Roo 23ss Bunk End Leaks

[kpm]

Hello, I wanted to start a thread on my brand new 2014 Rockwood Roo 23SS Bunk End Leaking issues. I've read about potential leaks and never thought that I would have had to experience this problem right after purchase.

Problem:
Ten days after purchase I noticed water leaks into the trailer via the front and rear bunk ends when they are in the closed position. This has happened twice after a good soaking spring shower. After closer inspection, it appears that the water is entering the top seal and running down behind the closed door and settling on the canvass. With no where to drain, the water penetrates the canvass and enters the trailer. The water drips on the shelf and then puddles there. I checked all shelving and compartments. The only point of entry for the water is the saturated canvass.

Troubleshooting:
I immediately checked to ensure that the bunk ends were closed properly and were not obstructed. As a matter of fact, they were closed and never opened from my delivery date from the dealer. I inspected the marker lights and they appeared to be free of settling water. Plus it is clearly evident that the water is draining from the wet canvass. This is most likely a leak issue and not condensation problem. The issue happens during a good rainstorm and is localized to the same area. I've also duplicated the issue with a garden hose.

Testing.
I was able to duplicate the issue with a garden hose. The front bunk end leaked more. During testing I also removed the hose nozzle to increase the volume of water to simulate a heavier rain.

Additional information.
I tested for leaks with the bunk ends open and was not able to produce a water leak scenario. It appears that the open bunk ends are a good barrier for the water. I noticed that the water hits the canvass and runs right off. However, when the bunk ends are closed, the water eventually leaks through the canvass and into the trailer via a seam, zipper, hole or over saturated areas.

I am new to this camper, but have done a lot of research. I do not want to rule anything out, but it appears that water is penetrating the top seal on my bunk ends.

Updates
I returned the camper for service to the local dealer. The are more than willing to help fix the problem and were very sorry to hear about the leaks. The added silicone to the top seal and adjusted the tension on the closing mechanism. We had another hard rain a couple of days later and the rear bunk end was dry! However, the front bunk end leaked a little bit of water into the trailer. I must say that it was not as much as it was at first. So some of their repair must have worked.

Solutions:
Obviously this thing is under warranty and the dealer is going to fix it. It's just going to be a hassel bringing it an hour away to the dealer for what will be a fairly intermittent problem. Not to mention I don't want to miss any of the camping season with it sitting on the service lot. Soooo many thoughts have been running through my head about resale value, solving this problem in a timely and efficient manner and wondering if I should have stayed away from this design concept.

Should I wait to bring it back in the off season? Has anyone created a rain deflector/gutter to prevent water from settling and penetrating the top bunk end seals? I had some ideas of using some double sided tape, velcro and some plastic 90degree sections

Would it have been possible for these doors to be designed in a way that they were recessed when in the closed position? It seems to be that would minimize the dependency of a seal being 100 percent functional to prevent leaks. Plus a little rain deflector could come down once the door was closed


Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to provide as much information as possible. I am hoping that this post can shed light on my issue as well as help others that experience similar problems.

Thanks,
Kip

[ParrishCamper]

I'm interested in your solutions.
I feel the latches on the 2014 doors hardly put enough pressure to keep the rain out. We haven't traveled down the road in a storm. When we do this will be my fear as well. Wish they would have stuck w/ the older swinging latches.

[kpm]

Yes those latches feel very delicate and I am worried I'll snap it off if I'm too rough

Originally Posted by ParrishCamper

I'm interested in your solutions.
I feel the latches on the 2014 doors hardly put enough pressure to keep the rain out. We haven't traveled down the road in a storm. When we do this will be my fear as well. Wish they would have stuck w/ the older swinging latches.

[cpd1343]

Here is my solution that I used:

I cut a garden hose to length slightly longer than the width of the bunk door. I then slit the hose length wise. I put this hose into the top gutter above the bunk door and over the door itself. Leak issued resolved and peace of mind restored!

Hope this helps.

[itat]

Pictures, please.

