RV Leaks

[AbdRahim]

I thought this might be very educational for all. Describe an RV leak you experienced, how you found the source of the water, and how it was repaired.

Leak #1

One night about 1 AM, I heard a driping noise during a torrential rain. upon investigation, I( saw water dripping from a screw holding up the shroud on the bathroom skylight. When I took the screw out the water began a steady flow. I covered the roof with a plastic garbage bag, weighted down with protien drinks and taped with Gorilla tape until mornig. Fortunately a local RV repair place took me in early the next morning. The tech found the source of theleak and sealed it with ProFlex liquid.

Leak #2

I had pink spots develop on the ceiling of my previous MH, shortly after I purchased it. There was much discussion on the internet about it's source and how to remove the stains. In my case nothing was able to remove the satin and more appeared with time. One day I noticed a musty odor in the front just behind the cab (class C). It had a soft ceiling, fortunately. I pulled down a section of the ceiling and stuck my hand. in To my horror it was soaking wet in there. Assuming it was a roof leak, I began furiously checking and re-sealing, all to no avail. Finally, I saw the black mold and contacted the manufacturer. They agreed to replace the roof. When I picked it up, I was informed that there is a seam where the roof meets the sidewall, that is supposed to be caulked. On mine they neglected to put any sealant there. So, it water was coming in from front to back all along that seam. They did a great job replacing everything. The first thing I did after that was to get RV Armor.

 

[Britman55]

Finding the source of a water leak can be frustrating. The first leak that I experienced was on my first Class A new purchase. It just happened that a torrential downpour occurred while I was driving away from the dealer on my maiden voyage. A thin stream of water traveled down the middle of the windshield and entered beneath the dash. I turned back and ended up having to leave the coach for several days so they could remove and replace the windshield gasket that was pinched during assembly. It was a warranty fix and the dealer provided a $200.00 gas card for my troubles. I saw where Motor Home Specialists in Texas advertises a simulated high pressure rain check before delivery. Now that would have been nice in my case but my dealer was not equipped for it.

A second leak was on the same coach found on my first outing. I heard water dripping under the kitchen sink and found the PTrap was not joined correctly and the exit line was binding with the slide open. During my PDI we ran the sink with the slide in and no leak. Guess I should have checked it out under all operating conditions so I learned a lesson on that one. Another warranty fix.

Lastly on my more recent Class A purchase I found a slow leak in my cargo bay under the shower area. There is a small inspection window screwed to the floor and it was seeping around the edges. After I removed the window I could see where the plumbing from the drain was touching the underside of the window. Turns out that when stepping onto the flexing shower pan the body weight made the Ptrap bind thus the seal broke where connected to the exit line. After fixing the seal a simple stainless steel support band was looped around the plumbing to pull it up and away which prevented compression against the inspection window. In my opinion this should have been a standard thing done at the factory and I mentioned so during the warranty conversations between dealer and manufacturer. Not sure if they changed procedures for their later builds.

 

[AbdRahim]

This is not limited to roof leaks, by the way. I think finding and fixing all leaks is educational, whether plumbing roof, side wall, baggage compartments, etc.

I once had a water pump which would drip after extended periods of non-use. The dripping was from the bottom just above where the wires connected. It turns out that id I ran the pump periodically (maybe use 1/3 of the FW tank, every few weeks), the dripping completely stopped.

 

[Amoque]

We purchased a Komfort roughly 10 years ago. Everything was fine the first year as we parked under cover and used it only during the summer. During our second year, we were on our way to the coast during a torrential downpour and arrived to find the bedroom wall and floor soaked to the point of puddles. I inspected EVERYTHING and found no obvious damage - especially frustrating that the bedroom was opposite the kitchen and well away from any source of internal leak - refrigerator, air conditioner, water or sewer lines.

Over the following months I did everything I could think of:

• Replaced the neoprene gasket under the air conditioner and tightened the unit to spec.
• Ran food dye in the water system to verify it wasn't pipe leakage
• Alternately masked off areas of the roof and ran a sprinkler to try and determine where the leak might be.
• Blobbing sealant on every possible break in the rubberized roofing
• Replaced vent caps, verified seals, and scratched head.
• Resealed marker lights and windows.
• Had TWO inconclusive pressure/ smoke tests.
• Contacted the manufacturer for help - haha. One year warranty expired two months ago. So sorry.

I had friends and family examine the roof - it was a brand new unit, there was nothing much to see, but, honestly, the water that poured in was torrential, it ran in rivulets down the bedroom wall and soaked the carpet. For more than a year we struggled to identify any source for such a leak.

Then, we were camping with friends and "Mike" was on the roof looking around. He found nothing, but playfully slapped at the aluminum "rail?" that runs the length of the trailer. Its the piece that is installed over the seam where the rubber roof overlaps the side of the box. Hard to explain, but I think its a common enough fixture on fiberglass sided trailers that you'll recognize what I mean if you see it. Anyway, on that piece was a decorative slat - much like a mini-blind slat - that he happened to catch with the slap. It was loose and rattled... and I new instantly what, or at least where, the issue was.

