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Old 05-27-2021, 03:06 PM   #1
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HELP At wits end.

I really need help. Major help. I bought a new 1700BH almost three years ago. Used it a few times. Looked underneath after a year and noticed fabric on underneath (long story short) full of water. Tore apart. Resealed. During this time it was in the local shop four times. Replaced pipes, hoses, anything that could have been the problem. Expensive. In October I covered the trailer with a “authorized” cover. Checked monthly; no leak. Three weeks ago removed cover. Rained during that time. (Washington coast) today looked inside. Far more inside water then ever before. And no idea where it entered from. None. The table leg has water but no sign of where it came from; as if it spouted up from below. Same with water in fron of the bench and inside it. Far more water inside then ever before and not ever in those areas. Before it was a very small amount of water and only beside the front of the refrigerator. We believe the wind drove it through exterior refrigerator vent; winds didn’t exceed 15 MPH in last three weeks; no leak there. No idea where this water came from. It never showed in the past. No wall sign of water damage. No vents or windows open. Checked underbelly. Water inside. Cut open and am drying out insulation from both sides of the trailer. Shop re-calked outside (where the exterior wall and deck meet) I did some calking if I thought anything looked suspicious. I am at wits end and need help. I thank you in advance.
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Old 05-27-2021, 04:08 PM   #2
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One place which can be a bit tricky to find is the area around the A?C on top as it has a cover which can hide the fact that caulking is not getting it sealed around the mounting.
So I have not idea of the placement of various items so no idea if it would fit to think water running across the roof, might build up and go in around the A/C to fall in the spots mentioned??
Have you taken the shroud off the outside and looked for sealing and or signs of water in that area?

Sorry, it can be a bear to find.....
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Old 05-27-2021, 07:43 PM   #3
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I checked the roof last year and did find and fix an opening over a screw/rivet that was created by an open bubble. The AC looked totally sealed. Not a sign of water ANYWHERE inside the trailer.
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Old 05-27-2021, 08:11 PM   #4
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Wow, that's tough. Right on the Washington coast, huh? Not helpful to be parked there. Dunno how much time you have but maybe consider driving the RV over to the east side of the mountains, say to the desert Tri-Cities area, and parking it there in a small town RV parking/storage lot until you can spare the time to go visit and pressurize the camper (a leaf blower mounted to blow through a piece of plywood that fits into a window frame of the RV). Then with soapy water, search for bubbles from the leaks you seem to have.

If that's not to your liking, you can wait for summer time, try to dry it out there on the coast, then try the leaf blower trick. It's basically what roof leak detection companies do to find leaks in the roof. Sounds like you have a bunch. Of course you may need to seal up some of the obvious gaps your RV might have with wide tape of some kind.

I was born in Seattle and lived most of my life in Washington & Oregon in the valley or near the coast and I miss my friends, but I do not miss the rain. More then 33 years in Portland. Glad to have moved on to dryer climes.
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Old 05-28-2021, 08:02 AM   #5
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Thanks. It looks like that is going to be the way to go at this point.
I’ll look into it...maybe YouTube?
On another note, we do miss not being around a higher city at times.
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Old 05-28-2021, 09:55 AM   #6
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Would a shop vacuum provide enough air pressure in a trailer when searching for leaks?
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Old 05-28-2021, 10:27 AM   #7
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Perhaps a giant factory sized one. In general though, probably not those homeowner garage sized units, because of the RVs volume and all the potential leaks...window frames, wall seams, roof cutouts, firewall holes, that sort of thing. Need to move a very large volume of air to build up pressure in the RV. DIY'ers have experimented with various methods settling on leaf blowers as the most readily available, easiest to set up, and most reliable in exposing leaks.

But, it's your time, effort, and money, give your idea a try. Let us know how it goes.
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Old 05-28-2021, 06:06 PM   #8
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Above the rain gutters are plastic trim strips that cover the screws that hold the rain gutters in place. Check behind the trim strips and make sure there are no open screw holes. I had a leak in our Micro Minnie and found that the factory must have installed a screw that didn't bite into anything so then they removed it but didn't seal the screw hole. Due to that, water would run down inside the wall and show up as a puddle on the floor. I couldn't believe how much water was able to come through a 1/8" screw hole. Maybe you have one or more open screw holes also.
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Old 05-28-2021, 07:52 PM   #9
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Some photos of water. Two separate puddles. Where they came from is unknown. Last year we had two puddles, on two separate occasions, in the walkway.
No repeat water puddles from year to year. It’s kinda like, here today but tomorrow, who knows?
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Old 05-28-2021, 09:58 PM   #10
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Do you have slides?

Wind driven rain can get by the rubber.

