Sprung a leak in the rear of our 2861DS

[Sagecoachdriver]

Originally Posted by LinandLen

We’re on our way for our first camping trip of the season. I’m getting so paranoid about mold especially since all the water damage is in bedroom and it smells musty. We can’t attend to this problem until after our trip. How difficult is it to get rid of mold? Is the ceiling going to have to be torn out? Ugh, I’m really freaking out! Need to hear something encouraging. [emoji4][emoji1303]

LinandLen, when I first saw my cabover leak, it was from the headliner bulging down ever so slightly. I cut a hole to drain the water and after a day or so had the headliner removed from the cabover portion only. I too was concerned about mold. I placed 2 computer fans in the speaker holes and ran them for about a week to 10 days until I was sure all the moister was gone. I used my cellphone camera and shot photos of the void above the plywood. It was totally coated with what looks like a waterproof adhesive. The wood exposed underside had no moisture or swelling. I know you have no speakers back there but there are lights and you could do what I did and attach computer fans to it. It warm not, so any moisture will quickly evaporate if you use a fan. Is the headliner ruined?
As for the wall, you'll have to inspect it and if mold is found either treat it or remove and replace. Good luck!

[Edrps]

Yep had a leak in the same area on my 3011DS. After initially trying to find the leak myself I spent hundreds of $s with a couple of so-called professionals. One even had a pressurizing system to raise the pressure inside and spray soapy water all over the outside to look for big bubbles to no avail . I finally decided to take the molding under the gutter off in the back enough to expose the seam where the roof meets the side wall. Lo and behold when they predrilled the holes to attach the plywood they drilled an extra hole and put no screw and no caulk to cover it. The water was coming in when the water overflowed the gutter in heavy rain and ran down the side just before getting to the gutter extension. It took about an hour for me to plug the hole and put the molding back. I got the cedar for the closet at home depot and ordered the molding through a dealer in Marietta Georgia- 3 WAY CAMPERS. I dried the area inside and out with a heat gun before sealing it up. It looks better than new.

I am about to eternabond the roof perimeter and the other areas around skylights and such. In my opinion if you have had any experience with RV water leaks you need to look into using this stuff. Although it wouldn't have helped with my closet leak it puts my mind at ease about any future leaks coming from the roof.

My advice to anyone who owns an RV of any kind is at least every 6 months check all caulked areas top to bottom. Remove and replace all cracked or failed caulk and use eternabond where it is inconspicuous, like the roof.

[Sagecoachdriver]

Edrps, are you referring to the plastic molding in the track or something else? Maybe you could post a photo of the area?

[Edrps]

Originally Posted by Sagecoachdriver

Edrps, are you referring to the plastic molding in the track or something else? Maybe you could post a photo of the area?

Yep. It's just above the gutter. I have photos however I don't know how to forward them from my phone to this reply.

[Edrps]

[ATTACH][/ATTACH]

Just figured it out. Here they are.

[Edrps]

One more

[lacrawgator]

Originally Posted by LinandLen

Has anyone had their upper trim/molding water damaged? (See photo). As you can see it's warped. If so, what did you replace it with? This thing is literally made out of cardboard and I don't want to replace with the same product.

We got a replacement from FR on that trim you are describing. Paw-Paw's campers in Picayune did the repairs and it looks great. I had a leak where the roof comes down to the back rear.

[AbdRahim]

This is why, if I ever buy another RV I will factor in RV Armor into the cost and get this put on as soon as I get it home. Expensive, but after Two years of roof leaks and being on the roof after every rain, it is well worth it.

[Sagecoachdriver]

I properly prepared the rear for Eternabond tape and after letting it set up for a month or two have applied Dicor to the edges. Will paint it eventually. I don't think it will leak for some time. You can see the discoloration from the pooling water.

[LinandLen]

Originally Posted by Sagecoachdriver

I properly prepared the rear for Eternabond tape and after letting it set up for a month or two have applied Dicor to the edges. Will paint it eventually. I don't think it will leak for some time. You can see the discoloration from the pooling water.

Thanks, Sagecoach. The insurance is still working things out with the Sunseeker dealership. They may cover the interior damage as well. Either way, we're going to have the whole roof professionally washed and dicor applied. Once everything is cleaned up, I'm going to apply Eternabond. Man that pooling is serious business! No wonder our damage was so severe. BTW, when we had the roof inspected by the dealership the other day, we were told the caps to the roof vents were toast. How are yours holding up? We're probably going to invest in the MaxxAir vent covers. Ugh, it only takes three years of being out in the elements for things to really break down? Now to figure out how to prevent water from entering the outside kitchen compartment.

