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10-05-2016, 12:33 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 52
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Leaking Rear Skylight
We bought a new 2016 Flagstaff T21QBHW in July and the rear skylight had been damaged during shipping. The dealer finally replaced it, but now we discovered that we have a water leak. We had earlier found wet linen on the bed before the original skylight was replaced, but didn't detect a leak because we were never in the camper when it was raining. So, it may be that the original skylight leaked also. Can't see anything wrong with the skylight seal, but when I put Gorilla tape across the top the leak seemed to stop.
Anyone else had a similar problem?
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10-05-2016, 01:54 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Southern NM
Posts: 9,561
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Haven't seen a skylight yet that didn't eventually leak. So now the first thing I do is use eternabond around the skylight and then dicor the edges of the eternabond.
__________________
Scott and Liz - Southern NM
2012 Wildcat Sterling 32RL - w/level up (best option ever)
2007 Chevy 2500HD Duramax
Reese Fifth Airborne Sidewinder
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10-05-2016, 02:50 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 1,770
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Get the leak fixed first, then seal with eternabond or 3M tape.
__________________
Tom
2012 Rockwood A122S
2008 Toyota Tundra Double Cab 4X4
Former owner of a 2002 Coleman Niagara GTE
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10-05-2016, 05:57 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ottawa Ontario Canada
Posts: 930
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X2
__________________
2008 Nissan Frontier 4x4
2011 Rockwood A122
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10-05-2016, 06:16 PM
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#5
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 52
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Thanks for the info. How do I identify the 3M tape?
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10-05-2016, 06:22 PM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 52
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If I use the eternabond, should I also use the eternabond cleaner?
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10-05-2016, 06:35 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,270
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Your 2016 has an Alphaply membrane. Get a tube of Alpha self leveling sealant and after cleaning the existing sealant the best you can with denatured alcohol, float a good bead of that sealant over the existing. It shoud be easy to find a split or hole in the sealant of a skylight bubble.
Or you can use eternabond tape....... but your playing with fire. If your skylight ever cracks, which it probably will, you'll probably tear up the membrane removing the eternabond tape. Then you'll be in for some real fun.
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10-05-2016, 11:51 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Southern NM
Posts: 9,561
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Havercamp
Your 2016 has an Alphaply membrane. Get a tube of Alpha self leveling sealant and after cleaning the existing sealant the best you can with denatured alcohol, float a good bead of that sealant over the existing. It shoud be easy to find a split or hole in the sealant of a skylight bubble.
Or you can use eternabond tape....... but your playing with fire. If your skylight ever cracks, which it probably will, you'll probably tear up the membrane removing the eternabond tape. Then you'll be in for some real fun.
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I have actually replaced a skylight I had used eternabond on after a hail storm destroyed it. Easy. Used a utility knife to cut around the edge of the skylight and removed it. Removed all the old dicor with a gasket scraper. Screwed the new skylight in place, eternabonded the new one over the remaining old eternabond and finished it up with dicor just like the original. No biggy. Didn't tear up anything and no leaks.
__________________
Scott and Liz - Southern NM
2012 Wildcat Sterling 32RL - w/level up (best option ever)
2007 Chevy 2500HD Duramax
Reese Fifth Airborne Sidewinder
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10-06-2016, 01:53 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Clarksville Va.
Posts: 10,422
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Czars
If I use the eternabond, should I also use the eternabond cleaner?
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I would use eternabond tape 4" wide, YES you will need to clean the area either with there cleaner or acetone, it has to be prepped for good adhesion, also get a roller the kind they sell for wallpaper seams. Skylights are really A PITA. But great stuff. It's all in the prep work...
__________________
Coachmen M/H
Concord
2018 / 300 DSC
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10-06-2016, 08:08 AM
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#10
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 52
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Thanks for the info. Your help is really appreciated.
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10-06-2016, 08:36 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,651
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Replace the broken skylight with one made of lexan. Run a 1" strip of butyl tape under the edge, secure with a few screws, use 4" Eternabond all around and good indefinitely.
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10-06-2016, 04:20 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 1,770
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Havercamp
Your 2016 has an Alphaply membrane.
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I believe that is incorrect. A-frame campers have a composite roof of fiberglass over a foam core.
