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Old 05-01-2019, 10:36 PM   #1
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Sprung a leak in the rear of our 2861DS

It's that time of year when you finally get your rig out of storage and take that first long anticipated weekend trip. Well we did just that and discovered water damage in our rear bedroom closet, rear ceiling and molding. We also have water damage and mold we had to clean up in our outside kitchen area that is also in the rear of the coach. We have a 2016 2861DS.

We've had our motorhome in storage, and about a couple of months ago when we went to run our motorhome's engine as we routinely did every week I noticed a musty smell inside. I wrote it off to the coach being closed up for the winter. We did have a lot of rain this past winter in California and unfortunately we sprung a leak somewhere in the roof that we still need to locate.

Yesterday we brought it to our home to prepare for a weekend trip and as we were cleaning it and packing, we first noticed the water damage and mold in the outside kitchen compartment and then I noticed the water damage in the rear bedroom closet that also ran 3/4 of the way down the ceiling of the back wall damaging the "paper" molding.

We have an insurance adjuster coming tomorrow to assess the damage and it may be covered. Looks like we've got some costly repairs coming up.
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Old 05-01-2019, 10:56 PM   #2
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Have you checked the condition of the roof caulking.
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Old 05-01-2019, 11:05 PM   #3
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Have you checked the condition of the roof caulking.
It needs fresh caulking. Our problem is that we are in an HOA and can only have our motorhome on our driveway for only a couple of days at a time. The rest of the time it's in storage, so we're going to have to bring it to the shop periodically for roof maintenance and maintenance in general from now on.
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Old 05-01-2019, 11:21 PM   #4
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Yep, #1 leak cause is cracked or loose caulking.
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Old 05-01-2019, 11:22 PM   #5
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Sorry to hear of your water damage. I'm just down the coast in northern LA and also has a leak from the weeks of rain we had this winter. I had to replace the cabover headliner and found the area on the front seam that was probably leaking. Did a lot of caulking and used Eternabond tape all around the roof seems.
It's hard to find the leak back there. If you do a search in the forum , look for Benagi's posts as he had the same issue with the rear. Not sure if it was the rear camera or the seams.
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Old 05-01-2019, 11:32 PM   #6
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Sorry to hear of your water damage. If you do a search in the forum , look for Benagi's posts as he had the same issue with the rear. Not sure if it was the rear camera or the seams.
Thanks, Sagecoach. Yes, I have been reading through Benagi's thread. I'm not sure what the outcome was for his situation though. I would love to know. I really don't want to replace this trim with the same inferior product. Hopefully we'll get this leak squared away. I'm also concerned about our outdoor kitchen area. I'm not sure if all the water damage we found there is from the roof leak or some other problem.



We've been looking for a new home with RV parking for two years now! It's so difficult to store and keep up with all the maintenance that needs to be done. We get our motorhome on our driveway for two minutes and our HOA goes crazy! Ugh.
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Old 05-02-2019, 09:37 AM   #7
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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.
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Old 05-02-2019, 10:39 AM   #8
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Your roof access ladder is located at that corner, if you climb up you may see that the roof calking has opened up. I have the same model and have applied Dicor self leveling in that area as a precaution.


And yes, if that is the source of the leak it will find it's way into the outdoor kitchen as well.
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Old 05-02-2019, 11:05 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by LinandLen View Post
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.
I’ve had some luck using thin (1/8”) plywood for similar applications. Memory says I bought “Door re-cover sheets” to fix some interior wood doors movers had punched holes in with furniture... couldn’t find those. Did find this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Utility-...3096/100543684
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Old 05-02-2019, 11:34 AM   #10
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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 are lucky here in my portion of LA where there are no CCR's prohibiting RVs in driveways. I installed a dedicated 30 amp RV receptacle, water near by and a sewer clean out for dumping. I'm fortunate I know. Never thought about it buying 35 years ago.
My back upper cornice is the same as yours, cheap fiber board that swells with the slightest moisture. I was thinking of replacing mine when I made new solid maple pieces for the bedroom slide out fascia. I was thinking of cutting solid maple to length and using my thickness planer to cut down thickness and bevel the edges on my table saw. Not sure how I would cut some relief degin. Finish by staining, varathane and nailing back up. Can be a DIY with proper tools.
BTY, what kind of insurance covers it, do you have extended warranty?
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Old 05-02-2019, 01:14 PM   #11
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Crown Molding?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sagecoachdriver View Post
WE are lucky here in my portion of LA where there are no CCR's prohibiting RVs in driveways. I installed a dedicated 30 amp RV receptacle, water near by and a sewer clean out for dumping. I'm fortunate I know. Never thought about it buying 35 years ago.
My back upper cornice is the same as yours, cheap fiber board that swells with the slightest moisture. I was thinking of replacing mine when I made new solid maple pieces for the bedroom slide out fascia. I was thinking of cutting solid maple to length and using my thickness planer to cut down thickness and bevel the edges on my table saw. Not sure how I would cut some relief degin. Finish by staining, varathane and nailing back up. Can be a DIY with proper tools.
BTY, what kind of insurance covers it, do you have extended warranty?
Why not get a piece of crown moulding at the local lumberyard? Get the pine, not the MDF. It will be less likely to self-destruct if it gets damp. Several
widths available. Here's a sample.
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Old 05-02-2019, 02:07 PM   #12
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leak near ladder

