Mysterious Leak - Need Help

[WimbledonDolphin]

Nothing worst than a leak you cannot determine. I have a 2003 DolphinLX with a mysterious roof leak that is ruining my hutch cabinet. Motorhome has a hutch that backs up the bathroom shower. Skylight in shower has been removed and recaulked (several times) so I don't think it is from there. The outside wall in the upper hutch cabinet is damp and slightly wet to the touch. We have had no rain for several days and its still wet ( may be the dew from the morning). When in storage it ruined my shelft and some of the edge but not too bad. I have tried so many things and amnow looking for someone who has had the same problem and how it was resolved. My last hope before I take it in but I hate to give up. Any 2003 Dolphin owners with this problem???

Thanks as always - Always get so much help from here.

[Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376]

A leak doesn't have to be where you see wet. It could of originated from almost any other place. Let's say it is leaking at where the front or rear cap is joined to the roof and running down to where you see the leak. understand? I hope I'm making myself clear. I think you need to broaden your search to other areas on the roof.

[jerseyjim]

When my Dolphin was new, there was a leak that damaged the inside wall just behind the passenger seat....and under the passenger window. Removed the window...re-sealed it. Applied an almost excessive layer of Di-Cor on the roof...seams...whatever. Still the leak.
Dealer mechanic finally thought to replace the rubber strip...where the front cap joins the body. Removing the strip....we found a puddle of water under it.
Replaced the rubber strip...problem solved. Now I gotta figure out what to do with the damaged wall area.
As RICK 2005 indicates...you almost never know where a leak is coming from. A roof leak is just about as maddening as an intermittent electrical problem!
Good luck!

[M&EM]

Another potential leak source is the satellite radio antennae NRV installs several inches behind the front cap to roof joint. This recently began to leak on mine. Fortunately it leaked into the tv and dripped onto the recess of the dash just below the tv. No damage or stains on the ceiling material. Let the tv dry out before using it and seems fine.

Past and present MHs I've had developed leakage around the roof top AC units. Vibration and gasket shrinkage between the roof surface and the ac unit may require re-tightening of the 4 ac mounting bolts accessible after the filter and bezel are removed.

[bldrbob]

If it is anything like my Tradewinds the tank vent goes thru the roof in that wall.
BOB

[dsymms]

I hope this helps, my 04 Dolphin LX has an issue in the same wall. Thought it was a water line or a shower drain issue, but It turned out to be the shower skylight, the white butyl rubber caulk used on National products will seperate and tear with movement of the coach. It has a low tolerance for shear and will split with movement of the coach, much like silicone. The skylight is large and appears to be located at a stress point in the house/chassis. It looks fine when you inspect it, but it may still have a tear. It will tear again a few months after caulk is reapplied and completely cures. I left the skylight installed, removed all of the existing caulk on the surface of the roof and skylight, cleaned the area well, and applied a 4" wide butyl tape over the skylight seams on a warm sunny day. It gets very sticky when it is hot. Problem solved, at leat so far and the tape looks a lot better then a blob of caulk. I would rule out other sources and go back on the roof. perhaps a quailfied repair facility will have a non invasive tool that can detect a water leak and follow the trail to it's source. Good luck.

[RV 4 2]

We had a mystery leak also. Whenever it would rain or even when it very damp at night where the dew would puddle on the roof of the MH, water would puddle in the plastic trim piece under the front TV/stereo cabinets above the dashboard. We would not know there was water there until we would make a turn and all that water would run out the side and down the mounting area where the fans are. And it got REALLY bad. Every time I would try to find the leak by pulling access panels in the side cabinets or from the front cabinets,I would not be able to find anything wet. So when I had time I got up on the roof and checked all the places where water could flow through and I found that NRV did not seal the front cap to roof well at the upper left front corner. When they built the coach, they did not use that Eternabond roof tape all the way to the edges of the roof. They stopped the tape 6-8 inches back and the caulked the remaining seam out to the side wall. Once I saw that, I removed all the caulk and redid the seal making sure it filled all the gaps. No leaks since.
I am happy it is fixed but it was a PITA to find. So good luck with your quest to find the leak.

[Belgian]

There was a recent post somewhere or on rv.net about a system that will pressurize the iside of the MH with air. There is a large blower motor connected to one of the ceiling vents to pull in outside air. With all the window & doors closed the inside pressure rises. Then you soap down the outside of the MH, the roof in your case, and look for bubbles. Very simple idea that I'm sure works very well. Now where do you find a company that does this type of work I don't know, maybe the local RV repair shop could send you in the right direction.
Do a search here and at rv.net also.


just found the post on rv.net. Do a search for Seal Tech 430R

Also check out www.rvleaks.com

[DAN L]

wimbleton...
i have read that some folks use their dash heater blower set on fresh air supplemented by a shop vacuum with a window adapter set to blow to pressurize the interior of the moho.
then, use soapy water to find where the leak is.

[cannon man]

some camp world location can do the preasure thing. cost i think is under$100.

[two2go]

While getting info from a NRV technician about removing my TVs, he also advised me to put Eternabond tape on the front and rear cap to roof seams. You can tell my coach by the white "racing stripes" on each end coming down to the gutter.