hurt your wallet a bit, but will probably be better for your health

[Bill WA6YBD]

Bulldog can be found on the NationalRV@yahoogroups.com You have to join the yahoo groups to get in but it is not too hard. You may have to do what Denny suggested, then you will know for sure. I will post a message for bulldog to come here and look for this thread.

~Bill

[hbrown]

Originally Posted by Bill WA6YBD

Bulldog can be found on the NationalRV@yahoogroups.com You have to join the yahoo groups to get in but it is not too hard. You may have to do what Denny suggested, then you will know for sure. I will post a message for bulldog to come here and look for this thread.

~Bill

i would greatly appreciate this.

i might have to get it pressurized to find as posted above, but this is my first coach and i have sank so much money in this thing to get it up and going moneys tight.

of course we have had 0 rain since i bought it in april so never notice or looked for leaks, just spent tons of money to hopefully prevent any leaks.

then in the last few weeks, it has done nothing but rain and cold, and now found the hidden damage and leaks.

if i can get some ideas on assembly, might be able to find leak and correct without going to a local dealer that has bad reputation.

appreciate any tips to save spending more money.