Community Forums

LSepulveda · 03-22-2012, 10:36 AM

I am going crazy trying to fix a roof leak on my 1998 Dutch Star. I thought we had it fixed, but after a very hard rain yesterday the ceiling above the driver and passenger is wet again. The RV and present is parked such that the back is lower than the front by a few inches which, in my opinion leaves out any possibility of the leak coming from the back or even center of the RV as water does not travel up hill. That tells me the leak has to be above or forward of the drivers seat.

Has anyone ever tried spraying the sealer advertized on TV, which I'm aware is black, but is advertized to seal a screen door so it would float?

Any other ideas? I'v tried taking it to Camping World where they did a pressure test which of course passed, but it leaks anyway.

Frustrated RVer,

Lou

az bound · 03-22-2012, 10:50 AM

The two places that I would suspect are the seam where the front cap meets the roof and the clearance lights.

SarahW · 03-22-2012, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by az bound

The two places that I would suspect are the seam where the front cap meets the roof and the clearance lights.

Agree. I think the clearance lights are very often the culprit.

jetfromtn · 03-23-2012, 07:28 AM

I would suspect the fromt cap. I had a leak at a small opening on the front cap that I finally found and sealed. I have used eterna bond on my roof seams and it works great. Good luck.

RustyJC · 03-23-2012, 07:40 AM

After addressing the obvious sources, if you still have water leaks, I'd recommend investing in having the motorhome pressure tested by a facility set up to do this. They pressurize the interior of the motorhome and use visible "smoke" to see where the leak source(s) is/are on the outside of the motorhome - there will be a wisp or even plume of smoke coming out at the leak source. They often find these leak sources a considerable distance from where the leak manifests itself inside the RV.

Rusty

Bill2 · 03-24-2012, 08:17 AM

When I had the same problem with my 06 Endeavor, the rear was higher than the front when sitting at my home. I tried everything I could think of until I descovered the front air conditioner bolts that hold it to the roof was loose. After I tightened them down the leak went away. That was two years ago and no leak since. What happened was the water was leaking under the a/c and running down the top support rail and leaking right above the driver seat where the front cap connects. I hope this helps.

Lou

[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=LSepulveda;1121559]I am going crazy trying to fix a roof leak on my 1998 Dutch Star. I thought we had it fixed, but after a very hard rain yesterday the ceiling above the driver and passenger is wet again. The RV and present is parked such that the back is lower than the front by a few inches which, in my opinion leaves out any possibility of the leak coming from the back or even center of the RV as water does not travel up hill. That tells me the leak has to be above or forward of the drivers seat.

Has anyone ever tried spraying the sealer advertized on TV, which I'm aware is black, but is advertized to seal a screen door so it would float?

Any other ideas? I'v tried taking it to Camping World where they did a pressure test which of course passed, but it leaks anyway.

Frustrated RVer,

tomwalt · 03-24-2012, 08:27 AM

I had the same issue with the back lower than front. I used Eternabond on the front cap/roof seam (entire seam), resealed the marker lights, and used eternabond on the two antennas that attached near the driver. The antenna penetration was the big fix for me - seems the water got in there and followed the wire to end up dripping on the dash right in front of the driver.
Good luck.

Dr. Den · 02-25-2013, 08:36 PM

We the bolts for your air conditioner on the inside ???

LaZy507 · 02-26-2013, 06:41 AM

gotta sprinkler or someone to spray the rig with water, while your in it?..maybe so you can see where the water is coming from..
you can always rub a lil dish soap around any gaps,or cracks..when water hits it, it will bubble..same goes when your checking for propane leakes..
and that sealer your talking about from where they put a screen door on a boat..that stuff works wonders!!!..

C-PHartley · 02-26-2013, 08:17 AM

x2 on the Eternabond. I put it on over a year ago, and it has worked great. We have experienced some torrential storms with driving rains, and I have not seen any more leaks. I would highly recommend it.

Caveman CBB · 02-26-2013, 06:10 PM

I have heard you can build a pressure tester yourself using a leaf blower attached tightly to a roof vent. Then you spray soapy water on the outside and look for bubbles. Do a Goggle and You Tube search for something like this and I'll bet you find the directions.

catonine · 02-26-2013, 06:18 PM

Caveman is right, you can build a pressure testor yourself and there are YouTube videos showing how it is done. It would be worth a try and if you still cant find the leak, take it in to a professional to have pressure tested. As mentioned by others, the marker lights and end cap seams are usual suspects. Eternabond is a good option for sealing the end caps.

endlesstrave · 06-24-2013, 01:54 PM

Yeah, EternaBond is probably the best way to go. I've fixed two seam leaks with it and they're both going 5+ years strong. [moderator edit]You can sometimes find it cheap on ebay. Good luck and let us know how it turns out

MSHappyCampers · 06-25-2013, 11:07 AM

When we bought our MH last year I had a leak in the bathroom area that was driving me crazy! I finally resealed ALL the roof openings, using 4" Eternabond on the large openings such as vents, skylights, etc., and used Dicor 502LSW self-leveling sealant on smaller things like TV antenna, ladder, solar panels, etc. BINGO! No more leaks! Works for me!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!