Community Forums

BobJones · 11-02-2018, 06:30 PM

Hi Folks!

I just finished fixing a leak on the rear bedroom slide out and now noticed a new one ?

Under the large curbside awning at the bottom is one of my storage compartments. Yesterday I noticed rainwater dripping from the top of the closed compartment. I looked up the side of the unit and there was no water running down the side....

This leads me to believe it's leaking inside the wall. I could see no water up the wall right up to the top of the patio awning. This leads me to believe it's leaking from up near the top of the roof.

Couple of questions, is this a bad leak or bad omen? Is it a known leaking area or leak type? What do you think?

flamebuster · 11-02-2018, 08:58 PM

I would inspect the roof seams along the edges and around any vents. Basically anywhere there is Dicor sealant or eterna bond tape..Look for cracks in the sealant. Most likely you will need to re seal or better yet remove the old stuff and apply new. Also you could check the seal around the window if there is one in that area..Just trying to think of where I would look first. Doug

l1v3fr33ord1 · 11-03-2018, 06:06 AM

Bob-

A known problem with our Monacos is the joint between roof and sidewall. Especially at the awning rail, the screws either break or back out, creating a water entry point. That is where I would look, based on the symptoms you describe.

The fix is to expose that joint, replace the broken screws and add more to hold the joint shut. I have not had to do this yet, but I inspect that joint frequently. I also refrain from increasing the spring tension for the awning and slide toppers; as much as that would help reduce pooling, it would put more pull on that joint.

AnotherMike · 11-03-2018, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flamebuster

... better yet remove the old stuff ...

Any ideas on how to remove the old stuff? That's a future project/problem on my MH...

flamebuster · 11-04-2018, 08:45 AM

I have not done this yet. But I will be re doing all of the eterna bond seams on my roof next month because they are starting to dry and getting cracks.
There are several you tube videos that give all the details, and they seem to all agree that using a heat gun and scraper is the easiest followed with wiping downd with acetone or eterna bond cleaner.. I would say watching the videos will give you all the information and confidence needed to do this job.
It looks fairly easy just a little time consuming, best of luck...Doug.

BobJones · 11-04-2018, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l1v3fr33ord1

Bob-

A known problem with our Monacos is the joint between roof and sidewall. Especially at the awning rail, the screws either break or back out, creating a water entry point. That is where I would look, based on the symptoms you describe.

The fix is to expose that joint, replace the broken screws and add more to hold the joint shut. I have not had to do this yet, but I inspect that joint frequently. I also refrain from increasing the spring tension for the awning and slide toppers; as much as that would help reduce pooling, it would put more pull on that joint.

I'm wondering if that could be it. I went up on the roof today and cleaned out the drain channel in the large awning. There's a corrugated metal piece that the patio awning attaches to and I scrubbed and cleaned out the debris from there. I then re-sealed a couple of cracks but I don't think they were leaking. There was a LOT of sealant in there so I'm guessing they were just surface cracks.

I then rinsed the entire thing with a hose and later on, saw water dripping from the lower compartment again

Here's some pics in case they shed more light. The rust streak is where the water is running down the compartment door. But, if you look directly up to the top of the awning, there is NO water (second pic). The window is covered by the awning so it can't be coming from there.

I'm thinking you are probably correct that it's coming from the awning rail on the roof. If I went to address it would I have to remove the awning in order to expose everything?

l1v3fr33ord1 · 11-04-2018, 05:26 PM

Bob-

I haven't had to make this repair yet, so I can't speak from experience. Our coach has a post-factory "gutter" installed above the joint, front-to-back, both sides. This "gutter" directs most roof water away from the joint, which may explain why we haven't seen leaks in that area. But, in the process of replacing the slide toppers, and repairing the gutter, I have pretty much gone over all the joints, not finding any flex spots or other indications of the problem.

I can help with some search results. Here is a link to a Google search of iRV2 posts in the Monaco owner's Forum with the terms "roof," "sidewall" and "screws" in them. This post, taken from that list, may be a place to start. This post, later in the same thread, indicates a similar (broken-fastener) problem can occur at the belt-rail, which could also be the cause for water in the compartment. It should be a lot easier to examine that joint from the ground, though!

I hope this helps.

BobJones · 11-04-2018, 06:13 PM

Mark, thank you very much for the links to the posts. When I go into it I'll take some pics so it will be easier for others to follow along or grasp the concept. The lower belt on the unit (right above the compartment) could use some work at the rear, I saw that. So it might be worth going over everything. Groan...just when I thought it was safe to go back in the water