Roof leak at front cap on 2016 3101ss

[Steeljag]

Unbelievable they allow these unit to roll off the assembly line !

[Slinks]

I'll have to check my roof. Last rain storm my mattress got wet but I blamed it on the rain gutters emptying out directly on the Windows I forgot to shut in the cab bed area. I dried out the mattress and shut the windows during the current rainstorm. Will have to check when rain stops to see if I have another leak.

[Creativepart]

A couple months ago we had a small short hail storm while the RV was in storage outside. No biggie.

Then as we were loading the RV for a long trip in our driveway we had a huge rain storm - 6 inches in 30 mins - I'm not exaggerating.

The next day we were putting new sheets on the bed and found a damp spot on the mattress but assumed it was just a fluke due to the massiveness of the rain a couple days before.

So, we leave home and the first night on the road it started raining during the night. And we realized it wasn't a fluke. Water was dripping on the bed. Not fun during the night.

The next day I hunted around and found a tiny hole in the edge of the plastic roof vent in the bedroom. It was a BB-sized hole. I had not put a cover on that vent because I always planned to replace it.

We were able to caulk the small hole for a couple of days and then changed the vent for a MaxxAir fan a couple days into our trip.

When I replaced the vent I was surprised at how thin and fragile those vents are. And it was pretty brittle too from a year in the sun. So, check the vents when you check the roof.

[Slinks]

Yeah, so the Windows locked tight last night and woke to a wet bed! Window and wall seem dry. Feeling around ceiling and vents, same thing! Dry. Puddle under the mattress when lifted although top of mattress only wet by window. Only passenger side. Sent email to my dealer but live in mass, don't want to travel back to Michigan to have it fixed. Wish I saw this problem on the site before I purchased! Love the camper, just don't want these problems ruining it for us.

[GL1800Rider]

No RV sold should ever leave the lot without Maxxair vent covers. Our dealer includes them with every unit.

[Slinks]

Mine isn't leaking from a vent! It's where the front cab meets the camper itself. Collection of water about a foot around just sitting there after the rain.

[theboyss]

I bet your having the same leak that I talked about in the beginning of this thread. The joint where the front cap meets the fiberglass roof is a point of massive failure. The factory is relying on the caulk making the seal between the front cap and roof. As much as 3/4 of an inch gap that is only sealed with caulk. My roof to cap caulk joint was a joke and should have never left the factory. Of coarse it failed and who knows the damage it caused that you can't see. When mine leaked I originally thought it was the window, the mattress was wet on the passenger side. As I watched during the rain a trickle of water came down from the lower corner of the window. But after checking the roof and discovering the bad caulk joint I'm sure it was running down the inside of the wall hitting the top of the window following it around to the bottle then coming inside and running down the wall. As I said before who knows what kind of damage this does in unseen areas. The worst part was dealing with the factory and them trying to pawn off the problem to some poor dealer that has no idea how it's put together yet alone how to properly repair without causing more damage. So I've decided to stick my head in the sand and fix the issues as they come up myself and get rid of the motorhome in a couple of years and never buy a Forest River product again. Lesson learned!!

[ilmor]

Hopefully my just-purchased 2017 has benefitted from a re-design! I'll have to keep an eye on this for sure.

[wvufan1958]

Did they change from for the better in 2017 ? My back vent/ fan is leaking. I'm really upset about this. Camping World really could care less. After the sale..they act like you are a totally Stanger. How sad..shame on you Forest River. And Camping World.

[Slinks]

My camper is a 2017 forester 3011DS. My first camping trip! Might have been leaking in my driveway all along. Wasn't using the bed so didn't notice.

[Snowman9000]

Depressing reading. From looking at the photos by Shooter and Skylily, it seems there is poor or no attachment of the cap seam down to something solid? If the cap and roof are free to flex there, no wonder the seam is failing. I wonder if it is a design problem or a production problem. No amount of Dicor is going to hold up to much flexing of the joint.

I have taped the roof to cap seams of all 3 of my previous RVs. This is the first one we bought new, so my intention was to inspect and maintain, without going to EB tape this time. Now I'm having second thoughts about that. Gaaaa!

As far as marker lights, it is absolutely crazy that the RV industry continues to use ones that don't seal tightly and reliably. It's not just FR.

Well, I guess I will head over to storage and get on the roof.

[MNtraveler]

Originally Posted by bgilly

On the older style oval lights it is true - they are no longer made. Glo-Brite closed down and no one has made the light to replace that unique style - believe me I've looked around. I bought the LED version of the oval lights but the sun attached the bases and they became very brittle. I bought the fixtures from benlorv.com.

Only suggestion I can make to replace the extinct oval is to have base plates made the same as the oval and install a different fixture onto the base plate. I made some base plates out of 3/16" aluminum and secured the new LED Glo-Brite fixture to the plate. I had too many leaks even with the new fixtures and I felt it was due to the molding base of the light. The plate gave me a flat surface to work with. I used Loctite gasket maker to seal everything. I tested by pressurizing the ceiling and and applying soap around the fixtures. They are now air and water tight.



For all - check your clearance lights regardless of the style - they will leak water into the over-cab.



On leaks - I don't recommend creating a drain hole. The drain hole will allow water to drain out but it doesn't fix water getting in.