And on Class "A" coaches the slide parameter has a 3/8" metal strip that fits in a channel. These things let water in. The fix it to remove the metal strip and apply silicon to the metal channel and around the screws on the end.

The other option is to park your coach in the opposite direction during a rain storm so the wind driven rain does not enter the coach on the weak side.

=== OR ===

I have never done this myself, but I believe there are companies that will pressurize the inside of your coach and then find where the air is leaking out to pin point the source of your water leak.

If that's not an option, then you may need to experiment the next time you have a rain storm coming:

A) Park on a positive slope; then cover half the roof ... and then lay folded towels down on the floor corners where you think the water may be coming in. ...Then during or after the rain check for water leaks.

If you don't find any, go to Plan "B":

B) Change to a negative slope; then cover the other half of the roof ... check for water leaks.
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Old 05-28-2021, 10:14 PM   #11
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The wheel wells get installed to the floor before the walls go on, and sometimes they don't properly apply sealant to completely seal the wheel wells to the sidewalls after the sides go on. Water can enter there, you have to remove the plastic decorative trim pieces and caulk the sidewall to wheel wells seam, and then reinstall the trim. You can be generous as the trim will hide the sealant. Might not be the only water intrusion point but could be one of them.
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Old 05-29-2021, 07:20 AM   #12
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Thanks. If nothing else works I will absolutely do this.
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Old 05-29-2021, 07:22 AM   #13
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Thank you. I’ll add this to my list. Next week is gonna be a busy week.
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Old 06-02-2021, 02:27 PM   #14
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I have been using the leaf blower method (which I found on YouTube) while walking around the outside of the trailer looking for leaks with a sprayer. So far I have not found a sign of a leak anywhere. I have not looked into the roof or gutters yet. I did take the week trim off as suggested and may have found small area that added to my troubles (as well as an extra hole; one screw came out showing rust). Input would be appreciated as I’m not sure what a good sealed area would look like. Wondering if I could use gorilla tape?
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Old 06-02-2021, 05:48 PM   #15
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If I was going to use Gorilla tape, I would use their Waterproof Patch & Seal Tape.

This is probably overkill, but because I have these on hand, I would first fill the void and hole with Silicone II Window and Door, let it cure, and then cover with Eternabond tape.
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Old 06-02-2021, 09:06 PM   #16
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I opened the gutter cover and discovered screws rusted on the outside. Tomorrow I plan to remove the screws and call the hole, insert the screw and call the outside. I bought the Girilla flex tape and was thinking of running it along where the roof and gutter meet (over the screws cover) I saw this on a YouTube video where the guy used the tape to seal the gutter tract as well as around the vents)
What do you guys think?
I have not used the bubble technique to test the roof for leaks at this time. I calked the wheel wells and want to hold off for another day to let them seal.
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Old 06-02-2021, 10:48 PM   #17
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Wow this is a tough one. I have a few suggestions that you have probably checked, but here goes: Could any of the water be coming from below, like water tank or water heater? If from above, I've always had problems with skylights. Also, you may want to call Winnebago and see if they have run into this problem in the past. Just some suggestions, you will eventually locate it.
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Old 06-02-2021, 10:55 PM   #18
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I have found that the flooring is a water tight material and once water gets on top of it any where it will flow downhill. On my camper it might enter at the furnace exhaust which goes down into the camper, poorly caulked windows, refrigerator vent, or other things that pierce the side of the camper and then once inside the camper it will flow across the water proof flooring downhill and look for a low place to sit. On my camper that low spot is in front of the refrigerator and in the doorway to the bathroom. It get there by flowing under the walls on the waterproof flooring. There are holes cut in the flooring for various things to go between the area under the floor to above the floor. So the water will go through these holes and collect on the fabric covering the bottom of the camper.When I look in the outdoor kitchen, under the refrigerator, and other places where things meet the flooring I can see water stains and vinyl separation due to water. I am spending 2 weeks camping and a month repairing. I bought an inexpensive travel trailer and am looking at spending more money to get a better quality rig. Tired of fixing bad planning, bad engineering, and poor craftmanship.
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Old 06-03-2021, 05:19 AM   #19
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Better rig?

I know how you feel... it seems as though there is one problem after another from sewer cable valves that pull so hard they break and no easy access to repair.. to leaking toilets to giant holes for pipes that allow mice to enter cabin area to to thermostats that only work without a cover to vent pipes in cabinets where you would keep food and toilet paper...moisture basically where it shouldn't be... however they are all the se I don't think there is a truely "better rig". Good luck to you!
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Old 06-03-2021, 06:47 AM   #20
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Have you added an awning? We bought an Award travel trailer one had been added to without sealing the bolts. We're building a guest house on the frame. Sigh...
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