Basement Water Intrusion 2017 Sunstar 32YE

[gfield63]

Hello All!

After a good day of rain here in "sunny" Southern California, I noticed some water intrusion in the right rear cargo compartment. It's the furthest one back on the right side located under the bedroom slide out. The water appears to be coming from the top right corner next to the cargo door but above the door line.

Any clues? And thanks in advance!

[Morich]

Leaks at doors are normally from two causes, so one will have to look at the door to see what is happening.
Is the water coming in the joint between the door and frame or between the frame and RV wall?
Is the weatherstripping in place along the edges where the door should seal against it?
Has the caulking/sealing been done yearly as warranty requires??

First step is to find where the water is coming in.

[creativepart]

Can you be more detailed in what you are asking about?

Some people have water in a basement compartment after driving in the rain. Some have seen water in the basement when filling a fresh water tank. And, other's see the issue when parked.

Also, the amount of water is important to report are we talking a few drops or a 1/4" covering the bottom of the compartment or something in between?

Is this the first time you've seen this? What do you think is happening? Where is it likely coming from? Is it coming in via the door and seal OR from something above the compartment.

The more detailed you can be the more targeted our responses can be.

Lots of people think "we all have Winnebagos so we all have seen this and know the cause and how to fix it" but the fact is no one but you has your RV. So, posting here will result in a wide variety of responses and only you can help us help you.

[Morich]

Creative makes a good point on getting the best answers! I jumped to it being a door leak but in reading closer, I see it could also be something above the door level. That throws the question open to being lots of things like other types of leaks.

It "might" be as odd as water leaking in around the vent on the roof and running down to the tank level before dropping off to show up or as common as a fitting on a water supply line getting loose enough to let it drip!

One of the really tricky leaks can be when your kids spill a glass of water and don't want to tell you about it!

[Ray,IN]

One way to find a leak in an otherwise sealed area is to place a very bright light inside, insure the access doors are tightly closed. On a dark night slivers of light can be seen wherever there is an opening.

[gfield63]

Thanks to all for your reply, I will gather more info and reply back

[gfield63]

Thanks to all for the replies. I will attempt to upload some photos...

[gfield63]

The carpet is wet along the door seal, I wonder if the droplets on the walls are just condensation?

[Morich]

Originally Posted by gfield63

The carpet is wet along the door seal, I wonder if the droplets on the walls are just condensation?

That was also my first thought after looking at the picture. Are those small drops of water scattered all around on the door? Warmer humid air does tend to form drops up high and when they get thick enough, they begin to form tiny "rivers" that run down.
Is this after sudden cold temperature change? Outside of the door much cooler than inside temps?
If this is a long term stay, maybe the best solution might be to add some heat in the compartment as a way to both warm the RV and also tend to dry the compartment?
I now use a small 200 watt electric heater in equipment cabinets where we have moisture problems as it is a very low level heat with little hazard of fire but still enough to heat the inside of metal cabinets to avoid water drops forming.
The drops of water have a nasty habit of running across the top and dripping in just the wrong spot to kill some really nice electronics!

This is a small one that works for me, but I might also recommend shop for better price /shipping if not found local!
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Fesfesfes...1?from=/search

[Morich]

This is one that I have set for home use here in Central Texas.
Builders here tend to put water lines on the outside!



You might note the temperature reading on the temp controller? This posting saved me a bunch of trouble as I went out to take a picture of the heater and found I missed turning it on! Nothing frozen yet but getting close and certainly would have been a loss by morning!
With the little temp controller only using 3 watt, I normally set this up when the weather is still nice (I'm against working in the cold!) and just let it turn the heater on when the temperature drops.
But a big point is pushing that little white button on the heater!

I still have to be alert as the Texas power folks have given us a 1 in 6 chance they will need to go to rolling blackouts! What a place!

[gfield63]

I like RayIn's idea of placing a light inside...I'll try that tonight. It's looking more and more like the door seal
Thanks everyone!

[wahoonc]

I have had a condensation issue before on a unit with the steel boxes. We were running the AC inside, it was in the mid to upper 90s outside. We started leaving the compartment doors hanging open and the problem resolved itself.

Aaron

[gfield63]

Well, I'm a little embarrassed but it turns out that I was the culprit all along...it was residual water from a garden hose that I failed to drain completely! Lmao!!

I guess it's good news after all...thank you all for your assistance!!! What can I say, I'm a newbie!!