Help with figuring out where this water leak is coming from

[lugoismad]

I found some minor water intrusion in my camper.

In the storage area, under the dinette seat, in the very back passenger side of my trailer.



I dried it out completely, then it rained today, and you can see its damp again.

Here is the same hatch from the outside



What I don't get is, how is that water spreading out underneath that hatch opening, but not spreading along the back wall or further out into the floor area?

I've looked on the roof and do not see anything that looks like a crack or problem in the roof, and the wall feels completely solid. I would think if it were coming down the wall, the wall would already be water logged and this little bit of water wouldn't dry out so fast and not come back when you hit it with a box fan for a few hours.

The only thing I could think it MIGHT be is where the awning support is screwed into the camper near that hatch. But could that possibly leak enough to cause that dampness in the picture that fast?

Any other ideas on things I should check?

Seals on the rear slide appear solid, and I opened up the back wall of the camper where the slide out motor is, and everything is dry as a bone back there.

The hatch seems well sealed on the outside and its rubber seal is intact. Finally, the little bit of wall between the bottom of the hatch and the damp floor does not feel wet, so I don't think its leaking down from coming in the hatch.

[Platokidd]

Maybe check the side marker and taillight. Check that awning mount. My last camper had a storage door that would hold water even tho it had weep holes.
If it has a screw water has a way in.

Could it be running down from your bunk slide-out? Think I would go over that entire bunk real good.

In the first pic, where is the bunk side?

[lugoismad]

Originally Posted by Platokidd

Maybe check the side marker and taillight. Check that awning mount. My last camper had a storage door that would hold water even tho it had weep holes.
If it has a screw water has a way in.

Could it be running down from your bunk slide-out? Think I would go over that entire bunk real good.

In the first pic, where is the bunk side?

Arrow towards rear bunk

[crunchman12001]

I would reseal the screws on the hatch holder, side marker light and double check the window. Once the sealant is dry, test with a hose. Also spray that rear slide out and inspect. Water is tough to locate once inside. Keep us posted.
EDIT: You also say the hatch seal is in place? Look very closely at the seal, you should see impressions from the door left in the seal. Make sure you see the entire hatch perimeter impression on the seal.
My 1st trailer had a leaking hatch seal, I could see where the door impression was off the seal in the corner.
2nd EDIT: Looking further at the interior pic. The thumb latch, (non keyed twist latch)
It would appear it has a rusty retainer screw and keeper latch while the keyed latch does not appear to be rusted? It could be a leaking twist latch or the hatch trim ring on the exterior.

[mark0224]

I took my outside hatch doors off trim and all, cleaned all old caulk off it. Then put new caulk around it and replaced it making sure it was sealed good. Anywhere that looks like it has caulk clean up the old and go over with new also check any rubber seals for leakage.

[lugoismad]

Originally Posted by crunchman12001

I would reseal the screws on the hatch holder, side marker light and double check the window. Once the sealant is dry, test with a hose. Also spray that rear slide out and inspect. Water is tough to locate once inside. Keep us posted.
EDIT: You also say the hatch seal is in place? Look very closely at the seal, you should see impressions from the door left in the seal. Make sure you see the entire hatch perimeter impression on the seal.
My 1st trailer had a leaking hatch seal, I could see where the door impression was off the seal in the corner.
2nd EDIT: Looking further at the interior pic. The thumb latch, (non keyed twist latch)
It would appear it has a rusty retainer screw and keeper latch while the keyed latch does not appear to be rusted? It could be a leaking twist latch or the hatch trim ring on the exterior.

Thanks for all the advice.

Do you really think the thumb latch could leak that much to cause that much water in a day?

[arpipeliner]

Get someone to spray or run water on your door with a garden hose and if don't leak move to another suspect spot. I would try to have water to be like a rain. I have seen a spot only leak if the wind was blowing the rain on that side of the RV.

[crunchman12001]

Originally Posted by lugoismad

Thanks for all the advice.

Do you really think the thumb latch could leak that much to cause that much water in a day?

Probably not which leads me to believe the exterior hatch seal is leaking, causing water to run down the door onto the latch and into the cargo area.
Tape paper towels to the interior hatch and spray the exterior with water. You will see for sure if the hatch leaks.