I had presumed that the slat was like car door trim, thick, rubber, and adhesive backed, but it was not. Peeling it back revealed a row of holes about half of which were filled with large screws to hold the aluminum piece in place. It appeared that the piece had been incorrectly installed, then removed and reinstalled by re-drilling all the screw holes to the new location. The old screw holes were left open. To verify, I took one of those bamboo skewers and pushed 2-3 inches into each of 8 - 12? holes - surely deep enough to indicate this is where the water entered.

A squirt of silicone patched the holes but, alas, the damage was done. Delamination began to occur and without any help from the manufacturer (Sorry, leaks are the responsibility of the owner), it just became too expensive considering the risk... we crossed Komfort and Dutchman off the list of eligible, replaced the unit and have had zero issues with the new unit.

 

[Neal]

I thought this might be very educational for all. Describe an RV leak you experienced, how you found the source of the water, and how it was repaired.

Observe the concrete pad below your coach! It can be very revealing.

Issue 1: OIL droplets. I had an issue with having to add oil from time to time, I figured it was normal for a big engine (it's not). I asked others with like engines, no issue. When at HWH getting Active Air installed which is on a rack you can walk under it's quite shocking what you see below. I saw wet areas. Called Cummins and took it in, they replaced the oil pan gasket. Oil consumption issues repaired. Not long after, still seeing oil, this time took to Tucson Cummins and they did a die analysis, head gasket. Later replaced, under warranty thank goodness.

Issue 2: Water! When first observing that I was leaving oil at every location, although minor, I noticed WATER. Typically probably not an issue but this was a noticeable specific area and I traced it to be a poor connection of the shower drain pan thingy. I was able to find a replacement at Home Depot and with the help of another RVer I resolved that. It was a challenge, wasn't sure if the shower pan would have to come out, but I was able to reach through the bedroom furnace port after removing the furnace. I did get a spare from Newmar of the original style in case it happens again.

Issue 3: Left aft basement which is a sealed unit was getting soaked. It may have been related to #2 above, I can't remember. I think the other issue is that someone (cough: me) siliconed the aft end of the drain rail so the water couldn't get out. Again, I think this was actually #2 above as the cause.

Issue 4: Pegboard bay board was soaked after driving in the rain. Newmar had to fix this, common issue for them is wheel well water intrusion. Don't know if they ever fixed this for all but they had to put a water dam in place, a deflector, and also sealed the area with some spray something.

Issue 5: Left forward electrical bay had several inches of water as the installer for HWH Active Air did not seal his wiring paths properly. Took me several times of hitting that with spray sealant to get it sealed. Need to watch that again in fact.

 

[AbdRahim]

More stories like this may help to give folks ideas on where to loo.These things an be quite aggravatin.

 

[the7thchakra]

We bought a 2006 Coachmen Mirada in 2018.

After a few months, I noticed that there was a soft spot that was developing in the linoleum in front of the toilet. Eventually, it cracked and water was coming up. I worried that it was a problem with the black water tank.

I got up the gumption and I tore some of the linoleum up. The wood underneath was wet and quite rotten. Whatever had been going on had been going on for a long time. I pulled up all of the linoleum in the bathroom and let it dry out.

Eventually, I discovered that, after we'd shower, water would trickle up from under the linoleum. Our shower is on starboard side, opposite the bathroom.

There was no easy access to get under the shower except for a tiny portal in the bedroom. I put my hand in and discovered a huge pool under the shower, right about the rear starboard wheel well. I further discovered that the drain pipe was not even attached to the shower drain!

We tore the shower apart, bought a new drain pan and surround. It was no easy feat to replace the drain. The portal we had available made the attachment of the drain pipe to the drain a real struggle. We eventually had it in a good state. We installed the surround and started using it the shower.

This went well for a couple of years. About two months ago, I get up in the night and the carpet in the bedroom is soaked. It was freezing out, so we had a drip going. Apparently the drain pipe had popped off and the grey water was backing up under the shower, but now at a rate that filled the little pool above the wheel well at a rate more than a shower could.

I decided not to fight with the portal any more, so I tried cutting a hole under the shower (from the inside) to improve access. I drilled a 2" test hole to look around and make sure I wasn't going to blow the drain pipe. The first surprise was that once I got through the first 2" header board, there was another one! Between my hole cutter and reciprocating saw, I got a nice 2'x8" hole, and started going through the *second* 2" header board. Finally, I get the opening cleaned up.

I should have made the improved access hole from the start. It's big enough to get two hands in. I shimmed up the drain pipe to reduce the chance that it'd pop off, and I now we just regularly check that the drain pipe is attached to the drain before use.

I won't deny that it's super-aggravating that the rig wasn't designed to be maintained. I live in this thing! Anyway, I guess maybe I'll consider the "hard solution" first in the future if it makes sense. I wouldn't have had to rip out the old shower if I'd made the improved access hole.

Water... what a beast.