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Roof leak


Klsweet

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We have a 2008 Fleetwood Mallard Sport 18ck travel trailer. We purchased it back in February 2017 (about a year ago). At purchase there was evident water damage on some ceiling trim. The trim was slightly expanded and discolored having absorbed water. The dealer said the leak had been repaired. After our first camp season, that seemed to be the case.

For winter storage. Everything we read said to cover the camper with a special, breathable fabric or to leave it uncovered so moisture is not held to the camper. We just went in the camper to check up on things and noticed the sheets on our bed had signs of water. Looking at the spot of previous damage, there is now more expansion on the trim and traces of where the water had dropped from. The strange thing is that everything was dry and it had been raining all day. We live in Eastern Washington and had minor snow fall up to 5” that lasted for maybe 2weeks before melting. So we covered the camper with a tarp to prevent further damage (no snow currently) until the weather is nice enough to check things out.

Being completely inexperienced in this area where would you start? We would like to keep the cost low considering we just purchased a generator and air condition for said camper.

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First thing to know about leaks is that where you are seeing the leak inside, and where it is entering are not necessarily directly related.

I would buy Dicor, several tubes, and get up on the roof.  Clean all seams and around any skylights, fans, and AC units.  Apply the Dicor to the now cleaned areas.  On the roof, I use leveling Dicor

Rich and Carol

2007 Dynamax DQ 340 XL

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Welcome to the Escapee forums! We are happy to have you with us and we will do all we can to help and support you. The first issue will be to determine the source of your water problems.

In searching the internet for your trailer I see that yours has aluminum siding and so I am fairly sure that it also has an aluminum sheet roof. If that is correct the first thing to check is for any pitting or other damage to the roof material. With your RV 10 years old it is possible that the aluminum has begun to degrade but it isn't probable. If it has begun to do so, you should probably consider one of the commercial roof coatings for the entire roof. If it has not then you should examine all seams and edges of the aluminum. Any loose or cracked caulk materials should be removed and replaced. Like fly2low, I prefer the self-leveling materials and my preferred brand is Dicor but there are others that work well. Do not use any kind of silicone caulking because it has to be 100% removed in order to do any repairs to it since silicone will not stick to anything, once cured. 

There is also some chance that your moisture problem is due to condensation on the inside of the RV because in western WA Ithere is often very high humidity for very long periods. From what you describe I would look very hard at condensation since I know that your area can be very wet for long periods. If the problem is condensation, ventilation may be the answer. You didn't say if you are using an RV cover or not? If possible, you may want to put the RV under a roof but exposed to outside air to determine for sure if the problem is condensation. I would expect that condensation would also show below windows and along window frames if that is the source of the water. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Thank you for your detailed response! We have a rubber roof. It sounds like what we’re going to have to do is peal back the rubber roof and replace any wood and insulation that it water damaged. Then put it all back together again. Has anyone done this before? We want to make sure we do this thouroughly and correctly to prevent future leaks. We also want to replace all the water damage inside? What is the inside ceiling material called for travel trailers?

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