Rain + Bays =

[wolfcreek]

I have had lots of issues with my bays getting water in them while traveling in the rain. Just wondering how many other brands might also have some trouble with this, or do the better part of you stay high and dry
while driving in the rain. Mine have been tweaked as much as possible, but the design might be the fault. Just wondering.......

[MisterT]

if you move this to the Palazzo catagory you might get more responses from us Palazzo owners...

yes, several of my bays can get water inside during rainy trips. admittedly the design is part of the reason, and any cable or sewer connections thru the flooring may also contribute.
I actually tried to remedy the problem by drilling drain/weep holes in several strategic areas in the wet bay(both sides) and the main bay(both sides) since these were the ones most concerning. I installed a 'weep drain', which is the rubber air bladder that comes off of DEF jugs from Wmt, into each small hole. This hopefully allows any major water infiltration to at least have a way to escape. I also caulked these small holes very well since drilling through these plywood floors exposes the raw wood that could degrade over time. Ask me how I know, since Thor has already replaced my main bay and wet bay floors because of their less-than-stellar caulking of exposed edges at the factory. : /

[wolfcreek]

Originally Posted by MisterT

if you move this to the Palazzo catagory you might get more responses from us Palazzo owners...

yes, several of my bays can get water inside during rainy trips. admittedly the design is part of the reason, and any cable or sewer connections thru the flooring may also contribute.
I actually tried to remedy the problem by drilling drain/weep holes in several strategic areas in the wet bay(both sides) and the main bay(both sides) since these were the ones most concerning. I installed a 'weep drain', which is the rubber air bladder that comes off of DEF jugs from Wmt, into each small hole. This hopefully allows any major water infiltration to at least have a way to escape. I also caulked these small holes very well since drilling through these plywood floors exposes the raw wood that could degrade over time. Ask me how I know, since Thor has already replaced my main bay and wet bay floors because of their less-than-stellar caulking of exposed edges at the factory. : /

I know what other Palazzo owners issues have been, since I read and keep up with that part of the forum, but I was wanting to know if there were other brands or makes out there that maybe never have this issue, or maybe some with different designs that may be better. Who knows, maybe
the MH general discussions and problems forum might have some different
views about this issue than the Palazzo forum. Like I said, I keep up with my brands issues, just wondering which MH makes and models might not have this issue for future reference....

[pacevette]

I had the same problem on my 2008 Damon Challenger. But in our case we had water entering from the top of the storage Bay. I had everything resealed but still had the same problem. The guy that does my rv work was frustrated enough that he removed the drip rail and awning to see if there was a problem there. We were both shocked at what he revealed. When the awning was installed at the factory they must have drilled the holes on the wrong spot and they did not have much sealant in them and that's where the water was coming from. Just our experience. So when it comes to water leaks anything is possible.

[SuperGewl]

There has been reports of some of the Winnebago MH's that had this issue, but it was mostly related to a lazy worker at the factory during the build. OK just kidding, but yes there was a run of MH's that had similar issues and it was determined to be bad sealing from the factory. The engineering didn't help either.
Some MFG's use ROTOCast storage bays so they don't have this problem unless they drill into them for lights, piping, ect. Then it's because they did not properly seal them up.
Get in there and tear it apart and see what you can find, is it due to being flooded from the bottom or is it splash fro the road going on top and then running into it? Reseal every screw and pop rivet from both sides if possible and add extra sealant to the cable and duct pass thru's.

You can also get the water hose under there and soak it down from the top and front and see where it 's coming from.

[wolfcreek]

Thank you for all advice, and I Have tried to seal everything up good. My seal on the storage bay doors completely depends on the pressure of the bay door onto the seal that encircles it. I is very hard to get the right amount of pressure on seals, especially where they are hinged. I might be a little bit fussy about this issue, but I think the MH's storage bays should be high on the Mfg's list to make them absolutely water proof. MH"s Mfg's have been in the business for years and years, they by know should have this area covered... JM2 Cents...

JMHO that WE should not have to spend hours and hours on figuring out where they are leaking, they should designs these storage areas in a manner that would be a done deal ....

[ctpres]

Our wet bay problem resulted from a poor joint in the gasket material. Joint was on the side. Water runs down outside of gasket to seam/joint and then into open cavity of gasket. Gasket has air holes for pressure release when gasket is compressed by closing. Water filled INSIDE of gasket and then ran thru air holes into basement. Solution - be sure joint in gasket material is WATER TIGHT. To see if this might be your problem - open door after a heavy rain - compress gasket - NO water should come out air vents.

[Lt Dan]

We have had no water intrusion in our Tiffin, but our traveling buddies had 2" of water in one of their bays on a brand new Fleewtood Excursion.

[Brockx]

Never a problem in our 1996 Pace Arrow or our current MH storage bays. Twice in the last 3 years we have hit downpours so dramatic the tires were pushing so much water noticeably slowing the coach(s) even at an already slow pace. The only exception being the wet bay from the lift out plug for connections.

[Cat320]

We are on our second Amer Coach, and sixth RV, never had any water in a bay. You might add or replace gaskets around the doors, and be sure the doors close tightly. They should not leak.

[wolfcreek]

Originally Posted by Cat320

We are on our second Amer Coach, and sixth RV, never had any water in a bay. You might add or replace gaskets around the doors, and be sure the doors close tightly. They should not leak.

This is the way it should be. They call my Coach Entry level, the 'entry'
being in the bays....I understand my coach is entry level, but to me plunking down $150,000 didn't come easy, just guess I expected to much.
I think a company should not let the 'entry level' cover their butts.....

[Lanny1763]

Wolfcreek:

I have to agree. Had (emphasis on the had) a 2014 Itasca Solei 34T, basement bays leaked like crazy when driving in rain. Seemed like the answer was; well then don't drive in the rain, but sometimes that isn't possible. Ultimately the answer was to trade it in on a FW. Probably should never have gone the MH route, didn't have the funds to go higher than 'entry level'.

I hope you get this resolved. And, thank you for your service Devil Dog!

[wolfcreek]

Originally Posted by Lanny1763

Wolfcreek:

I have to agree. Had (emphasis on the had) a 2014 Itasca Solei 34T, basement bays leaked like crazy when driving in rain. Seemed like the answer was; well then don't drive in the rain, but sometimes that isn't possible. Ultimately the answer was to trade it in on a FW. Probably should never have gone the MH route, didn't have the funds to go higher than 'entry level'.

I hope you get this resolved. And, thank you for your service Devil Dog!

Thanks!! I always watch the forecast and TRY very hard not to drive in the rain, but like you say, sometimes you get caught having to do so :(

[vsheetz]

Three coaches owned, never such a problem with any of them.