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Old 01-28-2018, 06:58 PM   #1
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Roof Leak

2017 silverback 29 RE We have had this trailer for almost 2 years, all of a sudden we have a water leak. It is about 42 inches from the rear of the unit - water comes out of the plastic piece that connects the interior roof panels where that piece meets the molding between the roof and side wall. I have checked the roof and sealant for damage and do not see anything. I'm wondering if the a/c unit could have damaged the rubber roof under it somehow. Any suggestion would be helpful.
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Old 01-28-2018, 10:28 PM   #2
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2017 silverback 29 RE We have had this trailer for almost 2 years, all of a sudden we have a water leak. It is about 42 inches from the rear of the unit - water comes out of the plastic piece that connects the interior roof panels where that piece meets the molding between the roof and side wall. I have checked the roof and sealant for damage and do not see anything. I'm wondering if the a/c unit could have damaged the rubber roof under it somehow. Any suggestion would be helpful.
I would make sure the A/C is tightened snugly to the roof. They loosen up over time and cause leaks.
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Old 01-29-2018, 09:11 AM   #3
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MLATTER I thought of that too, so I removed the 4 lag screws and put lap sealant in the holes and re-installed the screws tight. The best that I can see under the A/C unit looks like a couple of bolt heads are resting on the roof. I wonder if they could have rubbed a hole in the roof. It takes about a half hour after rain starts before it leaks. Thanks for your help.
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Old 01-29-2018, 09:56 AM   #4
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Hope you find your leak. Been there trying to find a leak in our previous camper. I resealed everything I could find and it still leaked a small amount. As an ex mechanic I was quite frustrated not being able to fix it. I was at the point of trading off the camper. I ended up taking it to a local dealer. They had a tool to add air pressure inside the camper then use water and look for air bubbles on outside. They found the leak but took them two tries. They too had a hard time finding the leak. I was happy they only charged for the first visit. Even then they didn’t charge all the labor hours. Without an obvious water entry point, and, water can run some distance before showing up inside, sometimes the right tools are needed. My leak was under awning mount bracket. Hope you don’t have to go through the ordeal.
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Old 01-29-2018, 12:51 PM   #5
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Hope you find your leak. Been there trying to find a leak in our previous camper. I resealed everything I could find and it still leaked a small amount. As an ex mechanic I was quite frustrated not being able to fix it. I was at the point of trading off the camper. I ended up taking it to a local dealer. They had a tool to add air pressure inside the camper then use water and look for air bubbles on outside. They found the leak but took them two tries. They too had a hard time finding the leak. I was happy they only charged for the first visit. Even then they didn’t charge all the labor hours. Without an obvious water entry point, and, water can run some distance before showing up inside, sometimes the right tools are needed. My leak was under awning mount bracket. Hope you don’t have to go through the ordeal.

I too had a leak that would show up a little bit after it started raining. Fortunately, the water dripped from an A/C vent outlet. So, I timed it once. It would start to rain and in about a minute, water would drip so, I knew it was close. With inside measurements, I went up on the roof and found a vent that vents the space between the roof & ceiling area. The flange looked sealed enough but, then I noticed a slightly rusted screw head that the lap sealant had shrunk away from. I applied another bead of sealant and no more leak......I got lucky on that one because I didn't think that was the source. Just goes to show...."you never know".
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Old 05-19-2018, 01:17 AM   #6
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Did you find out what was causing your leak. We have a 34rl2 2018. Picked up august 2017, ac unit was replaced November 2017 then we headed south for winter so did not see any major rain until may 2018. Water is coming in what sounds like in the same area as yours was. Started just one side but is now on both sides.
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Old 06-02-2018, 10:05 AM   #7
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I have a cedar creek champagne 2016. Water is coming in along the back rib goes over to the slide sounds like a lot of people have this issue. The dealer has pulled the AC put a new gasket on resealed the bolts and water tested it no leaks but when it starts raining it leaks. I was thinking maybe the AC has an Avenue for the water to get in. I told them to squirt water directly on the AC to see if that may be the problem. It is still down there as of today which is June 2 hopefully I get some results next week.
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Old 07-19-2018, 11:59 PM   #8
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Fwiw, as soon as we got home with our Silverback, I ordered a few rolls of eternabond tape. Picked up a can of acetone locally. Soap and water cleaned all seams and around every roof penetration(except for AC units) followed by a quick wipedown with acetone. Then applied the eternabond tape to every seam, and around every vent, skylight, tv antenna and ladder mounts. I even used small scraps of eternabond to lay across any small speck of debris that I could detect under the roof material. Also used a length of 6” tape over the front cap seam. That was over three years ago and so far so good. Our camper sits under roof most of the time, but its outside from mid Oct through the end of Dec/early Jan when I bring it back home. No leaks.
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Old 07-20-2018, 12:43 AM   #9
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Fwiw, as soon as we got home with our Silverback, I ordered a few rolls of eternabond tape. Picked up a can of acetone locally. Soap and water cleaned all seams and around every roof penetration(except for AC units) followed by a quick wipedown with acetone. Then applied the eternabond tape to every seam, and around every vent, skylight, tv antenna and ladder mounts. I even used small scraps of eternabond to lay across any small speck of debris that I could detect under the roof material. Also used a length of 6” tape over the front cap seam. That was over three years ago and so far so good. Our camper sits under roof most of the time, but its outside from mid Oct through the end of Dec/early Jan when I bring it back home. No leaks.


I want to do this to our MH. We have been through one horrendous leak already but my husband just doesn't think it's necessary. I guess I will get all the stuff and do it myself.

Why did you not do the AC units? Did you use a roller of some kind on the tape? Thanks.
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Old 07-20-2018, 12:50 AM   #10
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A small roller (about 2" wide) would be helpful since the adhesive is pressure activated. I used the palm of my hand which was a little tedious but I did not have a roller.

The old caulk comes off fairly easy. I used a heat gun to soften it a bit and carefully scraped it off with a putty knife.
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Old 07-20-2018, 07:45 AM   #11
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I want to do this to our MH. We have been through one horrendous leak already but my husband just doesn't think it's necessary. I guess I will get all the stuff and do it myself.

Why did you not do the AC units? Did you use a roller of some kind on the tape? Thanks.
Nancy, The AC units are mounted on the very crown of the roof and there is really not a “seam” to protect. Plus the AC’s are bolted onto a foam rubber gasket, so its an unlikely source of water intrusion.
I had a small wood roller made for screen door seals. I used it for a few locations like the front cap where I used 6” wide tape. Mostly I just used my hand.
You may want to read this thread, http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ack-93989.html
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Old 08-03-2018, 12:22 PM   #12
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roof leak

I think I have fixed the leak that I had at my A/C unit . I taped the joint on the a/c unit where the top and bottom half meet on the front of the unit. ( Bad design by Dometic) We have had almost 9 inches of rain in the last 2 weeks and no leaks so far. Hope this helps someone else with there leak.
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