Leak around upper awning bracket lag bolt?

[Larry-NC]

I hope this isn't a topic that's already been discussed. I went through three or four pages of search results before posting here.

The Forest River Cherokee 38P destination trailer sits (permanently) in a very wooded area. I go onto the roof several times a year to clean it and check for damage. I've noticed two "soft" spots in the decking.

I am in the middle of replacing the decking and repairing/replacing trusses on the Nash.

The soft spots on the Cherokee roof are right where the awning upper bracket lag bolts are. On the Nash the center of the front soft spot is also coincident with the upper awning bracket lag bolt. (The rear decking is so far gone that I can't tell where the water intrusion started.)

Naturally I don't want the Cherokee to get worse. Nor do I want to do the Nash a second time. I'm beginning to believe that water follows the upper lag bolt through the aluminum skin and wicks up into the decking.

The Nash construction includes 2x2 walls with 2x2 header. Atop the header is the ceiling paneling and atop the paneling are the trusses. 1x2 framing runs around the outside, screwed to the trusses. This permits the trusses to bear on about an inch of the 2x2 wall header (through the paneling). I assume the Cherokee has similar construction. (This construction explains why I have read about so many people having awning brackets pull loose, no longer holding the lag bolts. There's only a 1x2 holding that top lag screw.

The rain gutters on both units run through the center of the awning brackets. The brackets straddle the rain gutter. I am wondering whether a situation occurs where the rain gutters clog (lots of pine straw in this area) and the water intrudes along the lag bolt. We clean the gutters each time we visit the Cherokee, but it's sometimes six weeks between visits. I have the Nash tarped now, but the damage was done when DW full-timed in it for six years and never touched the roof. I am also wondering how to prevent future intrusion.

I am not confident that gobbing a bunch of caulk--even expensive Dicor--into the lag bolt holes will be reliable over the long term.

Am I all wet on this? Has anyone else seen water intrusion in this area?

Larry

[tx333]

Sorry to hear the damages. Had a similar leak experience. I didn't have any damage but our previous TT a 2010 Heartland 26SRL had a leak at one of the upper awning attach bolts. It was quite difficult to diagnose the leak as the only wetness found was on the bedroom carpet near the door making it seem to be a door area leak. I ended up at a dealer to have it diagnosed and fixed. Took them two tries to find the leak. They replaced the awning bracket bolt with SS and sealed it up with Dicor. It was fine after that but I can see it being a potential problem. Seeing as there are others with the leak will make me inspect our new one pretty thoroughly.
May consider fabricating a nut plate to add reinforcment on the inside if you already have it apart and in the area. Good luck with your fix.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by tx333

May consider fabricating a nut plate to add reinforcement on the inside if you already have it apart and in the area. Good luck with your fix.

Using a teenut isn't a bad idea. Things would have to get a lot wetter before it pulled out, but it doesn't change the problem of water intrusion, possibly from flooded gutters. There's got to be something better than gobbing caulk on the bolts. Maybe rubber washers or O-rings and sleeves on the bolts.

[Thurman]

A few months back I noticed that there was a gap were the awning bar/mounting bracket that attaches to the sidewall of the TT had a gap in it. Upon inspection I found that the bolts used to attach the bar were not screwed in all the way. I'm the type that I had to find out why this was this way. I completely removed the awning supports where they attached to the bar that was attached to the exterior wall then removed the bar attached to the exterior wall. I found that the two top-most screws were not long enough to screw into anything except the exterior fiberglass wall. Also, there were mounting holes in the bar and no screws going through them nor was there any sign the any sealant had been used where the existing screws were placed. I proceeded as if I were installing an awning on a TT as if none had been there before. My TT has the "alumicage" construction and the two topmost screws should have been long enough to go into the aluminum framework. I decided to replace the factory screws with what I know to be "TK screws", this is the type that drills it's own pilot hole, and go directly into the aluminum framework at the top. For the rest of the screws I basically used sheet metal screws to go into the fiberglass siding. I applied a generous dose of DICOR sealant on the backside of the bar where each screw would be going through the bar. The rear awning bar did not look to have a gap but I took it off anyway and I found that there was NO sealant of any kind behind the bar and only four screws holding it on. I re-attached it the same as I did the front bar. I read on this forum of how RV owners find so many "problems" generated at the factory from poor workmanship. It's pathetic that there is practically no "quality control" at these plants. I will also add the shortly after I bought this TT we were camping and it came up a decent rain for hours. I noticed that there was water running down the side of my TT and it appeared to be where the awning was attached to the TT. After we got home I looked for any reason for this water intrusion and found a screw had been put through the awning fabric about three feet from the rear end of the awning. Where the screw went in it had torn a little hole in the fabric which allowed water to go in. I've been told that a screw, or two, are placed through the awning to prevent it from sliding front to back but this one was placed through the awning and into the side of the TT, not the mounting rail. I removed the screw cleaned up the area around the screw hole and applied a patch of "awning tape" over the hole. It got it's first test this past weekend as we spent almost all day Sunday in the rain. No drips where there had been.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Thurman

I decided to replace the factory screws with what I know to be "TK screws", this is the type that drills it's own pilot hole, and go directly into the aluminum framework at the top.

Good choice. Did you put rubber washers under the screw heads? Some come that way; otherwise use faucet washers.

Originally Posted by Thurman

I applied a generous dose of DICOR sealant on the backside of the bar where each screw would be going through the bar.

Did you consider using butyl tape along the whole length of the bar? Miserable to remove, but widely used in RV construction. I figure that the difficulty in removal is a testament to the effectiveness in sealing. I have to use a heat gun to remove it.

Originally Posted by Thurman

It's pathetic that there is practically no "quality control" at these plants.

Quality control is building it as it was designed. There are lots of examples of failures in that area. I'm also convinced that the design itself is faulty in some instances and the assembly faithfully follows the bad design. It probably wasn't the assembler that decided the top two awning screws could go into unbacked fiberglass. Did the assembler omit sealant on the awning bar or did the designer not call for it?

Larry

[tx333]

Engineering design does leave a lot to be desired in RVs. Design is complex but I can think of numerous ways the design could improve water leak prevention. I would be willing to pay more knowing design was better. We’ve become a society wanting cheaper which isn’t always better.