1 Year old Trailer Leaking

[2019_2716g_Canada]

We purchased a brand new Rockwood Premier 2716g trailer last summer, including an extended warranty. Last year, no issues. This year, we noticed every time we opened it up there was water on the bunk in the back end of the trailer and came to realize it was leaking around the vent on the roof. Now, there is water damage to the plywood under the mattress as well.

The second issue, after using the cassette toilet 5-6 times we noticed it leaking when flushing, and water coming out under the shower unit into the main floor. Another risk of water damage to the floor and shower unit I am sure.

Our dealer tells us that this is not covered under the factory warranty, nor extended warranty. It is the owner's responsibility to ensure the caulking is good around the vent, which I get, but at 1year old we should be replacing caulking ?????

For the toilet, they said they adjusted the height of the cassette toilet and now it doesn't leak, again, not under warranty, however to me, sounds like a manufacturer issue if it stops working after 5-6 uses?

Am I crazy here? Looking for any feedback. It's hard to swallow paying 20k for a trailer and having these types of problems after 1 year. I have friends with 10year old trailers and have never had a problem like this.


Thanks!

[lswartz]

If you bought the TT from that dealer then they should fix the vent caulking free, if you didn't then it is on you to catch and fix. I look for leaks every time I camp during the summer and hope for the best in the winter.

I would look over your extended warrantee, it isn't much good if your toilet is not covered. Hopefully it didn't cost too much.

[2019_2716g_Canada]

Yes we purchased brand new from this same dealer.

[ChrisParise]

My cousin bought a TT in 2018. Came with a 2 year warranty. Grand Design Imagine 28.5'.

They brought it back to the dealer twice in 2018 because the seams didn't look well sealed.

This spring they noticed the sidewalls were delaminating in 2 areas.

Brought it back to the dealer. Out of warranty by 2 months and GD denied their claim saying it was the owners responsibility to maintain the seams.

Buyers beware - these newer units are poorly sealed at the factory so get on the roofs, inspect and maintain every sidewall and roof seam.

My cousin asked me to look at the issue, wished they had asked me sooner. The lap sealant around a skylight had a crack that opened up and every roof corner had cracks in the sealant. See pictures, I dont know what crap self leveling sealant they used but it looks like they applied it very sparingly.

Also, the rear cap seam was so shrunken and was so thinly applied you could make out the construction material underneath. I used most of a tube of Dicor self leveling lap sealant just on the rear. The rear cap picture is after I got done sealing it

[ChrisParise]

I added the wrong picture for the skylight lap sealant crack, above post. You've got to see this. Remember it's a 2018 TT!

[Palinduff]

The dealership should definitely fix it. I had a customer come in and was just concerned about the caulking around the skylight (Flagstaff A Frame). We had the skylight replaced. I can’t remember but there was obviously something wrong. They would have fixed the sealant anyway if that was all it was. This was a newbie RVer so I wanted his experience to be good. I also spent 2 hours on the phone with him helping him figure out the winterizing; which I had gone through on the delivery, but that had been 7 months prior. Some dealers are better than others.

[BillyBass]

Originally Posted by 2019_2716g_Canada

We purchased a brand new Rockwood Premier 2716g trailer last summer, including an extended warranty. Last year, no issues. This year, we noticed every time we opened it up there was water on the bunk in the back end of the trailer and came to realize it was leaking around the vent on the roof. Now, there is water damage to the plywood under the mattress as well.

The second issue, after using the cassette toilet 5-6 times we noticed it leaking when flushing, and water coming out under the shower unit into the main floor. Another risk of water damage to the floor and shower unit I am sure.

Our dealer tells us that this is not covered under the factory warranty, nor extended warranty. It is the owner's responsibility to ensure the caulking is good around the vent, which I get, but at 1year old we should be replacing caulking ?????

For the toilet, they said they adjusted the height of the cassette toilet and now it doesn't leak, again, not under warranty, however to me, sounds like a manufacturer issue if it stops working after 5-6 uses?

Am I crazy here? Looking for any feedback. It's hard to swallow paying 20k for a trailer and having these types of problems after 1 year. I have friends with 10year old trailers and have never had a problem like this.


Thanks!