[Sagecoachdriver]

LinandLen, all of my vents have the additional covers so I can keep them open while driving or raining. When I did the Eternabond, I removed and inspected all three vents and they are fine with little or no deterioration of the Dicor. There was a few cracks starting in the shower sky light. I applied Dicor to the area and placed Eternabond tape around it for added measure. The grey Eternabond tape looks terrible even with the grey roof, looks like duct tape. I should have used white.
I wonder if you can order the rear cornice molding from FR?

[CaptnJohn]

Curious to see if caulking is covered by insurance. Like a manufacturer it may be deemed lack of maintenance.

[SLU2]

We purchased a 4 year old Forrest River Surveyor(2012) in 2016. Our 1st year we saw the ceiling bubbling in the kitchen area. We did purchase a warranty but it DON'T cover maintenance of the roof! $900.00 later, they found the kitchen vent leak and replaced our ceiling in that area! Beware of warranties! They don't cover roof maintenance or caulking!

[77hdfx]

Stage coachdriver Most insurance has wording of sudden an incidental. If there is no damage and just a seam leaking that is most likely not covered. It would be a maintenance issue.

[LinandLen]

Originally Posted by SLU2

We purchased a 4 year old Forrest River Surveyor(2012) in 2016. Our 1st year we saw the ceiling bubbling in the kitchen area. We did purchase a warranty but it DON'T cover maintenance of the roof! $900.00 later, they found the kitchen vent leak and replaced our ceiling in that area! Beware of warranties! They don't cover roof maintenance or caulking!

With our insurance, a roof leak will be covered if it is determined that the leak was from damage that occurred.

[JoePa77]

Just a quick question for RV roofs with leaks after a couple years, when some cracks around seals may cause concerns. Do RV seals last longer, or less water pooling if the RV is covered during winter/off months? Or do the covers let in the water and it still leaks into the inside?
New to understanding required maintenance for RVs, especially the roof. Thanks for any advice.

[paulmlac]

OP - Curious if you have any updates on the cause and if insurance will cover...

[LinandLen]

Update: The damage estimate from the Sunseeker dealership came back as $17,000 worth of damage! Yes, $17,000! Our insurance company came through with a $10,000 check. We were able to bring this figure down to $4,296 because much of what was included in the estimate we didn't actually need like replacing walls. The roof will be cleaned and completely resealed and skylight vent caps replaced. The trim molding will be removed from the back bedroom wall and closet and replaced. If the bedroom "puffy" ceiling has mold, then we will completely replace that. This will be an additional charge.



We finally get our RV into the shop for all these repairs on July 2 after waiting around two months. We drop it off only to find out the service tech is on vacation and have to wait an additional week before they start the work. We have no idea how long all this will take but thankful we have the money to pay for these damages!



One question I have is if we don't replace the white "puffy" ceiling, how do we remove the pink stains that formed? I heard the stains are from the plywood luan that is used under the RV roof.

[paulmlac]

Originally Posted by LinandLen

Update: The damage estimate from the Sunseeker dealership came back as $17,000 worth of damage! Yes, $17,000! Our insurance company came through with a $10,000 check. We were able to bring this figure down to $4,296 because much of what was included in the estimate we didn't actually need like replacing walls. The roof will be cleaned and completely resealed and skylight vent caps replaced. The trim molding will be removed from the back bedroom wall and closet and replaced. If the bedroom "puffy" ceiling has mold, then we will completely replace that. This will be an additional charge.



We finally get our RV into the shop for all these repairs on July 2 after waiting around two months. We drop it off only to find out the service tech is on vacation and have to wait an additional week before they start the work. We have no idea how long all this will take but thankful we have the money to pay for these damages!



One question I have is if we don't replace the white "puffy" ceiling, how do we remove the pink stains that formed? I heard the stains are from the plywood luan that is used under the RV roof.

Can’t help on the ceiling / stains thing as I don’t really understand what you’re describing.

Did you really make $5 k on this (don’t have a lot of experience thankfully but thought insurance generally paid the repair shop directly - i.e., so the actual repair amount).

[LinandLen]

Originally Posted by paulmlac

Did you really make $5 k on this (don’t have a lot of experience thankfully but thought insurance generally paid the repair shop directly - i.e., so the actual repair amount).

When you consider that our RV has and will continue to be out of commission for months, we actually didn't come out ahead on this. Also, that last estimate quote may be significantly higher if they have to pull out walls and ceilings, or possibly replace a portion of the roof.