Community Forums

nyITguy · 10-28-2021, 05:02 PM

Hi all, I have a 1999 Beaver Contessa (40') that recently had some roof leakage near the vent in the toilet area. I've been working on sealing the potential sources of the leak and I think that's under control for the time being.

There was a little internal ceiling damage , but nothing too serious. In any case, because of this incident and some prior similar incidents that were probably not thoroughly mitigated by the previous owners, I've decided to take down the ceiling in the entire bathroom area and repair whatever issues I discover. Given that this is my first RV and only recently acquired, I've never done any forensic work on a vehicle like this before. I have no idea what to expect once I start removing the surface coverings and getting down to the deeper levels. I don't know what kind of insulation I'll encounter and whether I should consider alternatives when putting it all back together.

Any advice is welcome! Thanks.

MSHappyCampers · 10-28-2021, 05:20 PM

Sounds like you're gonna get off light! The link below is about my battle with a leaking skylight. Post #'s 55,56,& 75 show pics of what I encountered. Hope you don't have to go through all that!

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f84/big-...em-509075.html

Dav L · 10-29-2021, 12:22 AM

If you see interior damage, the internal damage is worse. Pull a speaker, vent etc and try to determine how wet the ceiling is above the interior panel. If wet, you will need to at least dry it out. You may also have to remove the ceiling panel to do that and replace any water damaged insulation or wood. That can be a pretty big job.

nyITguy · 10-29-2021, 12:53 AM

I did take out a light in the toilet room, which is pretty small. The wood bracing was a darker color for about 1/3 of an inch from the ceiling panel, which meant wet I assume, but it only went for a few inches. I'll remove the wood frame around the vent fan to get a better look there. I neither see nor smell any evidence of mold yet, so that's good. But I know I need to move on this because there's nothing but more cold and wet on the way.

CountryB · 10-29-2021, 09:31 AM

Check out the roof repair/replacement videos by AZ Expert. The one below may not be your "roof type" (FRP vs Fiberglass vs ?) - if not find something in his video collection that is closer - so you can get an idea of how everything is put together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol3U-1eW6lA

znt1186 · 10-29-2021, 09:52 AM

We had our repaired by a professional, but we paid attention while it was done. He Removed all of the ceiling and insulation up to the luan roof deck just under the fiberglass roof. The roof deck itself was in good shape as water moves downward and was trapped at the ceiling level. Installed new insulation glued to the roof deck and new framing around the openings for the skylight and vent fan. Installed a new ceiling that is pvc beadboard. It turned out great and won't rot again. Put in new skylight and fan. We also had the roof covered with RV Armor. Lifetime warranty and no more resealing around stuff on the roof. Hope it works, because my knees don't anymore.

nyITguy · 10-30-2021, 12:25 AM

@CountryB, thanks for that video. It's always heartening (not in a schadenfreude way) to see that someone else's worse problem can be fixed with sufficient attention. Luckily the exterior of my roof is in much better condition than that. I think the newbie here has figured out the issue...one of the vent caps was missing its swiveling top completely; either that or a pinhole somewhere is slowly letting water seep through. I didn't even notice if the cap was like that when I bought it, an oversight. In any case, that's the most likely suspect so I have two new venturi type caps on order and they'll be installed straight away.

@znt1186 Thank you, that was very instructive as well. I was considering the possibility of using beadboard, but hadn't considered the PVC type, that's a good idea. Hopefully I won't have to replace everything on the inside, but I'm preparing myself mentally for that possibility.

Dav L · 10-30-2021, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nyITguy

@CountryB, thanks for that video. It's always heartening (not in a schadenfreude way) to see that someone else's worse problem can be fixed with sufficient attention. Luckily the exterior of my roof is in much better condition than that. I think the newbie here has figured out the issue...one of the vent caps was missing its swiveling top completely; either that or a pinhole somewhere is slowly letting water seep through. I didn't even notice if the cap was like that when I bought it, an oversight. In any case, that's the most likely suspect so I have two new venturi type caps on order and they'll be installed straight away.

@znt1186 Thank you, that was very instructive as well. I was considering the possibility of using beadboard, but hadn't considered the PVC type, that's a good idea. Hopefully I won't have to replace everything on the inside, but I'm preparing myself mentally for that possibility.

The caps keeps water from entering the plumbing system. It doesn't keep water from entering the ceiling. Look around the plumbing stack for lifted sealant or cracks. But, sounds like you should clean the roof and painstakingly reseal anything that is suspect. If there is one crack, there will be more shortly.