2015 Vista LX 27N Water Leak

[tntfla]

My wife just noticed water dripping inside front next to the passenger seat. We had just left our campground after a 4 day stay. There had not been any rain but we had been running the AC (Southwest Florida!).
Only about a teaspoon of water. Not dripping on or from the window, but close to it, apparently from the opening in headliner where shown on the photo below.

Any ideas where the water came from and repair process?

Thanks in Advance!

[creativepart]

As best I can tell from the photo... I'd say it's coming from either the Clearance Lights in the front cap or the radius where the front cap connects to the side of the body of the RV.

What you're likely seeing is water running in, behind the front cabinets and pooling up in there and when you drive it rolls back and out.

I had a hole in my cap/roof connection a few years back and I'd see no water anywhere. Then the next day or so after a big rain, water would seemingly drip out of the side of the trim above the drivers chair.

After inspection I found the hole and recaulked that whole area. I'll post a photo below of exactly where my location that was letting water in below. For clarification, the front of the coach is on the left and you can see the drip rail on the right where it interacts with the front cap.

It can also come in around the Clearance lenses. So, check those for water and or rust.

This needs to be addressed post haste - Winnebago uses a steel inner frame around the windshield and this can rust if water is getting in and not being addressed over time. However, the water almost always comes from somewhere other than the windshield - it just seems to come from there.

You should always use silicone based sealant - the factory uses NuFlex 311 or GeoCell by ProFelx. But, since this doesn't need self-leveling, you can actually use an outdoor silicone caulking from a big box store. On the flat portions of the top of the roof you'd want to use self-leveling but on the sides like this, then not.

[Morich]

I might try to sort if it is rain or possibly the condensation from the air cond.
Do you have a roof mount air that might have a drain stopped up and making the water go funky places?
Was there rain to build up after you drove in and before you drove out?
What may happen is thatthe drain on a roof air can stop up with debris like pine needles, bugs, dirt and then the water that overflows may wind up in between some of the layers of the roof. The roof is often a series of thin materials with a foamboard center, so water can get between top and center layer and can't get out until running half way across the roof to the next joint and THEN going further in!
If you can sort it down with some thinking about rain or condensation it may save a trip to the roof to look if the drain is stopped up!
No roof air, cancel the idea!

[powercat_ras]

On my 2015 Vista the water entry point is NOT from a clearance light. It is from the joint where the front cap meets the roof. In particular the curved sections tend to require a lot of maintenance of the sealant there, or you can buy 4" Eternabond Tape and run a strip over the existing all the way from one side to the other and not have to do the annual maintenance of the front cap to roof sealant joint anymore other than inspecting the tape when you do your periodic roof cleanings.

The water seems to travel forward a good distance before it drips onto the top of the dash.

[tntfla]

Thanks for all the input. I will let you know how my repair efforts turn out. Our next trip will be mid April.

[Ray,IN]

What creativepart posted is common with the Winnebago roof to cap joint. That joint has such a large gap on my MH I used ½" backer rod to fill the space and provide a back-stop for the sealant I used to actually seal the joint.

[Morich]

What I find so tricky on RV leaks is the way they are built but also the way they are used!
We often think of leaks as something that comes in when it rains and we see it then but on RV that may not be true!
Water can come through the first point but then puddle on top of one of the multiple layers and not go any further if the rain stops before filling that spot.
We may look all over after a rain and find nothing!
But when we drive it on the next sunny and bright day, we may park in where the RV is tilted just a bit in any direction and that water which has collected may then find a path to get inside.
It hasn't rain in two days and now water is dripping on the dash???
The only way I find to prevent leaks is doing a really close look at ALL the points on top where it may not look exactly right!
It's a tedious and time consuming thing but I have to look at every joint and see the sealer you use has no great big buildup that may make water tend to puddle there and no obvious holes, even the size of a B-B where water might get in.
If you have an RV that somebody has globbed a stack of caulk to make a bowl for water to collect and set, that is one way to help that water set long enough to find a tiny space to get in.
Think like a raindrop? If you are just passing by on a smooth surface formed by a gradual rise of a small amount of sealer, it is far less likely to set long enough to work it's way in! It's where the sealer meets the surface that counts! Even ten inches high will do nothing but make a dam for water to collect!
Remove any old and clean the are well as the first step. If it needs some type cleaner, find what that needs to be for the type of old used. For old silicone, it may be as simple as rubbing alcohol but find the right one to get the old residue off before trying to add anything new. then use as small a ridge as practical for the new. It's the space between the sealer and the top that counts, not how much you add over that space!

One of the tools I promote as really worth buying is to help get the old off without killing yourself or the roof parts!
Part of the tedious part is getting the old off, so buying a tool that gets it done with no damage to you or the roof is worth it, in my book!
Look at one of these if not on hand yet.
Your choice on which fits you and does what you want but one of these will make thousands of tiny hits to remove that old stuff clear down to the bare edge without making the big gouge that pressing so hard with a scraper is likely to do!
I've worn out several and find the cheap one does it as good and lasts as long as the high dollar! I find thin, flat flexible blade is best for what I do.
And then it works super around the house for lots of things, too.

[tntfla]

Thanks, Richard. Could you provide a photo or other reference for the tool?
Tim

[Morich]

WHOOPS! Dummied that one and forgot the link.
Lots of them out there, so choose the one that seems to feel right?
https://www.google.com/search?q=osci...hrome&ie=UTF-8

This is the one I now use as cheap and it is really the blade at the end and whether you want battery or cord?
https://www.harborfreight.com/2-amp-...RoCwREQAvD_BwE


There are lots of blades for cutting, scraping or sanding. One of the things I like it for is to go just a step up from a hacksaw and cut without fear of it getting away and cutting too much like my hand! The blade swings back and forth left/right and you have control of the speed of that swing.
So for scraping, it can move too fast to see but that lets it take tiny little nibbles of the caulk while you don't have to press much at all.
For caulk on a flat surface, a flexible blade held down horizontal along the surface will let you take it off as fast as you want to move it along instead of us pressing really hard on the tough stuff and then suddenly it moves and gouges the fiberglass, etc.
But then if you want to cut something like the bottom of trim around a door, you can use a blade with teeth and cut that trim off without taking it down. The blade is okay around your fingers because it moves such a short distance that your skin just "wiggles" instead of bleeding!

[tntfla]

Right! I do have one of those. Just haven't used it in a long time. Easy to imagine how it would be very useful. Thanks very much for the tip!
Tim

[Morich]

Funny how it got to be one of my favorite tools as I had one as a gift but never really used it too much after the first use. First use was for getting gobs of paint off around the spindles in an old chair where it did work pretty well but I never liked finish work like that!

But second use was for getting screws out of aluminum storm windows where the heads were too chewed off to use a screwdriver and getting the grip to unscrew them was difficult. I was trying to save the window frames and banging the heads off with a chisel was not getting it when I had a whole house to do!
So the reciprocating tool with a blade for metal was great to stick under the frame and just cut the heads off.
Doing that, I soon wound up with a blade with no teeth left but found it worked great to separate the metal from the wood where it had been caulked painted and about everything else to make it stick!
I found that old worn out blade was great for getting the paint and caulk loose, so now it is my main tool for paint or caulk work as it is getting kind of thin from the trick of getting the great paint job they did off part of the brick!

Having old rental property gives you a whole different feeling about working with caulk!
It also taught me to never trust a painter that you can't watch!

[tntfla]

I need to think more about out of the ordinary potential uses of my tools!