I've had leaks from all areas around the front cap; at the top where cap and fiberglass roof come together, at the cap and rain gutter and at the cap to the van chassis roof (the connection of the fiberglass cap to the cutaway van roof). I suggest performing pressure checks and use soap. Pressurizing the roof is easy using a powerful blower connected at where the ceiling LED light is. I pulled an LED ceiling light and connected my blower to a high pressure flex duct, stuck the duct in the opening of the light. I went to town on the roof with a sprayer filled with soap water.



I've written on this forum extensively in regards to my leaks. Do a search on my post to get the details.

(Sorry about the blower photo - I couldn't get it to rotate)



Bobby

Brilliant setup but the results are quite disturbing!


Land of 10,000 Lakes
2016 Forester MBS 2401R

[MNtraveler]

Originally Posted by KatanaPilot

I know little to nothing about the front cap to roof junction and the poorly designed/poorly installed sealant. It appears that there are several posts about water intrusion and water damage. Fortunately, I have not yet had this issue on my Forester MBS.

I do know that in home building, relying on sealant alone to keep out water is a recipe for leaks. So I can imagine, that in a moving, flexing home on wheels, sealants are not the best method.

We seem to be focusing on caulks and sealants to keep the water out. My question is this - since it seems likely that these methods are subject to failure, should we not also be looking at methods that let the water out? While that would not cure the failure, it might mitigate the damage caused when water inevitably does get in - and provide a visual indication that a failure had occurred.

Water should not get between the two portions of the joint. Once inside, it will be destructive. Generally overlapping two edges is not sufficient to prevent water flow which is pernicious by nature and will always find the weak link. Joints like this should be protected with a zig-zag type design or flashing in which any water getting past the caulking can't "flow through" because it has to run uphill. I'm not an engineer but have witnessed (and paid for) numerous roof and window installations and this is how they do it. Here is a diagram of what I mean:



Any engineer in this field should know how to do this, where to buy off the shelf products, and how to fabricate and test custom prototypes.


Land of 10,000 Lakes
2016 Forester MBS 2401R

[skylilymd]

The screws that go through the front cap Into the fiberglass roof and down only screw into a tiny piece of luan plywood underneath - I was under the impression that forest river added a steel backer in the later models but every time I ask on this forum the representative doesn't answer the question so your guess is as good as mine - although he brings up a good point even if it was screwed together with a firm backing that joint is relying entirely on caulk alone for that to be watertight there is no back up. I guess we are just stuck creating our own primary barrier with eternabond tape and dicor

[MNtraveler]

Here's a perfect example, one step outside my back door.



Land of 10,000 Lakes
2016 Forester MBS 2401R

[HappyGuy]

I had a roof failure under warranty and went back to the factory for repair. They did reinforce the point where the roof and cap meet but I still have flex near the corners. I don't walk there. Here is my thread detailing the saga. FR took good care of me. (the rig is actually a 2013, the chassis is a 2012)

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...dsf-56185.html

I am obsessive about checking my seams and I have experienced the roof vent leaks. There is a weak point in the plastic in the middle of the side where the hinge is located. Slapping a Maxxair vent cover over the vents covers the weak point but if you ever need to replace the cover you're in for a search. I had to but a complete replacement unit because none of the replacement covers fit correctly. I can snap a picture of the box and part number. I still have everything except the plastic vent cover sitting in the original box in the garage. I feel for folks who are having water woes. The water from my leak traveled down the roof down the sides, through a light, and into the foot well for the door. There was a lot of clean up and repair that needed to be done but FR replaced or repaired everything for me. I drove the rig up to Elkhart because I wanted to meet the folks that were going to work on my rig and see their work. They have picked up rigs for others on this forum who can't make the drive. Mr. Jankowski was a treat and everyone in the shop and office really cared about the product and took pride in their work. I know they care and I hate to see these broad disparaging comments that hit on all of them. There is a problem and it needs to be addressed but throwing insults won't help that situation.

[wvufan1958]

Well I got in touch with Camping World..going to take mine in this Thursday to see were my leak is on my 2017 2861DD. If it keeps leaking it will go back..I have 556miles on it. Hope they fix it.

[shooter2]

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...dsf-56185.html



Why is this still a problem ????? Why cant FR figure out a production redesign and put an end to this BS ??????????

[ilmor]

Originally Posted by shooter2

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...dsf-56185.html



Why is this still a problem ????? Why cant FR figure out a production redesign and put an end to this BS ??????????

The only logical conclusion I can come up with is its because it doesn't involve life safety and they're still selling motorhomes and making a profit.

[ilmor]

This is a pic of one of my corners. I assume everyone else is similar.

I don't like the way the water ponds there but this is typical. Of course its not a big pond and it dries quickly. It does look like they build up and used extra sealant at the corners.

But really, water should not pond anywhere on a roof, especially one this small.

My 2010 Solera was the same way, however it never leaked, thankfully. Hope this one doesn't either!

The least FR could do is to fill these areas on each side with a self-leveling sealant. That would serve to purposes - eliminate the concentration of water at those corners and provide a little extra reinforcement.

I'll just keep watching mine closely during the warranty period. Following that I may get up there and add some of this stuff or something like it...

https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Sikaf...-p/38-7715.htm