I never a issue with my camper .But i had one with my car Ford Motor was giving me the run around So I contact the BBB and less in a month it was taking care of .Good luck let us know what happens

[GalsofEscape]

yep - you have to check the calking frequently. my vent fan leaked due to the caulk doing the same thing as yours in the second year the we had it. i used Eternabond tape and sealed it rather than continue to use caulk. still leak free at the time we traded it in 5 years later.

[SLU2]

We had the same problem with a 2012 FR Surveyor in 2016. Ceiling in kitchen area was bubbling with water in it. Turned out the kitchen vent had a leak around it and filling up the ceiling. EVEN with the extended warranty, This was not covered. It's put under the term of general maintenance!!! $800.00 later we had it fixed. This is total B.S. and the dealers won't cover this type of failure. Now if it was a roof defect, you could take that up with FR since they have a 10 year warranty. Needless to say, after that I went up on the roof and covered all caulks with DICOR LAP sealant!

[ADKdave]

Sorry to hear about your issue, nothing is more frustrating than paying good money for an item and get such poor quality in return. We purchased a new Premier 2514G last August 2019 used it once before closing it up for the winter. When we opened it this past May we had mold on the canvas from water leakage around the vent. There wasn't much caulking around the vent, in addition I checked carefully around the seams of the roof and found several gaps that could pose potential problems. I took it back to the dealer and fortunately it was covered under our 1 year warranty and everything was repaired at no costs. During this process my wife called Forest River directly and complained about the leak and other issues such as leaky water hoses happening to a camper less that a year old. The customer service rep asked for the vin number of our camper and assured her that any problems that may arise within a reasonable time after our year warranty was up would be handled at no charge. The dealer did a good job sealing the seams and the vent as well as repairing the leaky hoses. We haven't had any problems with is since.

[NJCorm265]

Sorry to hear that but do yourself a favor eternabond all the seams on your roof the front and rear and all the vents it’s the best it’s money well spent

[DRogers]

I have my RV pressure tested every year, my dealer in Ontario Canada opens one of the roof vents and pressurises the interior to 2 or 3 psi and sprays down the exterior with a leak tech looking for leaks, they repair any leak they find and I'm good to go for another year. cost is about $300 every time they do it, but with water able to gain access from the very smallest of cracks or tears along your seams or roof, it's money well spent in my opinion.

[jimmoore13]

Dicor sealant will solve your problem without "re-caulking." Don't get the self-leveling stuff, because it spreads. They make several types. https://www.amazon.com/Dicor-551LSW1...8FRNMVPXTRRAV7 I know it's frustrating, but a tube of this stuff is about $14, and the brain damage trying to get the dealer to step up is much worse.

My new rig is a year old, and I boondock. I've repaired my roof twice...due to overhanging branch dings.

As for the "damage" to the bed base, slide the mattress off for a few days and let it dry. It's exterior grade plywood, and it will be fine. A little water stain won't hurt it. It's more important to make sure the mattress is absolutely dry.

I had a HW-277 with the heated innerspring mattress. I hated the mattress and bought a foam mattress to replace it. I rolled up the original, tied it with a lightweight rope, and left it outside for weeks. It got rained on several times. The new foam mattress sucked even worse! I laid out the original on my paved driveway during good weather and let it bake in the sun...flipping it to dry both sides...and it lasted another 4 years (with a nice foam topper to make it comfortable) until I traded it in.

My current rubber roof leaked after a couple tiny punctures caused by a low-hanging branch. A hard rain had water draining out of my ceiling mounted speakers. I fixed the roof, then I dropped the speakers and let things air out...then put them back after a couple days. No leaks or problems after the fix. Colorado sun helps in this case.

In your case, a PUP roof is very lightly constructed. Starting from the outside, it's paper-thin fiberglass, paper thin luan plywood, toothpick framing with - typically - an air gap - no insulation - another layer of luan, then the ceiling "panel"...(perhaps fiberglass or vinyl sheeting). To ensure the "inside" of the roof is dry, pull the inside flange around the fan in hopes of getting air flow. Drop the ceiling lights in the area...even if the opening is just for wire, it will allow air-flow. Let things dry out for a few days, and put it back together. When you reinstall the screws on these bits, use a tiny amount of Gorilla glue to act like LocTite does on bolts...works great, but use it sparingly, because it expands like Great Stuff foam insulation.

