Water damage from leaking window- AGAIN!!

[Tony w]

It has been awhile since I have been on this forum and I have always appreciated the help I have gotten. I have a 122 S, live in Montana and have always stored my A-frame outside with no tarp. The snow piles up on hot during winter. Never had issues before. Things are warming up so I went out to open her up for season, and much to my dismay, the large back plastic window had leaked water. The window is not cracked, but I think I can see a small area where the sealant around the window might be leaking. I raised the roof up and it does not seem to be leaking any longer fun the rain we have had the last couple days.

The front two windows were replaced for leaking under warranty shortly after we got the camper, now the back window has leaked. All the bedding has mold on it down to the mattress topper. The mattress has a little mold on it and, unfortunately, the plywood under the bed next to the window has a moderate amount of mold.I have not lifted up the plywood yet to see what happened in the compartment under the bed.

No need to tell me about covering the camper when storing it next winter.

Has anyone else had this happen. The bedding is no big deal, but I have a few other questions:

1. I hate to get another mattress, especially since I like the heated mattress option. Can I treat the small mold areas on the mattress and keep it or should it be discarded for safety reasons?

2. If I do need to get another mattress, where is the cheapest place to get a decent mattress? I believe it is queen size, and I would prefer a true mattress to a memory foam mattress.

3. Can you get that mattress with the heater feature anywhere else than Forest River?

4. Can I treat the plywood bed support with something like Kilz to control the mold? I might need to pull it out of there to check the underside and back edge.

5. I seem to remember a post about some kind of super sticky repair tape that you can use to seal the edges around the window. Would that repair hold top of should I just have the window replaced?
6. Anyone had good luck with a Montana Forest River dealing in Montana for this kind of repair? I remember the front two windows took forever to come from the factory.

6. finally- Has anyone ever had an incident like this get covered by their state Farm insurance policy?

Sorry for all the questions. Thanks so much for your advice.

Tony

[mickrock]

and if you search on it, you will find posts from many of us who have been through the dilemna.

Good luck!

[mgtann]

I used the 3 m extreme sealing tape. Remove all the caulk from around the window, clean the area and use the prep cleaning pads from 3m. Do this when it is not so warm. The warmer the weather the harder it is to work with the tape. Once it's on it sticks really good and would be hard to remove. It's best to put it on with help, so someone can hold one end while you line it up then put in place and use a roller to smooth and cause adhering. Good luck with your repair.

[biscuit72]

Black 2 inch Eternabond. No need to remove the old caulk. Just clean the area and use a roller. I rounded the corners to make is look nicer. As mentioned in the previous post, don't do it when it is too hot and it make sure you get it right the first time as it is a pain to remove. I used it for my solar panels and fantastic fan. Works great

EternaBond RoofSeal BLACK Repair Tape, 2 in. x 50 ft. Roll

As far as the bed, it is closer to a full than a queen. I got a one made by Brentwood home. Got the Full XL and ended up trimming about 2 inches from the width with an electric carving knife. Measure you existing mattress to make sure.

https://www.amazon.com/Brentwood-Hom...00II5MPFC?th=1

I do have the original heated matters. Never used. PM me if inserted.

[sundancer330]

X2 on the Eternabond tape. Most likely your skylight is ok its the seal between the roof and skylight that leaks. I didn't waste my time removing the old caulk since it was pretty flat and the tape would seal right over it. You need to buy the Eternabond roller which weighs about two pounds, once the tape is in place you have to apply pressure on the tape to get a good bond, you can actually see the tape adhesive starting to ooze out the edges, some say any old roller will work but if you want a good bond spend the money and do it right. I sealed around all three skylights and the fan with one roll to two inch. Best price I found for the tape and roller was on Amazon. The 3M tape is also good but very hard to find sold by the single roll, most suppliers only sell it by six to a case which is very expensive

[Iwannacamp]

You can buy products to treat the mold....I see them used on hgtv pretty often. I think it's a type of paint/sealer.

[D-Man]

X3 on Eternabond tape. works great! Get yourself a roll or two and keep it on hand.

[A-Frame Don]

Originally Posted by biscuit72

Black 2 inch Eternabond. No need to remove the old caulk. Just clean the area and use a roller. I rounded the corners to make is look nicer. As mentioned in the previous post, don't do it when it is too hot and it make sure you get it right the first time as it is a pain to remove. I used it for my solar panels and fantastic fan. Works great

EternaBond RoofSeal BLACK Repair Tape, 2 in. x 50 ft. Roll

Well done. This looks awesome. I'll be over on the weekend so you can do my camper.

[SidecarFlip]

+4 on the tape, I keep a roll handy just in case.

[Tony w]

Thanks to everyone who answered The Eternabond and roller came today. That stuff is incredibly sticky. I will need to make sure I get it right the first time! I opted for the 4 inch. It might be overkill, but I figure it can't hurt. My previous leaks were due to defects in the sealant at the edge of the window, not to the window itself. They replaced the window and it took a long time to get the window from the factory. This seems like a much simpler and more permanent solution to the problem. I will apply on a cool morning this week, then wait for the day to warm ups to around 70 and roll it.

[clr]

As for the remediation of the mold, I would go on line to one of the big box stores that sell products to remove the mold they have test kits or guides as to the type of mold and test kits to determine the exact type of mold that you have. There are multiple type of mold and only the black mold is really bad, the other molds have from no effect to allergic type reactions. All the hard surfaces can be cleaned for sure. The mattress and cloth items may be able to be cleaned. I would recommend finding out what type of mold you are talking about before junking the old mattress.

[sundancer330]

Just make sure to use the proper sequence to layout the tape to cover the edges. I installed with the roof up, start the tape on the bottom of the skylight and run tape a few inches past on both sides, then do the sides so they overlap the bottom to match the bottom edge, then do the top piece overlapping the sides. I would use the roller as you go since this is what activates the bond, its easier with two people as one can hold the tape up and remove the backing as you roll across. I rolled the tape to the skylight first, than where it steps from the skylight to the roof. If you stick it all at once you may get pockets of air you can't roll flat. You can see the adhesive oozing along the tape edge as you roll. A few people said they caulked the edges of the tape to help with edge seal.

[Tony w]

I just decided to trash the old mattress and got a new 10 inch memory foam mattress. it was not that expensive and I think I can do just fine without the heated mattress.

I bought some mold killing spray at home depot, and am gaining to paint a mold killing version of Kilz over that. I have a feeling that will work well.

Tony

[rye]

I just discovered the source of the skylight leak in my 2014 A122. The large skylight has thin spiderweb cracks in ALL 4 corners where the dome starts to rise from the flat surrounding plexiglass. It runs around the edge of the inside of the skylight until it finds the lowest point along the bottom (when the camper is open) and drips out.

Taping over these corners with gorilla duct tape seemed to work. I plan to replace the panel with a lexan dome near the end of the season, and am recaulking the perimeter of the skylight where it meets the roof panel.

Check the integrity of the dome plexiglass!