Water getting in?

[JudyL]

Well, here I am 3 days into my new camper and I have discovered some moisture. The trailer has that (tell-tale?) is it just old? is there moisture in here? smell. I have been keeping my eyes out for the water and today have found it. Let me preface this by saying, this poor trailer came down from Oregon on Sunday in a huge(!!!!) rain/wind storm on Sunday. That being said there is "the smell".
So, I found that the carpet under the 2 front compartments is definetely a little wet. The wall covering where it meets the floor is also damp about 3 or 4 inches up at those spots. I was thinking maybe the front window was leaking but the wall underneath isn't wet. Nor is the wall on the way down wet. And the cushions aren't wet. I have also unzipped the cushions and non have mildew. After taking a look around outside and underneath it looks like it might be the black seal(?) piece that runs around the bottom of the whole trailer. It looks a little bent and well, old, in some places.
I left the camper open all day yesterday. Windows wide and door open. It was sunny and windy so I was hoping it would air out. No moisture on interior windows this morning. Blah, blah blah. Any advise?
Thanks in advance!
Judy

[JudyL]

One more thing..the middle front compartment is dry. I notice that it is contructed differently than the side ones. Seems to lean more toward water coming up rather than down?

[Ken C]

water can travel up with the 50 to 60MPH freeway wind blast. IF you are unable to find the area. I see an rv place in petaluma that can do a leak test. They pressurize the inside and spray soapy water all around the exterior and look for bubbles. Others will chime in here with better tips.
http://www.rvleaks.com/locations.htm

[Mark Shaffer]

I would start be checking the small drain weep holes in the front window frame. A lot of times they gunk up with leaves and debris and water runs inside. Even though the wall is not wet, it could have been water that came in while the railer was in tow through the storm. Gravity and time will show a dry wall where the floor may be still damp. It quite possably could have been coming up from the bottom, but more cases than not its a window leak.

[Robin G]

Judy, Congrats on your new trailer. Sorry your finding an issue so soon. But wanted to pipe in and say, Ken is on target! Water leaks can travel. It's not necessarily where you find the water that is the source of the leak.

It could be coming up, but more than likely it's coming down (gravity)........ The place Ken suggested sounds great if reasonable. Let us know what you find out.

[Greg H]

Check where the gas line and where the trailer light wires come in, that could let water in at highway speeds.

[Per Walthinsen]

Judy:
This is an issue I have been in the process of learning about for the past 11 years, and I have a few conclusions.

Mark mentions something I have dealt with just recently. If you have Hehr sliders, open up the sliding part all the way. You will see a kind of track the window slides in at the bottom which has one or more cutouts in the bottom. This track can be pried up easily and cleaned on top and down underneath. If you remove a significant amount of gunk you can assume that the vent system is clogged up. I'd recommend some of the green plastic coated wire which in my case is marketed as "Garden Training Wire." Stick it into the vents and make sure the path is clear. You should be able to see it in the bottom of the track if you wiggle it around some, even with the perforated track in place.

If you have a slider window in front there is another issue I can offer an opinion about regarding what to do if you get leaks being forced in while on the road. Let me know.

[JudyL]

Thanks for all of your thoughts on this issue. My 10 year old son is on Spring Break this week so I am trying not to spend ALL of my time on the trailer. The moisture hasn't completely dampened (ha ha) my spirit about the trailer. The front window does not open. Its solid plexiglass. The wall covering (fur, as my husband calls it) might make it tough to really tell if the wall is wet. You sort of have to get behind it to feel the moisture. The flooring is also I believe original carpet. I am thinking of tearing it out and putting in vinyl. That would let me know if there is water on the floor also. What do folks do with water issues? Do you start taking down the wall covering? Too bad, it's starting to rain out again and is suppose to rain all week on and off. The "smell" is what is making me think this isn't a new issue. The trailer seems to be in really nice shape. The side windows work wonderfully and seem secure. The rear opening (slide) window has alot of gunk in it that will have to be cleaned out. Thanks for the advise on that. I am afraid it might take some time to chase this water issue down. Open to all thoughts. Thanks.

[Donna D.]

