Community Forums

2Labs · 01-19-2012, 11:34 PM

We learned something new about our SeaBreeze today. While changing out the bed sheets today we discovered a small amount of surface mold on the wall at the head of the bed. Sliding the mattress back to clean it we found a "new" storage compartment under the head of the bed. What we found when we opened it was a bit less satisfying ... a clear leak that has been happening for a while with some traces of mold and mildew in the compartment.

Upon first inspection it appears to be aged caulking on the bottom piece that "frames" the outside of the bedroom slideout. What appears to be dirty caulking, on closer inspection shows some cracking in the caulk and very likely - hopefully - the source of the leak.

I've cleaned up the mold & mildew and am drying out the storage space with the space heater from the plumbing bay. Once dried up, painted with kilz and re-caulked, this will turn out to be a great storage space for things used less often .. maybe off-season clothes storage.

njs42 · 01-20-2012, 04:49 AM

Thanks for sharing---good luck on your repairs---leaks are pesky things to find sometimes. I think I will peek at our bed today---you just never know do you?

Dunner · 01-20-2012, 05:26 AM

On my 2004 1311, the bed lifts up and there is a panel under it that conceals the slide mechanism and takes a contortionist to remove. Does the `05 have this panel also? I'm wondering if my Breeze has this extra compartment. Can't check right now as it is in the hospital getting a new motor and dash AC system.

donhoward49 · 01-20-2012, 07:05 AM

Well now the secret compartment is known by all. That is where I keep all my winnings from the publishers clearing house sweepstakes. Good luck on the leak. You might also check around the window. I found a new leak yesterday, where the bathroom vinyl ends and the bedroom carpet starts, just about eight inches of carpet was wet. right in the center...no wet spot in the ceiling.. any ideas would help.

Dunner · 01-20-2012, 07:49 AM

Hey Don,

You have an `04. Does yours have the secret compartment? Maybe not, as it is a 37'er

M&EM · 01-20-2012, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donhoward49

Well now the secret compartment is known by all. That is where I keep all my winnings from the publishers clearing house sweepstakes. Good luck on the leak. You might also check around the window. I found a new leak yesterday, where the bathroom vinyl ends and the bedroom carpet starts, just about eight inches of carpet was wet. right in the center...no wet spot in the ceiling.. any ideas would help.

Don,
I recently was flushing the black water tank and went into the coach. I heard a ticking sound within the wall of the bathroom that sounded suspiciously like water dripping. Sure enough after a while the carpet in the hall on the opposite side of the bathroom wall got wet.
I removed the vertical wall panel in the corner behind the toilet. Three screws and a bead of caulking held it in place. The vent pipe and anti siphon valve are accessible with this cover removed.

Water had been leaking from the anti siphon valve. Disassembled the valve and found a foreign object stuck in the rubber diaphragm. reinstalled the valve. No more leak.

Also,
You may have a caulking issue on the flange of the roof vent for the black water tank!

Marty

donhoward49 · 01-20-2012, 09:41 AM

Dunner: mine is a 37ft and has the compartment. I donot look often but need to check it now.
M&EM: I am winterized and have not used any water lately, but that is a good idea to check. I seem to remember a small panel that removes on that wall. need to look on my next visit. We just had monsoon rains here in Oregon so it could be a one time leak.

Fred1609 · 01-20-2012, 09:46 AM

We forget that caulking has a life span and will not likely last as along as the rig. Couple that with the weather and flexing and you have potential for a leak. Folks should remember to inspect caulking on their rigs from time to time.

M&EM · 01-20-2012, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donhoward49

M&EM: ---- We just had monsoon rains here in Oregon so it could be a one time leak.

I would take a look at the roof vent caulking. I have found numerous faulty caulking areas on mine on preemptive maintenance.

One in particular was the large refrige vent. On mine, NRV assembled it off the mark with the attaching screws totally missing the wooden framing below the fiber glass covering. You should probably inspect the area under your refrig for water leakage also, if you had heavy rains.

