Water Leaks

[Trailing Wires]

2020 3350BH. Mostly a complaint out of frustration, but how the heck does a person keep water out?? I am on my roof every 2-3 months checking for sealant/damage issues. Today I went out to open the awnings as the RV has been sitting for a couple of months and noticed the ceiling trim just aft of the kitchen vent fan swelled due to water intrusion. I pulled the interior vent trim and noticed it was a little wet. Climbed on the roof and could find no sealant gaps/openings or damage to the vent cover. There are no moisture traces anywhere, but at the ceiling vent trim interface. How the heck does a person locate/correct an unlocatable leak???
Previously owned a Reflection 28BH which also had a roof leak at the bathroom vent fan and it had also received the same diligent roof inspection and attention. Am i just not cut out for owning one of the POS trailers? Should I just cut my losses and sell the damn thing??
Asking for a Friend )

[Country Campers]

Water leaks are one of the hardest things to find, as you are learning. Although you are finding water near the vent you may need to look "up hill" away from the vent. Water will travel great distances from the actual leak point. Also if it rained hard or from a certain direction this may lead to a place to look. Even small tiny cracks in the actual vent cover may lead to water intrusion. You could remove the trim and go up on the roof with a garden hose and spray areas you think may be the cause and see if you get any results.

Owning a RV is supposed to be fun but is very frustrating sometimes. Keep at it, I think you will be fine.

Brian

[StephenO]

I've never done this myself, but could you use a pinless moisture meter on the outside of the roof to find where the roof substrate is wet? If the meter is able to measure, then you might be able to do a measurement plot of the roof and narrow down where the intrusion point is? Perhaps something similar could be done on the inside, but as Brian pointed out, water can travel pretty far, so an interior measurement may not pinpoint the exterior intrusion point.

Hopefully you're able to find the source soon, and get back to camping!

[Calbar]

2020 3350BH. Mostly a complaint out of frustration, but how the heck does a person keep water out?? I am on my roof every 2-3 months checking for sealant/damage issues. Today I went out to open the awnings as the RV has been sitting for a couple of months and noticed the ceiling trim just aft of the kitchen vent fan swelled due to water intrusion. I pulled the interior vent trim and noticed it was a little wet. Climbed on the roof and could find no sealant gaps/openings or damage to the vent cover. There are no moisture traces anywhere, but at the ceiling vent trim interface. How the heck does a person locate/correct an unlocatable leak???
Previously owned a Reflection 28BH which also had a roof leak at the bathroom vent fan and it had also received the same diligent roof inspection and attention. Am i just not cut out for owning one of the POS trailers? Should I just cut my losses and sell the damn thing??
Asking for a Friend )

There is a pressure test that many dealers can perform. They pressurize the trailer and then look for bubbles indicating a leak. I have had that done previously and they have found areas that I would never had guessed leaked. In the spring I think I will be getting my Solitude done as preventative maintenance, I hope, since I am on the roof multiple times of the year, weather permitting. No snow or ice that is.

Rob

[howson]

There is a pressure test that many dealers can perform. They pressurize the trailer and then look for bubbles indicating a leak. I have had that done previously and they have found areas that I would never had guessed leaked. In the spring I think I will be getting my Solitude done as preventative maintenance, I hope, since I am on the roof multiple times of the year, weather permitting. No snow or ice that is.

Rob

Do you know any more details of how this is done? I know aircraft fuel tanks and interiors are pressurized during maintenance checks, so the concept is not unknown to me, but how that could be done to an entire RV would be fascinating to read.

Howard

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Do you know any more details of how this is done? I know aircraft fuel tanks and interiors are pressurized during maintenance checks, so the concept is not unknown to me, but how that could be done to an entire RV would be fascinating to read.

Howard

I would think with the multitude of holes in an RV you would need a large volume of air to do the job.

[JBill9694]

Finding the leak would be best, Trailing Wires. If you simply can't find it, clean the area around the vent including the existing sealant and then do an overlay of new self-leveling sealant. Extend the new sealant up the sides of the vent as far as possible without interfering with the vent lid, and a couple of inches out onto the roof membrane past the old sealant.