Check to see if there is a gap in the window gasket. Even a 1/8 gap is enough for the window to seep water. Especially if you're crusin' through a driving rain. Windshield caulk can be used to seal that gap. The black "seal" that runs around the entire bottom of the Scamp isn't a seal at all and it's strictly decorative as it covers the raw edges. You could take it completely off and leave the holes where the rivets are and it wouldn't cause a leak in the trailer. I also agree with Greg. Check the front lower areas of the body where the wiring and gas lines go through. Especially the electrical from the tug pigtail.

Let us know how it goes.

[JudyL]

All right, I still have some daylight here. Going to go take another look see underneath!

[JudyL]

Originally Posted by Mark Shaffer

I would start be checking the small drain weep holes in the front window frame. A lot of times they gunk up with leaves and debris and water runs inside. Even though the wall is not wet, it could have been water that came in while the railer was in tow through the storm. Gravity and time will show a dry wall where the floor may be still damp. It quite possably could have been coming up from the bottom, but more cases than not its a window leak.

Would the drain/weep hole issue be only if the window was one that opens?

[Donna D.]

Yes, only windows that open. There are no weep holes in the solid front plexiglass window. That's why I mentioned the gap in the gasket where it joins together.

[JudyL]

Originally Posted by Per Walthinsen

Judy:
This is an issue I have been in the process of learning about for the past 11 years, and I have a few conclusions.

Mark mentions something I have dealt with just recently. If you have Hehr sliders, open up the sliding part all the way. You will see a kind of track the window slides in at the bottom which has one or more cutouts in the bottom. This track can be pried up easily and cleaned on top and down underneath. If you remove a significant amount of gunk you can assume that the vent system is clogged up. I'd recommend some of the green plastic coated wire which in my case is marketed as "Garden Training Wire." Stick it into the vents and make sure the path is clear. You should be able to see it in the bottom of the track if you wiggle it around some, even with the perforated track in place.


on the road. Let me know.

Hi Per,

The front window does not open. I am thinking that this window may be the culprit non-the less. I will use your advise for the rear window as I think it is clogged up with gunk. The side windows are the Hehr and are in really nice shape. I will look and clean in case they are gunked up as well. Thank you!!

If you have a slider window in front there is another issue I can offer an opinion about regarding what to do if you get leaks being forced in while

[JudyL]

Originally Posted by Greg H

Check where the gas line and where the trailer light wires come in, that could let water in at highway speeds.

Hi Greg,

Checked those areas and they seem good. There isn't any caulk or anything on either entrance to the trailer but they seem tight. No rust or anything.

[Greg H]

Judy, just for the fun of it go ahead and seal those up when you get the chance, you never know.

[JudyL]

Will do tomorrow. I could look back at old posts but what is the best way to seal up those openings?

[Greg H]

Well you know that they hate silicone here, but that would work well or maybe you could get away with some type of caulk.

[JudyL]

Thanks much! Will try that tomorrow. Although, I imagine I won't know for sure for awhile.

[Flygal]

Judy IMO the window gasket would be my first place to look. I swear it may look like the 2 meet but have found that not to be the case with mine. In my trailer when I discovered it was leaking I found water pooled up on the upper ledge that the bunk attached to ( I assume were talking the front closest to the hitch) and rolled its way down behind the ensolite. Check the curtain rod rivets and also the rivets that hold the front guard on those loosen frequently.

Water also for me leaked in via the vent right behind the fridge. The rivets were old and weak. Water wicked in here via the belly band and kinda rolled on in real slow like up and over into the vent. Check and see if that might be the case, open the vent behind the fridge and see if its wet here, it could have sloshed on over to the front bunk compartments.

If that's not it I start a slow process of find the leak by placing duct tape over the suspected (or even unsuspecting rivets) and pour water over said rivet. I usually start from the bottom working up to the belly band.

If that fails what I have also done to find a leak is wait til its raining and walk out into my trailer and see if I can spot where its trickling down. It works best for me when the trailer is dark and I shine a flashlight near the edges. If you are referring to the back side of the trailer in those compartments well let me know I'm good at spotting those leaks as well.

I will say 1 rivet can make a whole lotta water and it might not even look loose. Water on plain fiberglass leaves a tiny trail like a slug trail its can be white or darkish. I would not tear into the ensolite if you didn't have to.

The Black seal around the bottom is just ornamental and to far down (at least on mine) water is more than likely not from this source unless there's some gaping hole hidden underneath. Good luck!



Just my 2 cents

[Flygal]

Photos might help us advise