__________________
Tom
2012 Rockwood A122S
2008 Toyota Tundra Double Cab 4X4
Former owner of a 2002 Coleman Niagara GTE
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10-08-2016, 03:00 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Bergland (U.P.), MI
Posts: 413
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Good for a few laughs and/or tears: This is how my dealer gracefully resealed one of my front skylights to fix a leak (or so they say).
__________________
Former owner of 2016 Flagstaff T12RBST A-Frame - we had a good run, but it's time for a conventional TT!
Nights camped since 2016: 370
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10-08-2016, 07:49 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 1,770
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My condolences.
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Tom
2012 Rockwood A122S
2008 Toyota Tundra Double Cab 4X4
Former owner of a 2002 Coleman Niagara GTE
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10-10-2016, 09:05 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 214
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Wow my ten year old could do a better job. I would send that picture to Forest River and ask if that looks like a factory approved repair. That dealer should be ashamed for doing that to your trailer, I would not be happy.
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10-10-2016, 09:35 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,363
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That picture of the repair is exactly why we do our own repairs. Some of these people who claim to be professionals should be ashamed.
__________________
2016 Forester GTS 2801QSF
2011 Jeep JK Toad
Habitual RV Modifier
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10-10-2016, 09:43 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Pensacola, FL
Posts: 1,645
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Ahhh, the imfamous skylight. Within 6 months my dealer replaced mine with new. The sealing failed in less than 2 months - the skylight actually lifted away from the roof and created a major gap. He resealed it. 3 months later, it was lifting again. I applied the 3M sealing tape, but within a month has leakage again in a heavy storm. Now I find the skylight cracked along the edges. Maybe from the second removal/reseal. Photo below:
I currently have black electrical tape over the cracks. I will be replacing with more 3M soon.
Amazon tape description:
3M Extreme Sealing Tape 4411N Translucent, 1 1/2 in x 5 yd
__________________
2019 Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS
2015 T12RBST Flagstaff Hardside
Disclaimer: The actual value of my "Two Cents" of advice varies just like a bitcoin.
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10-10-2016, 09:48 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Bergland (U.P.), MI
Posts: 413
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluepill
Ahhh, the imfamous skylight. ...
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Wow, I hope that's not what I am in for. I think I'd rather take the horrendous caulking job! (All joking aside, the quality of my dealer's work greatly concerns me about other forthcoming warranty repairs. I have other stories I could tell...)
__________________
Former owner of 2016 Flagstaff T12RBST A-Frame - we had a good run, but it's time for a conventional TT!
Nights camped since 2016: 370
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10-11-2016, 07:44 AM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Pasadena, Texas
Posts: 195
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JArry
Good for a few laughs and/or tears: This is how my dealer gracefully resealed one of my front skylights to fix a leak (or so they say).
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If a company had done mine that way I think I would take a video and post it on youtube along with the company's name. They deserve all the bad press they can get with that kind of shoddy work.
David
__________________
Tow Vehicle: 2012 Durango 3.6 Pentastar Engine
Total nights camping 2014-(10)
Total Nights Camping 2015-(9)
Total Nights Camping 2016-(5)
Total Nights Camping 2017-(4)
Total Nights Camping 2018-(7)
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10-11-2016, 11:53 AM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Bergland (U.P.), MI
Posts: 413
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Just in case anyone thinks I am a total pawn, after this and other minor repairs, I arrived at the dealership to pick the trailer up 5-10 minutes before they were to close and lock the gate. And it wasn't the same branch (of two, both with questionable service departments) that did this particular repair; they had delivered the trailer to the branch closer to my own city. I was in a rush and didn't even notice the caulking until I got to a campsite a couple of hours later.
This Saturday I will be dropping the trailer off at the branch that did the repair (using the term very loosely) to get other work done. I will be sure to show the service manager on duty and get his/her response as to this shoddy caulking. This is the same dealer (both branches) that has been telling me a creaky and soft spot in the floor is either normal or not noticeable (to be fair, the severity varies from time to time based on unknown factors).
Will post again with the outcome, optimistically within a couple of weeks!
__________________
Former owner of 2016 Flagstaff T12RBST A-Frame - we had a good run, but it's time for a conventional TT!
Nights camped since 2016: 370
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