[TedS]

I would think with the multitude of holes in an RV you would need a large volume of air to do the job.

A large fan is used to lightly pressurize the cabin. Google search will result in lots of hits on testing.

[Jlawles2]

IIRC it's a bit of an iterative process. They start by installing a low pressure fan to build pressure in the unit. While the fan is running, they start plugging the holes for things like return air to the furnace, plumbing holes, etc, until they can achieve a set Water Column. Then they proceed to spray the outside of the camper with a soapy water solution around all seams and potential leak areas marking leaks as they go.

To the OP, as mentioned water leaks are quite frustrating and can be a bit difficult to find. On one of our previous units, a simple shrink crack lead to a wet interior floor to wall interface. It took me weeks to find the stupid leak and it was truly an accident as I was so infuriated that I just chose to start resealing any area that looked questionable. Just so happens that it was the front cap to roof and the wetness was on the Street side floor to wall interface. Water would run down the INSIDE of the cap (as best I could tell) then run along the wall to floor seam getting the carpet wet. Look not only at the known penetrations but in the general area for any cracks or punctures to the membrane itself. Remember water will find the path of least resistance and most inconvenience and it can even be UPHILL (don't ask how I know this).

[TucsonJim]

You can use a shop vac, some tape, and a few basic tools to perform your own leak test for free. In this video, the young man starts with a leaf blower, but switches to a shop vac. Instead of a spray bottle, I'd recommend a pressure sprayer with a 30/70 mix of dish soap and water. Seal up any exterior openings that you can in order to maximize air flow out of the leaking area. You can also use a foam canon they use for car washing to really get a good soapy solution on the area.

https://youtu.be/hyOH4zupCnk?si=jJpsLLD7pQ-_qvJO

Jim

[Calbar]

Do you know any more details of how this is done? I know aircraft fuel tanks and interiors are pressurized during maintenance checks, so the concept is not unknown to me, but how that could be done to an entire RV would be fascinating to read.

Howard

My local non Grand Design Dealer uses the Sealtek system from what I recall when I had my Rockwood. Info can be found at this link.
https://rvleaks.com/

Rob

[TribForce]

I don't normally hunt ducks with a cannon but, how about stripping off all the sealant in the suspected area and reapplying it? It goes without saying, water can fit through spaces that we cannot see.

[guest2]

IIRC it's a bit of an iterative process. They start by installing a low pressure fan to build pressure in the unit. While the fan is running, they start plugging the holes for things like return air to the furnace, plumbing holes, etc, until they can achieve a set Water Column. Then they proceed to spray the outside of the camper with a soapy water solution around all seams and potential leak areas marking leaks as they go.

To the OP, as mentioned water leaks are quite frustrating and can be a bit difficult to find. On one of our previous units, a simple shrink crack lead to a wet interior floor to wall interface. It took me weeks to find the stupid leak and it was truly an accident as I was so infuriated that I just chose to start resealing any area that looked questionable. Just so happens that it was the front cap to roof and the wetness was on the Street side floor to wall interface. Water would run down the INSIDE of the cap (as best I could tell) then run along the wall to floor seam getting the carpet wet. Look not only at the known penetrations but in the general area for any cracks or punctures to the membrane itself. Remember water will find the path of least resistance and most inconvenience and it can even be UPHILL (don't ask how I know this).

Water doesn’t run uphill without pressure behind it. A simple water leak from rain would not cause that.
Hydraulics 101.
Rich

[Jlawles2]

Capillary action will draw the water up in a crack. https://www.ddcoatings.co.uk/3213/capillary-action

Parents had a metal roof installed. Contractor screwed up and the water was literally wicking itself over the seams and running down the inside. MFG sent reps out to look at it and explained ti quite extensively as to what the issue was and what they did to design the roof so it did not have this issue.

[TenOC]

Why not seal all joints and edges with EternaBond RoofSeal tape and then apply a liquid rubber coating to the whole roof? Cost about $150 to $200 plus DIY labor.