Rain water leaking in return air vent above bed

[Dijoeboss]

Just had a hard rain / high winds pass through tonight, high winds and rain first then just a steady rain for about two hours. Getting ready for bed and found water dripping from the vent opening above the bed. Anyone else experience this? Is there a fix?? I will probably call the rep and factory Tuesday!

[CincyGus]

Yes, First make sure the vent is closed tightly. If it's not hard winds can blow water between the top vent cover and the box it seats on. Then check the vent cover for cracks.

2nd, go up on the roof and check to make sure the caulking around the vent is not cracked and leaking. This issue would be worse than the first as it could allow water inside the roof which could rot or cause mildew/mold.

Identify which issue it is.

Also may consider putting a cover over the vent that prevents this. https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Vents-an...0aApj8EALw_wcB

I use these type. Not too expensive, allows me to have the vent open even when it's raining except in the worst possible wind storms without water coming in the vent. They also protect the cheap vent covers that come on campers from UV damage which makes them brittle and prone to leaking/cracking. Easy install, less than 15 minutes once your on the roof and ready to go.

[SeaDog]

when you say return air I'm going to assume you have either an AC or a heat pump installed over the bed. It may be that the gasket is leaking around the bace and needs to be adjusted.

[Dijoeboss]

I tried to post pics but can’t figure it out with my new phone....🥴

[DogFather]

Also, look into the possibility that the water migrated from a leak somewhere else and found an easy drip path at the ceiling vent penetration. I'd check all the roof caulking around the rear part of the roof.

[Oscarvan]

Originally Posted by SeaDog

when you say return air I'm going to assume you have either an AC or a heat pump installed over the bed. It may be that the gasket is leaking around the bace and needs to be adjusted.

This.

[phillyg]

Assuming you have a Dometic AC, like mine, water ingress in return vents has been a significant problem much discussed on the Montana Owners forum. It occurs on my Montana at times. It is not a gasket problem. There are holes in the AC drain pan that need to be relieved. Supposedly, Dometic has the fix on their website. If you can't find it there, search the Montana forum.

[Oscarvan]

"Relieved" ?????

For the record, two Dometics in my Berk and no leaks.

[phillyg]

"Relieved" equals "drilled bigger."

[Oscarvan]

OK, new one on me. FYI, the drain pans on the Berks have no holes in them except one which has a tube connected that runs to the ground inside. (No water dripping off the roof.) Nothing to "relieve".

That said, OP said it leaked in heavy rain, so AC operation/condensate is not the issue here.

Back to the seal.

[phillyg]

As I said, if it's a Dometic unit, similar to what comes on many Montanas, the solution is to determine if Dometic's instructions to stop rainfall from getting into the return air vents applies to his units. If it doesn't apply to the Op's AC units, he should ignore my comments.

[dave0368]

I got a shower about 3am during a rainstorm when water poured out of the return vent above the bed. Not a nice way to wake up.


I found two things that may have caused the problem I've not been in a rain storm yet since I attempted the fix to see if it was successful. I'm pretty sure the problem was caused by item 1.



1. After not finding any obvious issues, I decided to remove the 4 screws and lift the unit up to check the gasket. The electrical junction box is in the middle of the air return. A bracket is screwed into the top of the roof to hold this junction box in place. In my case, the bracket for the junction box extended slightly past the gasket and was exposed to the outside elements. The screws holding this bracket in place were also rusted so this leads me to believe the water was entering the return air between the roof and bracket.



2. There are 3 hollow type fasteners that go into the air supply side of the unit. Two of three had plastic caps on them, the 3rd was left open. While I had the unit lifted up, I sealed all 3 of these holes.


Pic of one of the hollow fasteners.