My 3100 had a leak near the ladder where the caulk had moved a bit. I added extensions on the bottom of my ladder so the weight of the ladder sits on the bumper rather than hanging on the camper siding and the top. Feels very stable now and the top is not being abused by the ladder. Just a thought.
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Old 05-02-2019, 03:27 PM   #13
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BTY, what kind of insurance covers it, do you have extended warranty?
We don't have an extended warranty, and basically our insurance isn't going to cover a roof leak. They did find a hole in the calking and if they determine it's damage from a tree or accident, then it will cover roof repairs only. This may or may not help because we have a $250 deductible. We're on our own for the interior repairs. We are NOT handy type people and do not have enough "driveway" time to take care of this. Not sure what to do at this point. Our previous class C Jamboree motorhome always had a roof leak in the upper bunk area, and we could never seem to get control over it. It caused a lot of damage, and I was so happy to have a newer RV with a fiberglass roof. Well now the bedroom is ruined with damage to the closet, trim and a musty smell. I'm just sick about it.
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Old 05-02-2019, 03:31 PM   #14
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Cool

We also have a 2016 2816DS with the outdoor kitchen (aka Tiki Bar). No leaks in the coach, but did have leaks and mold in the kitchen part. The water leakage was from around the outside support structure that surrounds the large access door to the kitchen (not the rubber molding for the door). The top portion flexes as you open and close the large door and in turn breaks down the caulk seal. I'm still trying to figure out a way to get a good seal that will last. It only seems to be a problem with heavy rain. BTW, have checked your exterior below storage cabinets? I was getting a lot of water in the one next to the coach door by the outside awning. It seems that the water was running down inside the awning support arms and traveling through a hole for the wiring to the awning motor .........it doesn't take much.

You really need to stay on top of the roof caulking. I have had to do 2 complete roof seal service jobs since 2016. Like they told me at the place where we store the Forester, Randy, owing an RV is worst than having 2 ex-wives. But we always have a great time camping !!
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Old 05-02-2019, 04:20 PM   #15
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Thanks for posting

We will check this out and see if that is our issue. Willl post back with our results.
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Old 05-02-2019, 04:38 PM   #16
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My 3100 had a leak near the ladder where the caulk had moved a bit. I added extensions on the bottom of my ladder so the weight of the ladder sits on the bumper rather than hanging on the camper siding and the top. Feels very stable now and the top is not being abused by the ladder. Just a thought.


Could you share a picture of your ladder extension. Sounds like a great idea.
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Old 05-02-2019, 04:55 PM   #17
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My 2016 that be bought in July of 2015 under a covered carport when not camping. I leave the A/C set to 90 so it doesn't get too hot. Last summer when loading a few things for our camping trip I noticed a stain in the cab over area. I developed a leak there and also in the rear closet. I was shocked to say the least. Fortunately I caught it in time before any major damage was done. Complete re-caulk by the dealer $$$$$$$$ They said it should be scraped and re-sealed every couple of years.

I think the leak up front was due to the poor design allowing water to pool in the corners of the cab over.
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Old 05-02-2019, 05:13 PM   #18
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I think a good portion of our problems with the Forester’s leaking is the fact that the roof although being fiberglass is only 1/16” thick is basically flat with a raised seam around the perimeter. Water. From rain, snow and dew pools in the lowest corner of the MH and sits until it evaporates or drive it. I kick myself in the butt for not staying on top of the caulking, especially after 3 years. Now all the caulk has been repaired, Eternabond tape applied per instructions and Dicor applied on all edges of the tape. Overkill? Maybe but I don’t want another leak. My job doesn’t look professional, but I don’t care. Who goes up there anyway.
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Old 05-03-2019, 12:11 PM   #19
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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]
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Old 05-03-2019, 02:05 PM   #20
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My 3100 had a leak near the ladder where the caulk had moved a bit. I added extensions on the bottom of my ladder so the weight of the ladder sits on the bumper rather than hanging on the camper siding and the top. Feels very stable now and the top is not being abused by the ladder. Just a thought.

Mfisher,

Do you have a description or pics of the extension? I go up and down the ladder quite a bit and often though about how it affects the connection point at the top. Being able to rest the bottom of the ladder on the bumper would help unload the weight on the ladder and maybe prevent some leaks from starting on the top. Two years ago I did lay down some eternabond as a preventative maintenance project which should also help.
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