Walls/Windows leaking. Hire an RV guy or a leak specialist?

[scottandanna]

I have been fighting a leaky wall/window on one of my slides for two years. Then today, I noticed another leak on the opposite slide.



I don't know where the water is coming from. I have recaulked most of the first slide, and it seemed to slow it down a bit, but now it is wet again.



Time to hire a professional.



Should I call the local traveling RV repair guy, or a leak detection specialist? If there is such a thing.

[egwilly]

A leak specialist will pressurize the interior of your trailer and spray soap on the outside all over and look for bubbles indicating a leak in that area.

Leaks are hard to correct, the water travels along and finds the nearest low spot opening. That could be feet away from the leak itself. You can closely check out the roof seams and caulking and maybe find it there.

Some repair folks are good at this, some dealers are not.

Water leaks are important to fix, the damage it does is expensive and time-consuming to repair.

Good luck. Let us know what you find out.

[Roy-c]

If you have had a noticeable water leak for 2 years you could have water damage inside the wall. might be time to open up the wall as well as find the leak.
You need a good tech not a place like C.W.

[scottandanna]

Originally Posted by Roy-c

If you have had a noticeable water leak for 2 years you could have water damage inside the wall. might be time to open up the wall as well as find the leak.
You need a good tech not a place like C.W.

Definitely NOT CW!


We have a fairly reputable mobile tech that visits our RV park often, and all the local customers report he is good and trustworthy. I sent him a message to see if he has the ability to track down and fix leaks.



I want to stop the leak(s) before I tear into the walls and start replacing wood. No reason to replace it just to have it get wet again in two weeks. I am sure I have wood needing at least an inspection in the first slide wall and floor.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Probably need to remove the window and re-install to seal it properly. And you can check for wall damage at the same time. It's not real hard if you have a helper.


Lot's of videos on YouTube. Here are a couple:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1SxN-lBlUQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MuVSRpjGCA

[scottandanna]

I am thinking it is the windows. I recaulked them last year and they kept dry for a while, but we just got a pretty heavy snow that stayed on the trailer for about a week, so I don't know if it made my caulk shrink or what...


But again....I don't want to start a project without knowing exactly what is wrong. These are not the sorts of projects I want to do more than once, if I can help it.

[keymastr]

What type of caulk did you use? Silicone caulk from the home center will not last long on an RV. The manufacturers use Urethane caulk like Geocell Proflex or Lexel, which you CAN find in a home center. Both will stay glossy and firm and will not attract dust like silicone does. They also can be applied over themselves so maintenance is much easier. Nothing sticks to silicone, (except the aforementioned dust), even more silicone, so you must remove it entirely and wipe the area with solvent before re-applying. A lot of work for a pinhole or tiny crack.

You can make a pressure tester yourself with a leafblower or box fan. Youtube has videos of people doing it. Then just spray every surface with soap solution and look for bubbles.

[Dav L]

Leaks can be found by a water test. Start low with a garden hose and go up until moisture in the wrong places are found. If you see water coming from the ceiling, then you know the origin is above that. If you see water at the base of a window, then odds are it's the window...OR it can be in the roof and dropping down.

If you have roof drains, ensure they are not clogged.

Look at the roof for standing water, especially near the AC units.

[scottandanna]

Update--I pulled three windows out, near the wet areas. The wood inside looks ok, even though there is a little moisture in between the layers. The floor....


I cleaned everything up really good, getting rid of all the old caulk and other sealants and weather strips. New seals, reinstalled, and recaulked the entire window frame, as well as the seam at the top of the slideout where the rubber roof comes over the sides under the metal strip.



Exhausted! First dry day in a month or so, and dry for two or three more days, so hopefully everything cures before we get more rain. Then see if it leaks again.



If it does, I will have to hire an expert. I have done all that I can, and sealed up the top, windows, and the bottom so if water is still finding its way in, I need an expert to find out where it is coming from.

[keymastr]

Hope you got it, good luck. It has been a particularly wet winter so far with record flooding so not surprising to have an issue. Maybe the leak would not have been wet enough to be found in a drier year.

[Dav L]

Do your garden hose water test while its still opened up to see. That's what the "expert" will do.

[scottandanna]

The problem with a garden hose test is that I am almost sure that the water we are feeling on the floor has taken several hours/days to work its way down the inside of the walls and wet the floor. If I did a test, it would have to be a pressure test, from the inside out, looking for bubbles.

[spooled05]

I had what I thought was a leaky window, when I pulled it I realized the leak was from above . Turns out the aluminum trim that goes around the slide was just set on the roof and screwed on with no kind of sealant . I pulled the top piece and cleaned it all real good and caulked down the screw line with lexel and put the piece back down and used stainless hardware I picked up at Lowe’s. No more leaks and I did the other 3 slides just for fun ! Lol

[scottandanna]

Originally Posted by spooled05

I had what I thought was a leaky window, when I pulled it I realized the leak was from above . Turns out the aluminum trim that goes around the slide was just set on the roof and screwed on with no kind of sealant . I pulled the top piece and cleaned it all real good and caulked down the screw line with lexel and put the piece back down and used stainless hardware I picked up at Lowe’s. No more leaks and I did the other 3 slides just for fun ! Lol

Yep, I sealed that aluminum strip area up as well. Just in case.