Roof Vent Leak

[barryra]

I bought my scamp a few days ago & the person said it did not leak. I washed it when I brought it home & maybe scrubbed the plastic vent too hard? I did notice it looked like it had a small crack in the middle flat part but I could not tell if it was bad enough to leak. It also looked as if someone tried to put extra caulking around the vent.

Is this a common issue? Is it a fixable problem? Would it get water in between the fiberglass & fabric material inside the Scamp to cause it to sag like it is in spots now?

Thanks for any information.

[barryra]

duhh... I forgot to mention we had a light rain & it did leak. The only water I saw was coming from the edge of the frame/vent & down onto the bed.

[Harry Young]

When I see any repairs around a vent I follow a rule, take it out and clean it up, do the install all over again with the butyl tape, reassemble after cleaning all surfaces with soapy water first, after it dries up follow with an acetone wipe off on THE TRAILER HULL ONLY....Acetone can dissolve some vents!!!!

Silicone/Urathane blends do work when formulated for fiberglass, but do not disassemble well and the tape will, the screws are important too, a dab of "Goop" (brand name) on the threads will stop leaks here too which is so often over looked in fan installs.

Happy Camping, Safe Trails.

Harry

[barryra]

Thanks Harry, I looked at the vent plastic & I am going to order a new one since it has some cracks etc. I will be sure to do what you mentioned when installing the new one.

[Flygal]

just go to an rv place as long as its not the tiny 12 x 12 they should have one and it will save you in shipping

Originally Posted by barryra

Thanks Harry, I looked at the vent plastic & I am going to order a new one since it has some cracks etc. I will be sure to do what you mentioned when installing the new one.

[MyronL]

First picture sums up what silicone caulk is all about.
Second picture sums up what butyl tape is all about.

[Cam A]

If the vent mechanism and seal to the trailer is in good shape, you can change just the vent plastic top. Much less work.

[Michel, Bouchard]

Wow, that before picture looked like a real mess 8-(

[Scott S.]

seems there's 3 styles of plastic dome cover too. take a pic to take along with you. the replacements are stupid expensive at RV dealers but are available on-line if you can wait. I found they don't last long and UV takes its toll in a couple of years. the smaller 11x11 vents are only sold as complete units around here.