I have the older closing mechanism and the bungee style tent ends. I have leaking top seals due to screws in the door frame that were not put in straight. The screw heads are not flush and hold the white pinch welt seal out enough to let water pass. I've tried resetting the screws but can't.

[KMP44]

Originally Posted by kpm

Updates
I returned the camper for service to the local dealer. The are more than willing to help fix the problem and were very sorry to hear about the leaks. The added silicone to the top seal and adjusted the tension on the closing mechanism. We had another hard rain a couple of days later and the rear bunk end was dry! However, the front bunk end leaked a little bit of water into the trailer. I must say that it was not as much as it was at first. So some of their repair must have worked.

Solutions:
Obviously this thing is under warranty and the dealer is going to fix it. It's just going to be a hassel bringing it an hour away to the dealer for what will be a fairly intermittent problem. Not to mention I don't want to miss any of the camping season with it sitting on the service lot. Soooo many thoughts have been running through my head about resale value, solving this problem in a timely and efficient manner and wondering if I should have stayed away from this design concept.

Should I wait to bring it back in the off season? Has anyone created a rain deflector/gutter to prevent water from settling and penetrating the top bunk end seals? I had some ideas of using some double sided tape, velcro and some plastic 90degree sections

Would it have been possible for these doors to be designed in a way that they were recessed when in the closed position? It seems to be that would minimize the dependency of a seal being 100 percent functional to prevent leaks. Plus a little rain deflector could come down once the door was closed

My thought would be even though its a huge pain, don't wait to get this back to the dealer. You want to have enough time to evaluate their repair and make sure they truly fixed the issues while still under warranty. And for sure, get the 2nd year warranty if you didn't already.

Making a drip guard over the top seal isn't a bad idea, but it should only be as extra insurance - not the main solution to stopping the leak.

Since the front and back ends are slightly different as far as construction & size and they both had same issue, it does make you wonder if there isn't enough pressure on the seals. If the water is coming in between the seal and the lip of the bunk door, that would seem to be the only possible casue. If the water is getting in between the seal and the wall of the trailer then it would seem like something isn't caulked completely.

I'm not familiar with the new bunk end latches, but if you can adjust the pressure yourself and/or add a shim where the latch contacts the door to add a little pressure, try that and then re-check with the garden hose.

Maybe that will be enough to solve the issue.

[kpm]

Great idea! Can you send pics? How did you mount it? So did yours leak as I described mine?
Thanks,
Kip

Originally Posted by cpd1343

Here is my solution that I used:

I cut a garden hose to length slightly longer than the width of the bunk door. I then slit the hose length wise. I put this hose into the top gutter above the bunk door and over the door itself. Leak issued resolved and peace of mind restored!

Hope this helps.

[kpm]

Thanks KMP44 for the motivation to get this thing back to them. Of course once I put the cover on to protect it I'll probably never see a leak and will never know if it's really fixed. Thankfully their latest repair looks to be in the right direction.

thanks,
Kip

Originally Posted by KMP44

My thought would be even though its a huge pain, don't wait to get this back to the dealer. You want to have enough time to evaluate their repair and make sure they truly fixed the issues while still under warranty. And for sure, get the 2nd year warranty if you didn't already.

Making a drip guard over the top seal isn't a bad idea, but it should only be as extra insurance - not the main solution to stopping the leak.

Since the front and back ends are slightly different as far as construction & size and they both had same issue, it does make you wonder if there isn't enough pressure on the seals. If the water is coming in between the seal and the lip of the bunk door, that would seem to be the only possible casue. If the water is getting in between the seal and the wall of the trailer then it would seem like something isn't caulked completely.

I'm not familiar with the new bunk end latches, but if you can adjust the pressure yourself and/or add a shim where the latch contacts the door to add a little pressure, try that and then re-check with the garden hose.

Maybe that will be enough to solve the issue.