My PUP roof leaked around the fan in the 2nd year, too. Same thing...wet bed when I opened up. I hadn't heard of Dicor, so I used silicone. No more leaks. Bear in mind this fragile thing is rolling down the highway, twisting and torqueing. If you go off road, it's torture. A little caulk is cheap. And yours may have been caulked on Friday at 4:00 PM.

You mention a cassette toilet. This may be a "third party" product covered by its own warranty. Look through your packet of owners manuals and realize that ALL the third party items, fridge, stove, pump, CO detector, propane regulator, and, and, and, all have their own warranties. That includes the frame and stab jacks! Read the manual.

Again, this may a simple fix. You're sliding the cassette in and out, and it needs to make a solid connection between the cassette gasket and the seat base gasket so flushing doesn't splash past the gasket. I had something like this (a porta potti) in my first tiny PUP. A good seal is essential. Take a flashlight and look at how things match up. Look for missing "wedges" or other bits that should, for example, raise the cassette into firm contact with the seat-base gasket during the last inch of travel as you insert the cassette. Something may have broken or come loose inside the "receiver" for the cassette leaving a small gap or poor seal between the cassette and the toilet seat/flush valve.

Is it "right" that these things fail? No. On the other hand you must recognize that even a PUP is a roadworthy and OFF-roadworthy mobile home that goes virtually anywhere, has all the amenities yours has, including a toilet and shower, and costs about $15,000 or so brand new. If you tortured your home the way you torture this thing, it would fall apart.

In the end, if you want to enjoy this thing, you must step up and be handy enough to keep it functioning on your own. If you bring it to the dealer every time something doesn't work right, it will be in the shop for months at a time during prime camping season.

PS. When the chips were down, Forrest River came thru. After about 4 1/2 years, my PUP roof started to delaminate. They replaced it under the 5 year warranty with NO problems at all. Don't sweat the small stuff, and enjoy your wonderful camper.

[Amartin453]

Originally Posted by jimmoore13

Dicor sealant will solve your problem without "re-caulking." Don't get the self-leveling stuff, because it spreads. They make several types. https://www.amazon.com/Dicor-551LSW1...8FRNMVPXTRRAV7 I know it's frustrating, but a tube of this stuff is about $14, and the brain damage trying to get the dealer to step up is much worse.



My new rig is a year old, and I boondock. I've repaired my roof twice...due to overhanging branch dings.



As for the "damage" to the bed base, slide the mattress off for a few days and let it dry. It's exterior grade plywood, and it will be fine. A little water stain won't hurt it. It's more important to make sure the mattress is absolutely dry.



I had a HW-277 with the heated innerspring mattress. I hated the mattress and bought a foam mattress to replace it. I rolled up the original, tied it with a lightweight rope, and left it outside for weeks. It got rained on several times. The new foam mattress sucked even worse! I laid out the original on my paved driveway during good weather and let it bake in the sun...flipping it to dry both sides...and it lasted another 4 years (with a nice foam topper to make it comfortable) until I traded it in.



My current rubber roof leaked after a couple tiny punctures caused by a low-hanging branch. A hard rain had water draining out of my ceiling mounted speakers. I fixed the roof, then I dropped the speakers and let things air out...then put them back after a couple days. No leaks or problems after the fix. Colorado sun helps in this case.



In your case, a PUP roof is very lightly constructed. Starting from the outside, it's paper-thin fiberglass, paper thin luan plywood, toothpick framing with - typically - an air gap - no insulation - another layer of luan, then the ceiling "panel"...(perhaps fiberglass or vinyl sheeting). To ensure the "inside" of the roof is dry, pull the inside flange around the fan in hopes of getting air flow. Drop the ceiling lights in the area...even if the opening is just for wire, it will allow air-flow. Let things dry out for a few days, and put it back together. When you reinstall the screws on these bits, use a tiny amount of Gorilla glue to act like LocTite does on bolts...works great, but use it sparingly, because it expands like Great Stuff foam insulation.



My PUP roof leaked around the fan in the 2nd year, too. Same thing...wet bed when I opened up. I hadn't heard of Dicor, so I used silicone. No more leaks. Bear in mind this fragile thing is rolling down the highway, twisting and torqueing. If you go off road, it's torture. A little caulk is cheap. And yours may have been caulked on Friday at 4:00 PM.



