Roof Leak

roy · 03-11-2013, 05:53 AM

Yep it happened. Corner at right front where the rubber roof is joined at the fiberglass nose cone. It ponds water there on both sides. The caulk or what ever they call it separated just enough from the fiberglass side to allow water to come in on the sloped wall portion and it was dripping out of a small lamp and joint in the wall board. Lucky for me my wife was in there making up the bed for a trip this coming weekend and alerted me. Yes it was pouring rain at the time. It has been covered up since Dec 1st last year and this was the first rain with the cover off. I don't think it was leaking with cover on or I would have seen evidence of water damage friday when I removed the cover. Anyway I did an emergency fix in the rain using all i had on my clear silicone. I was able to put and umbrella over me and the area and dry the spot good then quickly smear a bead onto the crack area and further on each end. I then took a piece of aluminum foil to mold over it and cover it from rain to give it a chance to cure. I did manage to stop the water from coming in best I could tell. The rain has stopped this morning and I intend to inspect ti further.

I want to caulk that area better using a similar material they used in manufacture so I will swing by a dealer today and buy some. I plan to just caulk over the entire silicone repair as well not going through the trouble of trying to remove that as that may cause other problems. I used the silicone sparingly so it should not be an issue for the caulk to adhere. Unit is out of factory 12 month warranty. I do have a 5 year extended warranty but I'm not sure it'll cover this plus I think there is a $75 deductible plus I have to haul it to a dealer 90 miles away and deal with their BS. We need it up and rolling this friday.

This is just one more example of I am growing increasingly tire of camper ownership. It is a constant problem and it does not even have to be used for things to happen. I am not sure why the caulk separated to begin with it appeared to be put on with a generous bead from the factory. Something expanded hopefully its not the whole front fiberglass cap. Couldn't have happened in a worse place with the little ponding in that corner that happens.

Just another day of the CruiserRv experience

**LJAZ** · 03-11-2013, 09:51 AM

Good that you caught it quickly. Unfortunetely this is one area that requires religious maintenance. The caulk dries out over time and cracks or pulls away from being flexed as the trailer is towed. It's further aggravated by changes in temperature & humidity that cause the different materials to expand & contract at dfferent rates.

I check for cracks and gaps and recaulk them annually as part of routine maintenance. There's almost always some area that needs touch-up. Part of the joys of ownership I guess.

roy · 03-11-2013, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LJAZ

Good that you caught it quickly. Unfortunetely this is one area that requires religious maintenance. The caulk dries out over time and cracks or pulls away from being flexed as the trailer is towed. It's further aggravated by changes in temperature & humidity that cause the different materials to expand & contract at dfferent rates.

I check for cracks and gaps and recaulk them annually as part of routine maintenance. There's almost always some area that needs touch-up. Part of the joys of ownership I guess.

What's a good brand type caulk I am a bit overwhelmed with the selection.

Offspring22 · 03-11-2013, 02:49 PM

I used Dicor - should be available at any RV dealership. Just clean the old stuff (don't remove it) and add it on top.

roy · 03-11-2013, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Offspring22

I used Dicor - should be available at any RV dealership. Just clean the old stuff (don't remove it) and add it on top.

That is exactly what I bought (Dicor white) and I did clean up the old and the area and just applied on top of old and into crack. I did the other side even though I could see a crack it looks a little weathered and I know water ponds in these areas.

I did remove all the quick fix silicone up with rubbing alcohol and it was squeaky clean afterward. The silicone never set up due to the rain and moisture but it did serve a purpose by stopping the water in a tight last night.