HELP water damage from installer's work

[profjedi]

Hey all,


So I had an installer replace an old vent/fan with a new Fantastic fan in my kitchen. When I returned to the RV after a few weeks (and after some big rainstorms) I notice some big water spots in the interior roof.



Installer claims his worker did the installation correctly.



I'm also having him pressure wash and reseal all the seals on the roof. He now says there are some soft spots in the wood on the roof in the same place where the water leaked.


The installer claims the soft spots must be from an earlier leak.


Does this sound right or am I being taken for a ride?




Thanks!

[profjedi]

here is a picture of the left side of RV where the installer says the water damage/soft spots are. You can just barely see the vent he replaced in the bottom-right. Is it possible the water migrated all the way from the vent to the left side to cause damage?

[Dav L]

Not seeing the issue in the pictures. The roof is dirty and will look a lot better after a power wash and then car wash liquid / brush / rinse.

Once water is in the roof, it goes with gravity. From the back to the front.
But, typically it will only affect what's below the leak, not what's higher. The roof is the highest area. How do you know it's suspect? soft? An RV roof is pretty soft when new as it's pretty thin. Not like a house roof.

[profjedi]

Here is the interior showing the water damage on the interior roof. The vent he replaced is in the bottom left of the picture. The left side of the RV where he says the roof soft spots are would be toward the right side of the interior picture. It looks like the water leak started at the vent (which is in the center, highest part of the roof) and then moved down toward the edge). QUESTION: If I had left the roof vent open during a rain, could this much damage happen? The vent has a cover on it/

[bobmac]

Have you determined where the water came from? Either the new fan leaked as a result of a fracture in the fixture or being left open or there was not adequate sealant placed under and around the perimeter of the fan housing. If a significant amount came in and the fixture was closed, I would suspect poor or inadequate caulking under the fan. Perimeter caulking alone is not adequate. I would also insist it be remounted with a high quality caulking properly installed or it will leak again.Good luck and dry it out as quickly as possible to mitigate secondary damage.

[CJ7365]

If there was no water damage before he replace the vent, then he made the leak and the vent needs to be redone.

If the water stain was there before he replaced the vent then you have a leak somewhere else.

[NXR]

Have you confirmed the roof softness? I wouldn't think that would happen in a month but maybe.

Ray

[murphy55378]

Soft spots take some time to occur. Looks to me like the dark area at the edge of the roof has been retaining water and is most likely leaking there. Sorry but I don’t think it has anything to do with the roof vent.

[txcpl]

Pictures show a lot, but I am having difficulty identifying if the damage is new or old.
Having said that, in my opinion, I would have another shop remove the fan and check for recent water intrusion. Take loads of pictures and if the shop identifies the damage as recent, invite the previous installer to the scene to inspect.
Then decide how to make repairs.

[Domo]

You must be very upset - I certainly would be.

Make/model/age?

Did you just buy the unit or had it long time.


Moral of the story for all repairs, for all of us is to take pictures of all surfaces inside and out and include a statement to that effect on the work order when you authorize work. "Work to be completed and returned in serviceable and like condition as per (video or photos) dated....." I learned to do this when renting cars... saved me at least once when getting auto repairs also.

[Mr3117]

I agree with Murphy. I don't think the vent is the cause of the leak. It appears to be coming from the side.

[SC40QS]

Originally Posted by NXR

Have you confirmed the roof softness? I wouldn't think that would happen in a month but maybe.

Ray

Unless it's some sort of composite "sponge"... it'd take longer for sure. Tell ya what tho, at this point, I would not trust this guy period! Do you really have soft spots? I bet not, in his mind, I'd wager he thinks if he convinces you of the soft spots, that gets him off the hook because the leak would have to have been there before to cause soft spots...

Bet he could give ya a real good bid to replace the damaged soft area....

[wildtoad]

I would think if you removed the inside trim from the fan you could tell if there is or has been water intrusion.

[MSHappyCampers]

I would take it to another reputable dealer for a second opinion!