[cpd1343]

Originally Posted by kpm

Great idea! Can you send pics? How did you mount it? So did yours leak as I described mine?
Thanks,
Kip

Same type leak for a different reason. My front bunk door does not sit square in the opening so it does not seal properly at the top right corner. I slit the hose and placed one edge in the gutter over the top seal and the other edge rests on the bunk door. It is meant to be a temp measure until the dealer hears from Forrest River on how to handle the repair but I think I will put them both front and back for added peace of mind.

[indybp57]

Originally Posted by KMP44

I'm not familiar with the new bunk end latches, but if you can adjust the pressure yourself and/or add a shim where the latch contacts the door to add a little pressure, try that and then re-check with the garden hose.

Maybe that will be enough to solve the issue.

Our '13 Roo has the previous swing-over style latch, but does have a nylon shim attached to the door with double sided rubber tape. I think the main purpose is to provide a wear surface for the latch when it applies pressure to the door but does create a secondary advantage of making the door close tighter against the seal. One of them fell off and I was lucky enough to notice it before we lost it. Was your Roo supposed to have these and maybe they did not get installed at the factory?

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

[itat]

Here is a picture of those pads on my 2010 Roo.

[kpm]

Originally Posted by itat

Pictures, please.

I have the older closing mechanism and the bungee style tent ends. I have leaking top seals due to screws in the door frame that were not put in straight. The screw heads are not flush and hold the white pinch welt seal out enough to let water pass. I've tried resetting the screws but can't.

This is the closing mechanism on my 23ss.

I am working on ideas for a rain deflector for the top edge seal to minimize how much water hits it.. I am happy to report that after a heavy rain last night, there was no water in the camper or behind the door on the canvass. So the dealer's repairs were a step in the right direction!

[itat]

Thanks, kpm. The older style doors like mine don't have that black rubber seal on the frame like yours. Maybe I can find some weatherstripping like that at a hardware store that has an adhesive backing that will be wide enough to straddle the frame screws and give a better seal against the white pinch welt on the edges of the door.

Can anyone recommend a type of weatherstripping to try. A quick check of the HD website says they have closed cell foam and sponge rubber types.

[Rietow]

I have a 2015.5 Rockwood Roo 21DK and I'm having the exact same issue as the original poster of this thread. Both front and back hatches are leaking when closed properly after a decent rain. It results in water pooling in the interior bottom canvas area, leaving me with wet mattresses. I bought this camper used in November 2015. It had been used 3 times previously, so it's practically brand new. I love the camper, but I'm very disappointed in this defect.

It appears that the flimsy plastic latches were not installed properly as they barely make contact with the plastic pegs that help close and seal the doors. I'm fairly certain that I'm not covered under the warranty as the second owner. Has anyone tried adjusting this newer latch system?

[rdkemmerer]

Ive taken our 2014 Shamrock 23S to dealer for the same bunk leak while closed. Dealer replaced the seals and is installing a 2 " gutter for each bunk end.. its not done yet to cant comment on repairs..

[ParrishCamper]

I replaced the rubber seals on all three beds. The original seal at the top and sides didn't meet up allowing water to pass thru while traveling in rain.
Also made pvc rain gutters I keep on while storing and traveling. One extra layer.

[jking46]

As a precautionary measure, my dealer installed gutters and downspouts above both bunkends. Sofar, no leaks. Pics posted previously.

[RooVader]

Are these dealer installed gutters an actual part that a person could buy? I don't have any leaks but I sort of like the idea of keeping water away if I can keep the factory look. My plan has always been to just do the pvc mod if i had water but so far no intrusion.

[Jimandchris]

Originally Posted by RooVader

Are these dealer installed gutters an actual part that a person could buy? I don't have any leaks but I sort of like the idea of keeping water away if I can keep the factory look. My plan has always been to just do the pvc mod if i had water but so far no intrusion.

I did the pvc mod even we've had no water issues. Figure it can't hurt to have them on. They stay in place while traveling.

[jking46]

Vader...my dealer fabricated these from excess gutter channel he had laying around. The service mgr recommended them and I don't regret getting them. Apparently, FR used to have these on all hybrids but stopped putting them on.