[tx333]

I had a similar experience with our previous TT, 2010 Heartland North Country 26SRL, trying to find a water leak. Water was getting the carpet wet around the bedroom door. I couldn't find the entry point so I sealed and resealed everything around and above the door but still had wet carpet. I had even pulled the paneling off to look inside the wall to try to find the source. There was no damage done yet but I knew it would cause rot and had to be fixed. Ended up taking it to dealer (Colerain in Delaware OH, I had purchased the TT used at Colerain Cincinnati OH) They had a machine that blows air inside the camper to lightly pressurize it then use water on outside to look for bubbles. Took 2 visits for them to fix it. Second visit was no charge since they didn't get it the first time. Although I knew it was a very difficult leak to find as I had tried and I was willing to pay twice but they took care of it. Ended up being a small leak at the awning rafter attach bolt. For less than $200 it was more than worth it for the peace of mind. I had spent a lot of hours trying to find that leak. I know dealers typically are not so accommodating but if all else fails... Good luck, hope you can find the source.

[veraken]

Here is a video showing how a leak test can be performed on your camper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOQ-cJWGY-o

It's amazing how much damage a little water/leak can do. Unfortunately that damage is sometimes hidden and continues to get worse before we find it. By that time, a small leak results in big $$$ to get it fixed.

[kamper00]

Our old 5er had a few leaks..I applied a very thin bead of silicone around all the hatch frames. The issue I found was is that even though there is a foam seal, the wall is not perfectly flat and the compartment rings did not seal completely in some instances. I also ran the same small bead around all the lights and also along side the awning. Note that the awning mounting arms is where it is most noticeable that the outside wall is not flat. By running a bead there I figure it won't allow water to seap thru to where the mounting bolts to the wall.

I used clear GE silicone which if you just use enough to complete a bead is not visible / noticeable.

[ben31]

My old popup had leaks around the hatch seals. It wasn't bad, but some water still came in. It was a bear to figure out exactly where the water was entering. It was a process of elimination. It was caused by two things. The metal the hatch seals touched was slightly bent in a few spots and the seal was not completely touching the metal. The seal had also shrank a bit and no longer met at the ends. These things allowed a minute (about a dropper-full) of water to seep in. If the wind was blowing very hard against that door, quite a bit more would enter. When I sealed the area around the hatch, made sure it wasn't coming in around the lock, etc. and water was still coming in, I was baffled. The way I finally figured it out was to lay paper towels in the area, check it every time it rained, and then see which wet spots were closest to which wall. That helped pinpoint the the direction the water was coming from and it pinpointed the hatch. I finally figured out is was actually entering from the top seal of the hatch door, where the seals no longer met.

I ended up straightening out the metal flanges and replacing all of the rubber seals (ensuring the ends of the seals actually met). That fixed the problem. Water doesn't always travel down. Using Capillary Action, it can travel up very small areas, which aren't fully sealed. The smaller the diameter of the imperfection, the farther it may travel upward.

[lugoismad]

Thanks for all the advice guys!

I ran a thin bead of silicone around the hatches, doors, windows, and pretty much every other seam I could find on the thing.

It rained over night again, and I just checked and she's dry as a bone!

[Platokidd]

Originally Posted by lugoismad

Thanks for all the advice guys!

I ran a thin bead of silicone around the hatches, doors, windows, and pretty much every other seam I could find on the thing.

It rained over night again, and I just checked and she's dry as a bone!

[crunchman12001]

Excellent. Glad to see you sealed it up.
The lesson here for you or any RV'er to take from this...
ANY FIXTURE THAT PENETRATES THE ROOF OR WALLS, HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE THE SAME LEAKS. NOT IF but WHEN.
The advantage here was you saw the leak inside that hatch before damage set in. Treat every marker light, roof vent, AC, plug, hatch, ect. as if it is already leaking and get after it now BEFORE it leaks.
Some never look at leak prevention this way, they never notice until they see damage and at that point it is too late. SEAL EVERYTHING AGAIN, and watch it like it still leaks.

PS, Although you got it, you should NEVER use silicone on the exterior. It is very hard to remove and nothing sticks to it. Silicone is interior only.

[CurtFive]

Hey Guys I new to the form I am replacing the floor of my slide out what is the black wrap that they used and where can I get this

[crunchman12001]

Originally Posted by CurtFive

Hey Guys I new to the form I am replacing the floor of my slide out what is the black wrap that they used and where can I get this

It would help if you post the year, make and model of your trailer to help us assist you. Can you post a picture of the "black wrap"?
If the material you are referring to looks like a woven, plastic cloth then it is called "Darco"
If it looks like a corrugated plastic box type material, then that is called "Coroplast" (this is typically used to enclose the underbelly)
You can Google either, prices vary widely.
https://www.google.com/search?q=darc...belly+material

[CurtFive]

Thanks! Guys for the reply we have a 2013 Brookstone Ruby 340L by Coachman. while replacing the carpet we found that water has damage the floor. Looking for the best way to fix this problem.