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Old 06-05-2019, 06:43 AM   #1
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Gutter/drip rail

I recently purchased a 2003 Carriage Cameo 3 slide one owner. It had a leak over the kitchen/entertainment slide. I removed the damaged paneling and replaced it with paneling from the back underneath storage area. Carriage used the same paneling everywhere thank goodness so I have a match.

But as with any previous leaks, the owner caulks everything they can think of. So I'm in the process of removing silicone sealant from every joint on the camper. In the process I noticed they had used silicone on the underneath side of the gutter. I'm a remodeler and have installed gutters on homes for 45 years and never would I seal up guttering by using silicone on the bottom where it meets the fascia boards. Any water that would potentially get behind would sit there and rot the board.

Is sealing the under side of gutter on an RV standard or is this a frustrated owner gone rogue? I'm in the process of removing the sealant.
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Old 06-05-2019, 08:37 AM   #2
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Remember that an RV is not a S&B house. Silicone is not something I would ever use on my RV. Lexel, yes. The molding that includes the gutter seals the roof material and the top of the wall. Unless yours is different.
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Old 06-05-2019, 08:40 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rolfsted View Post
I recently purchased a 2003 Carriage Cameo 3 slide one owner. It had a leak over the kitchen/entertainment slide. I removed the damaged paneling and replaced it with paneling from the back underneath storage area. Carriage used the same paneling everywhere thank goodness so I have a match.

But as with any previous leaks, the owner caulks everything they can think of. So I'm in the process of removing silicone sealant from every joint on the camper. In the process I noticed they had used silicone on the underneath side of the gutter. I'm a remodeler and have installed gutters on homes for 45 years and never would I seal up guttering by using silicone on the bottom where it meets the fascia boards. Any water that would potentially get behind would sit there and rot the board.

Is sealing the under side of gutter on an RV standard or is this a frustrated owner gone rogue? I'm in the process of removing the sealant.
Sealing the gutter usually only requires some butyl tape before the screws are driven it.
You have a lot of work on your hands removing the silicone!
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Old 06-05-2019, 08:50 AM   #4
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I have a 08 Cameo and the pass slide roof got soft and dry rotted the plywood roofing. The TPO roofing has a cloth backing and if it gets wet it will wick moisture across the roof. On the gutter edge, the TPO edge was exposed and on a windy/rainy day the rain would get blown around and soak the TPO edge under the gutter which would then wick across the plywood. A solution is to caulk under the gutter which was not done in the factory.
I have 7 years FT in our Cameo and touched/repaired/altered every inch on this very well built RV. If you have any questions, please PM me, I would be glad to assist and/or learn more about this.
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Old 06-05-2019, 08:54 AM   #5
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The owner's friend said they thought the leak was from the slide out awning track. But when I tore into it the awning track is lower. I can see the screws from the gutter up at the top. Unfortunately somebody used two different kinds of caulking...the top layer is silicone. Yes, it's a job to remove. But once everything is caulked and double caulked and still leaking the only thing to do is start fresh. One small drip every few seconds can fill a 5 gallon bucket faster than one might think. I just don't see the point to seal the bottom of the gutter to the fiberglass walls.
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Old 06-05-2019, 12:22 PM   #6
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To remove caulking, I use a razor blade and slice along the top and then up under the bottom, then the whole strip will just peel off. I used to use Flex-it and tried other caulks, but now have gone back to just using white silicone caulk, like the factory used.
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Old 06-05-2019, 03:41 PM   #7
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If someone could, please look at your rig and see if the bottom of the gutter is sealed up. Maybe I'm obsessing over something that is normally done.
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Old 06-05-2019, 05:59 PM   #8
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Our 2016 is not caulked there. It has butyl behind it where it mounts to the side of the trailer. That's all it needs.
Yes, you can over-do caulk.
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Old 06-05-2019, 06:10 PM   #9
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Not a typical practice, but on most they just butt them together and you can have a drip at the joint on the exterior (only a problem if under your awning and you use awning in the rain... most folks only use newer awnings for shade as most can't handle rain and wind these days).

I've seen some that caulk the inside on the gutter with a thin layer to cover the joint to prevent a drip.
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Old 06-05-2019, 06:46 PM   #10
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The factory is not going to caulk under a gutter! It's a shade tree mechanic fix and is only needed for a TPO roof material. There is a 80% chance you don't need it, the other 20% get to replace the roof plywood.
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Old 06-06-2019, 06:11 AM   #11
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Thanks for the replies. I am going to remove the silicone under the gutter. I am recaulking all the seams on the side walls and around the doors, windows and lights with clear Solar Seal. It is the best sealant I have ever used in my remodeling business. Almost too good in some instances.

I have a machine shed I store my camper in so if I can get 99% of the leak problem taken care of it should be fine. We camp 6-8 weeks a year and of that time rain is minimal. We have reservations for a month in Door County late September until season's close......can't wait!!
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Old 06-06-2019, 10:06 AM   #12
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I have a 2008 Carriage Domani. It is built with an aluminum frame with hung fiberglass sidewalls. I presume the Cameo is the same. All the moldings were installed using steel Tek screws into the aluminum frame. Everyone of these is a leak point as the screws start corroding immediately and many are put in crooked. I replaced all my screws (over 600) with stainless with a dollop of silicone in each hole, yes silicone. I also put silicone under the upper gutter. You can tell leaking screws by rust around the screw heads.

The Domni's slides do not have an upper flange but rather a gutter over the opening. My large slide was a source for minimal water intrusion. I removed these gutters and replaced with slide toppers. I've been dry ever since.
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Old 06-06-2019, 02:57 PM   #13
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Yep, I've got rusted screws also. That is an excellent idea to replace with stainless. I've used silicone before when replacing screws...it's better than a rubber washer.

Now I have another job....600 you say??
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Old 06-06-2019, 09:32 PM   #14
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Does stainless react with aluminium?
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