You mention a cassette toilet. This may be a "third party" product covered by its own warranty. Look through your packet of owners manuals and realize that ALL the third party items, fridge, stove, pump, CO detector, propane regulator, and, and, and, all have their own warranties. That includes the frame and stab jacks! Read the manual.



Again, this may a simple fix. You're sliding the cassette in and out, and it needs to make a solid connection between the cassette gasket and the seat base gasket so flushing doesn't splash past the gasket. I had something like this (a porta potti) in my first tiny PUP. A good seal is essential. Take a flashlight and look at how things match up. Look for missing "wedges" or other bits that should, for example, raise the cassette into firm contact with the seat-base gasket during the last inch of travel as you insert the cassette. Something may have broken or come loose inside the "receiver" for the cassette leaving a small gap or poor seal between the cassette and the toilet seat/flush valve.



Is it "right" that these things fail? No. On the other hand you must recognize that even a PUP is a roadworthy and OFF-roadworthy mobile home that goes virtually anywhere, has all the amenities yours has, including a toilet and shower, and costs about $15,000 or so brand new. If you tortured your home the way you torture this thing, it would fall apart.



In the end, if you want to enjoy this thing, you must step up and be handy enough to keep it functioning on your own. If you bring it to the dealer every time something doesn't work right, it will be in the shop for months at a time during prime camping season.



PS. When the chips were down, Forrest River came thru. After about 4 1/2 years, my PUP roof started to delaminate. They replaced it under the 5 year warranty with NO problems at all. Don't sweat the small stuff, and enjoy your wonderful camper.

Well said Jim!

If you own a camper you will become the Jack of all trades and master of none. Just remember everything can be fixed, and as Jim stated “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

[Mike91]

Originally Posted by 2019_2716g_Canada

We purchased a brand new Rockwood Premier 2716g trailer last summer, including an extended warranty. Last year, no issues. This year, we noticed every time we opened it up there was water on the bunk in the back end of the trailer and came to realize it was leaking around the vent on the roof. Now, there is water damage to the plywood under the mattress as well.

The second issue, after using the cassette toilet 5-6 times we noticed it leaking when flushing, and water coming out under the shower unit into the main floor. Another risk of water damage to the floor and shower unit I am sure.

Our dealer tells us that this is not covered under the factory warranty, nor extended warranty. It is the owner's responsibility to ensure the caulking is good around the vent, which I get, but at 1year old we should be replacing caulking ?????

For the toilet, they said they adjusted the height of the cassette toilet and now it doesn't leak, again, not under warranty, however to me, sounds like a manufacturer issue if it stops working after 5-6 uses?

Am I crazy here? Looking for any feedback. It's hard to swallow paying 20k for a trailer and having these types of problems after 1 year. I have friends with 10year old trailers and have never had a problem like this.


Thanks!

Yep, you have to check vent caulking all the time as it opens up pretty easily and often.

The cassette toilet leak was a hard one for me to find but an easy fix. It was the valve gasket as it was deformed with a permanent dent in the rubber for water to leak out. Always had the water coming from under the shower enclosure into the walk way. Then cleaning it up on the floor and inside the toilet tank containment area leaving the door open for air to dry it out. Thetford sent me a new gasket, I sprayed with silicone spray and put it in, hasn't leaked since. Very easy fix.

BTW, I hope you didn't pay $20K!! I paid under $14K with Air conditioner/heat strip, grill, power tongue jack, pretty much every option.

Good luck.

[Old School Rob]

It’s very unfortunate, that after 1 year, you have to re-caulk the roof. I have a 2018 2514G, and I had to re-caulk my roof vent this past spring. But the way I look at it, it’s a traveling home that gets bumped on the road. Caulking just won’t hold up to that kind of movement.

[Mike91]

You need to caulk often when towing because potholes, rumble strips (forced to drive on because of construction), speed vibrations, and flexing in wind, all cause the caulking to be flexed and pulled on.

Also if you live in a part of the country that actually has 4 seasons, the thaw and freeze cycles cause the caulking to shrink and expand which pulls it apart as well.