How to find a leak

[Tim in AR]

Hello everyone, we are new owners of a 2005 Casita Freedom Deluxe and within a few days we had a major rain and our first leak. The carpet is wet starting one foot inside the door and goes across the floor outside the bathroom wall to the opposite side and is about 2 feet wide. So the wet spot is not right at the door, nor under a vent or fan. No wet carpet on the ceiling or walls so I'm trying to figure out how to start on this. It is still raining here so I vacuum the carpet periodically and will open windows and turn on the ceiling fan in addition to a fan on the floor once the rain stops. But where to start on finding the leak? Any help much appreciated.

[thrifty bill]

Refrigerator vents? Its a weakness in the Casita design. Google will get you several discussions on that topic. Basically, Casita puts a vent on the side of their curved trailer that is meant to mount on a flat (vertical) surface. They would be smart to change their molds and make the side walls flat in this area. Some people store their trailers with the driver side higher than the passenger side to reduce this problem. There are many other fixes out there.

I have had water blow in hood vent, but it ended up on counter and top drawer first.

Even though its probably rain water, double check plumbing under the sink. I've had water lines leak under the sink. As a minimum, make sure carpet under sink cabinet is bone dry.

I'd get a dehumidifier in the trailer now too.


http://www.casitaclub.com/forums/topic/8244-leak/

[RB Arthur]

Check the opening nearest to the wet spot. Place a level on the floor near the wet spot then follow uphill till the wet stops keep looking up till you hit the dryspot. Check the window drain holes possibly plugged. Any excessive caulking noted on the roof vents or exterior? Check window trim screws any loose, have a helper spray the garden hose on the exterior and watch and feel. Most likely a window leaking and traveling down the interior of the trailer a bright flashlight is also recommended.

[Tim in AR]

Thanks for those tips. We will do all those things when the rain and flooding stop.

[TomandCallie]

Hi Tim, one note on water testing if the previously mentioned solutions don't pan out: it's usually a two person job. Start low, flowing a hose on the outside of the trailer on the suspect areas. Work up very gradually with the hose only after the inside person has verified nothing is dripping. Eventually the leak should reveal itself. This is also how you find a roof leak on a house.

[WendyW]

Be aware that condensation happens when it's raining, and the carpeting on the walls prevents water from condensing there. My floor has gotten wet just from that, especially while traveling in the northwest. If you have a fantastic fan hood that allows you to open the hatch, running the fan would help the air circulate.

Wendy

[gordon2]

Roof leaks are the most likely location when you have a leak, and the worst because water can travel to any lower point depending on the tilt of the trailer and other factors. After dealing with leaks in a NEW Scamp I have concluded that because of this, there are two methods of finding and fixing a leak when the source is not obvious:

1. Trial and error. Seal up or repair the likely and easiest stuff first, maybe 1-5 items at a time, and wait to see it the leak persists. Repeat as necessary, moving on to the harder to fix and less likely sources.
2 Over-pressurization test. Either DIY, or take your camper to a place to have it done.

It is my inexperienced opinion that running a water hose on the camper (usually in smaller areas in an attempt to isolate the source) is not usually very productive. I tried it once and got nowhere. YMMV.

[almacd1814]

Call your nearest rental store and c if they have a smoke machine for finding leaks. It produces non toxic, odourless, non staining smoke. Put it inside the trlr. Turn it on and it will fill the interior with low pressure visible smoke. Stand outside and look for escape routes, when u see it, fix it....good luck!

[Tim in AR]

Well the rain stopped and we got the floor dry and the hunt began in earnest and I used all your tips to find it. Turns out it was from a TV antennae the PO had installed. Some water was coming down the rod the antennae rotated on and the rest from the poorly sealed cable where it penetrated the roof. What a relief to have this solved. Thanks to all of you.