Roof water leak - need some help finding where!

[I26p]

I have an 2012 Sunstar 26p. on the inside ceiling I saw some water getting in, the trim between 2 ceiling panels is down a bit and if I stick my fingers under the panel it comes out a little moist. I have been on the roof many times and cant see any possible way for water to get in. I had a RV technician check as well, he replaced the ac gasket and did some caulking but the issue persists. its not dripping but still wet under the panel. then i noticed where the fiberglass roof meets the sidewall. it rolls 90 degrees and tucks behind the gutter. and near the water issue, the caulking was separated from the gutter. i re-caulked that area and hoping that was the issue, but then watched a video that showed that water can get into this area and there are weep holes to let the water out. its also mostly below the level of the ceiling where the water issue is. the water issue is on the drivers side and that is where i re-caulked. then i went over to check the passenger side, and that side is worse than the drivers, so now thinking that bit of separation between the fiberglass and the gutter is not the culprit.

not sure what to do next, i have visually looked multiple times, rv tech looked and could not find the issue. any thoughts on how to find a leak like this? the only thing near the leak on the roof is the shower skylight, but it looks perfectly sealed.

any help would be greatly appreciated! i live in eastern PA near Philadelphia, if anyone knows a reputable RV repair facility, would consider that as well. thanks!

 

[AbdRahim]

It will be difficult to teel whether or not it is still leaking without drying the area under those ceiling panels. I once had a leak on a previous rig, that soaked the front area under there. I stuffed paper towels in there until it was fairly dry. After a rain it was wet again. You will also likely need a good dehumidifier to help dry it out.

You may be able to use a moisture meter, checking along the ceiling for the area where it is coming in. If yo have an enescope type camera, you maybstick it up into the ceiling area and see if you can tell from which direction the water is coming.

I found when checking Dicor on the roof, you need to probe with your finger to make sure that it is adhered to the are. I found sections that looked good, but with very little effirt lifted right up.

if you find areas of suspicion on the outside, I like to clean the area very well with a good solvent, then use Proflex liquid (white stuff - has fibrous material in it). It follows the path that water would take and seals the area. I would examine the entire length of the coach where the roof meets the sude wall. Don’t forget any joint areas on that rounded section. Check the caulk thoroughly any place it is found on the roof. On the rv I described above, the manufacturer forgot to seal the junction of the roof and sidewall. Thus it was leaking the entire length of the coach on both sides.

I would also pull the trim and look under other ceiling panels as well, or check with a moisture meter.

Hope that helps. You can also check rvservicereviews.com to see if there is a reputable repair shop near you. A leak is an emergency, in my estimation.

 

[I26p]

It will be difficult to teel whether or not it is still leaking without drying the area under those ceiling panels. I once had a leak on a previous rig, that soaked the front area under there. I stuffed paper towels in there until it was fairly dry. After a rain it was wet again. You will also likely need a good dehumidifier to help dry it out.

You may be able to use a moisture meter, checking along the ceiling for the area where it is coming in. If yo have an enescope type camera, you maybstick it up into the ceiling area and see if you can tell from which direction the water is coming.

I found when checking Dicor on the roof, you need to probe with your finger to make sure that it is adhered to the are. I found sections that looked good, but with very little effirt lifted right up.

if you find areas of suspicion on the outside, I like to clean the area very well with a good solvent, then use Proflex liquid (white stuff - has fibrous material in it). It follows the path that water would take and seals the area. I would examine the entire length of the coach where the roof meets the sude wall. Don’t forget any joint areas on that rounded section. Check the caulk thoroughly any place it is found on the roof. On the rv I described above, the manufacturer forgot to seal the junction of the roof and sidewall. Thus it was leaking the entire length of the coach on both sides.

I would also pull the trim and look under other ceiling panels as well, or check with a moisture meter.

Hope that helps. You can also check rvservicereviews.com to see if there is a reputable repair shop near you. A leak is an emergency, in my estimation.

Thanks for the ideas, the inside ceiling is adhered to the foam ceiling so hard to pull down and look, i dont want to damage more. i will get on the roof tomorrow and look again.

 

[Scotttkd2]

If you have heat pumps they will create condensation like the AC does in summer, and it has to go somewhere. I have seen the condensation tray inside the AC unit get clogged up with debris and allow the condensation to drip back inside instead of out and off the roof. Once it's inside its a snipe hunt to find the source as the water follows any path it can take downhill.

 

[I26p]

even without ac or heat pump running, there is still moisture in the ceiling. i removed the air intake panel to the hvac unit and it looks totally dry, no signs of water there. we purchased this rv about 2 years ago and have used sparingly. maybe 15 times total and just for weekends. i checked again and am guessing there is a sheet of lauan above the ceiling panels, that seems to be in bad shape. so i think i need professional help - another rv repair shop to look at this at this point, i can only think the culprit is the shower skylight which is next to the damage. there does not appear to be any damage inside the shower stall, and from a visual perspective, the caulking around the skylight looks perfect, but still there must be a place where the water is getting in.

 

[Rollin Ollen]

We own a 2011 Vista 26P and had a water leak as well. It drove me nuts as it has a solid roof. No seams! I lived in a very rainy area then (Vancouver Island BC). I tarped the roof in different sections in hope of pinpointing the entrance. Turns out it was my Windshield that leaked leaked! I took it back to the company that had replaced the glass and they gooped a bunch of urethane around the seal and that stopped the leak. Their urethan job looks awful but I'm scared to take it back to them to have the glass reinstalled properly. It took a long time to dry things out but after a month in the Arizona Desert we were back to normal. We haven't had a problem now for about 6 years.

Good luck.

Darrell

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I don't get it! Skylights are a big problem in brick and stick, why put them in an RV? The problem can, and has been in the Skylight itself.

That rant finished I will try to help!

First a warning! For reasons I don't personally understand, I have been called anal, I look at my projects and I don't understand the label.

What I do:

Because the major reason rigs go to an early grave is water damage, I don't look for leaks. I have water inside and I know I have one. I know the problem, so the cure becomes obvious.

More water inside the rig can't do more damage than already done. So I grab the lawn chair, the hose, and go to camp out on the roof. The idea is to find my pond and make sure the dam is removed.

No dam found, the next step is to remove all, yes all, installed items on the roof and re-bed them the right way, not the quick haphazard way we have grown to believe is normal.

More water, surely you disturbed something, and have another pool.

Side note:
The slip of a trimmer while fitting things together has created more leaks than I want to think about. And although the industry has learned how to cover these slips up! They have not figured out how to fix the leak (It costs money to do a job right, by fixings a slip with a new piece), so don't ask why they don't just do it right. They would be acused of being anal!