2Labs · 01-20-2012, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dunner

On my 2004 1311, the bed lifts up and there is a panel under it that conceals the slide mechanism and takes a contortionist to remove. Does the `05 have this panel also? I'm wondering if my Breeze has this extra compartment. Can't check right now as it is in the hospital getting a new motor and dash AC system.

Yes we have the flip up bed with a false bottom that conceals the slide mechanism also. We never moved the mattress down far enough to find that compartment. I'm going to take a look at other areas around the window and the roofline as well to make sure its not a top down leak that is just pooling at the bottom.

If it does turn out to be a leak at the caulk line for the slideout frame, I think that the appropriate fix would be to remove at least the bottom frame section, clean off the slideout and then reseal. There are two corner brackets in addition to the bottom that would have to come off and as we're getting snow tomorrow, a high level fix may have to wait a few days or weeks. In the short term a bead of clear silicone should help there as well.

Dunner · 01-20-2012, 05:10 PM

I'm gonna look. It sure would make it easier to get items that were stored in the very back of the under-bed storage.

2Labs · 01-27-2012, 10:38 PM

So among other bad things this past week, we've had quite a bit of wet weather including 6+ inches of snow, a fair amount of rain and relatively cold and damp weather.

As a result of everything going on, I have not really been able to really work on the leak we found at all. I did discover that after nearly drying it out, the melting snow and rain has found its way back to dampen and wet the area in the storage compartment again. I also discover that the leak/dampness is not limited to the compartment, but rather runs the entire length of the bedroom slideout. Shining a flashlight in behind the nightstand drawers I can see moisture and dampness.

I'm going to have to get going on determining the entry point and working on a better plan for drying it out. I'm still leaning towards the metal (aluminum?) brackets that frame the slideout, but will also be taking a closer look at the seals around the bedroom window.

I 99% sure that its not a leak coming from the body roofline, as the leak is present in the slideout itself, but will be pulling a tall ladder out of storage so that I can get up to the top of the slideout and see if there is any breakdown up there. We do have slideout toppers and they are in pretty decent shape for a 6 year old motorhome - although there are a few cracked spots in them and they will probably need replacing in a couple of years.

If, or hopefully I should say, when I find the source of the leak I'll be sure to post here so that others can check their motorhomes for similar leak points.

2Labs · 01-27-2012, 11:18 PM

I've also decided to reach out to our salesperson at the RV dealer we purchased the motorhome from. While I know that we are just over 6 months out from purchasing our Sea Breeze, I am hoping that the dealer would be willing to partake in repairs on this leak.

It's clear to me from the amount of water that is both present now and dried up, that this is not a new problem and was very likely present when we purchased the motorhome.

Had we been shown this storage compartment we most certainly would have seen the water damage. Just chalk it up to a newbie mistake I guess. We didn't do the one thing that you regularly hear which was to take the motorhome to an independent company for an inspection, but we really did not feel we had the need to as we purchased the RV from a very reputable family dealer that has been selling motorhomes for more than 25 years - and while this is our first motorhome, it's not my first trip around the block buying a used vehicle.

Point of advice to anyone newbies reading the boards - take the general advice and have any used motorhome checked over by an independent company. There are a few other things that we've found since we purchased the motorhome that probably would not have been missed by an independent inspection - mostly excessively rusty compartments that leak - those I'm more willing to deal with myself and take "ownership" of for missing. The leak in the bedroom slideout, I'm less than happy to "own" since the storage compartment was never even shown to us during our sales or delivery inspection.

Here's hoping that they'll be willing to work with us on this. I've read quite a few other positive posts about other dealers working with their customers post sale - let's hope we get the same good treatment.

Dunner · 01-28-2012, 04:03 AM

2Labs, are the pictures of the top of the false bottom. I could almost swear mine is thin plywood and not particle board like in the pics. I don't see your slide mechanism. If that is the top of the false bottom, how much water damage is below it?

Mine was kept indoors before I bought it and I have not had any heavy rain. Will certainly check before and after I get some rain. I guess I could put the hose nozzle on the rain setting and put the slide out and let it "rain" on it.

BTW, here is another thread about leaks. If you haven't read it, it might give you a clue to where the water is coming from.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f105/2000...ak-108841.html