A place to watch for leaks

[thehamguy1]

The metal trim strip along the bottom of the rear panel is caulked to keep water out of that joint, but after 3 years the caulk has separated below the right taillight. Looking under the trailer, the ONLY place the bottom is damp is right where the caulk has separated. Not just damp; there was an odd orangish powder where the dampness is. It doesn't show in the photos because I'd already brushed it off.
This is one of the worst places to develop a leak because the corners are where a lot of rain is channeled for runoff.
I've cleaned the area a bit, then have begun applying Cap'n Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure, which penetrates the crevice by capillary action and hardens there. Reapplication at half- hour intervals is called for until the crack stops absorbing the fluid. I'm hoping this will take care of it.




General area of the leak.



Evidence below deck. Where the crack is widest the bottom is dampest.



Close up of the separated molding. The grayish goop is the Cap'n Tolley's.



The crevice extends about a foot along the bottom right edge.

[DGrissom]

Wow... I need to start paying attention to that area. I am always so focused on the roof area that I haven't even thought about the lower sides and base of the walls.

Good information. I hope the fix works well. Please, let us know!

[thehamguy1]

I'll try to keep folks informed. I'm glad I ordered the Cap'n Tolley's a couple years ago when I saw it recommended here. Meanwhile I'm wondering what the orangish powder adhering to the dampness was, if I breathed any of it in, and what the effects of that might be. I've begun feeling a strange urge to enslave the human race and make billions of spores...

[toleworks]

Originally Posted by thehamguy1

I'll try to keep folks informed. I'm glad I ordered the Cap'n Tolley's a couple years ago when I saw it recommended here. Meanwhile I'm wondering what the orangish powder adhering to the dampness was, if I breathed any of it in, and what the effects of that might be. I've begun feeling a strange urge to enslave the human race and make billions of spores...

I also had caulk separation along that seam but I see no sign of damage. I tried to recaulk but it separated again. After sealing my window with 3m extreme sealing tape I applied a strip of it along that seam. Problem solved.

[DGrissom]

Naw!, dude. It'll probably just make you high!

[ko777]

Thanks for sharing the potential problems our rigs will have in the future. If you had a 7 years warranty for all parts which I have, do you think this will be covered? I should have 7 years of worry free but it will be great to do preventive maintenance because I hate leaving my rig for repairs.
I have to take my rig for repair because my water pump kicks in every after several minutes for a few seconds. Is your water pump still quiet when left on? For now I turn it off when not in use.

[thehamguy1]

Hi, ko. Glad you had a good camping trip. Ours was hardly worth the cost of the gas, as it rained all weekend.

Supposedly the floors have a 25 year warranty by themselves, even if one didn't purchase the extended warranty. But I imagine the warranty only covers the cost of the material, not the total disassembly and rebuild you'd need to do in order to replace the floor. Maybe your extended warranty would cover that part, I don't know. If so, it's sure worth the money.

If left on, our water pump will burp once or twice a day, usually just as we're falling asleep, but I don't think it's worth my hauling the camper off to the dealer. I moved the water pump switch this year, from under the front dinette to under the lip of the sink counter, so I can reach it without getting out of bed. We only use the water a few times a day so it's no sacrifice to just keep it off till we need it.

[thehamguy1]

Toleworks, I thought of the same solution, and I do have a roll of that tape, but it's just enough to do my rear bubble window, so I'm saving it. How does that tape look, now that it's had a year or so of exposure? The caulk around the bubble is looking pretty bad again, though it doesn't leak yet. If that tape doesn't get to looking bad as it ages I may apply it this year instead of a third attempt to recaulk.

[daveinpickerington]

Lee,

The tape around my 2012 window looks the same as new. I also added it around the roof fan. It looks new as well.

Dave

[thehamguy1]

Originally Posted by daveinpickerington

Lee,

The tape around my 2012 window looks the same as new. I also added it around the roof fan. It looks new as well.

Dave

Thats good to hear, Dave. Is your camper stored outside all year?

[toleworks]

Originally Posted by thehamguy1

Toleworks, I thought of the same solution, and I do have a roll of that tape, but it's just enough to do my rear bubble window, so I'm saving it. How does that tape look, now that it's had a year or so of exposure? The caulk around the bubble is looking pretty bad again, though it doesn't leak yet. If that tape doesn't get to looking bad as it ages I may apply it this year instead of a third attempt to recaulk.

I put tape around my bubble window six months ago or more and it looks like new.

[daveinpickerington]

Originally Posted by thehamguy1

Thats good to hear, Dave. Is your camper stored outside all year?

My trailer gets to see the confines of a garage for the winter Lee.

[ko777]

Originally Posted by thehamguy1

Hi, ko. Glad you had a good camping trip. Ours was hardly worth the cost of the gas, as it rained all weekend.

Supposedly the floors have a 25 year warranty by themselves, even if one didn't purchase the extended warranty. But I imagine the warranty only covers the cost of the material, not the total disassembly and rebuild you'd need to do in order to replace the floor. Maybe your extended warranty would cover that part, I don't know. If so, it's sure worth the money.

If left on, our water pump will burp once or twice a day, usually just as we're falling asleep, but I don't think it's worth my hauling the camper off to the dealer. I moved the water pump switch this year, from under the front dinette to under the lip of the sink counter, so I can reach it without getting out of bed. We only use the water a few times a day so it's no sacrifice to just keep it off till we need it.

Thanks, it was nice to get out over the weekend and I was able to experience breaking camp and parking the rig at home under the rain. Sorry to hear about your weekend trip, is this your first trip this season/where? The only good thing about the rain is it got my rig cleaned...

Based on your info your water pump burping only twice a day, proved that there is something wrong with mine. I'll wait for more repairs before taking it in to fix the water pump. Did you do the yearly checkup for the fridge? Maybe I'll have it fix then...

I like the info you are putting in this thread, please post pics of your repair. Do you have a link of the 3M sealing tape you are using? I think I will be pro-active and apply it now while the seals on my rig are in good condition.

[thehamguy1]

Yeah, this was our first outing this year, after having camped about 75 days last year. That's how different our weather has been. It was at Lake Anita State Park.

I haven't applied the tape yet, but you might look for posts by DGrissom and Toleworks to see if there are pictures. The tape is a super duty 3M tape specifically made for sealing leaks in things like semi truck trailers. There was a period of time that FR was using this tape to install the bubble windows, I'm told, though I never saw one done that way. It's expensive stuff, and you'll need over 15' for just the bubble window.

I've never done a fridge checkup. I guess I've been lucky that way. I did vacuum off the coils and the area inside the control niche and it seems to be cooling very well.

[D-mo]

hamguy .. it looks like you have a few spider cracks in the external shell where your crack was sealed . on pic two ..
just for anyones info .. i purchased a product called Eternabond .. which is used specifically for RV roof repair ... 68 bucks Canadian roll .. of about 100 ft ... 3 inches wide .. but i have yet to use it .. as once it touches the repair .. it sticks like crazy ... comes in white to match our roof systems.
Right now im am still caucking ... no leaks .. but my caucking does shrink ... so another application is needed on the bubble ...
right now im using RVFlex .... and it seems to be holding up fairly well ...

d-mo

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[thehamguy1]

Thanks for pointing that out, D-mo. I hadn't seen it before, so intent on looking at the bigger separations. Cap'n Tolley's is supposed to work on that kind of crack too, so I guess my work there isn't done yet.