1979 Bigfoot Small Leak

[WillyBigfoot]

Hey again. So I found my first leak in my new to me 1979 Bigfoot B16SM. I only purchased a few weeks ago and had some minor rain and kept checking for leaks and didn't see any. Today we had a thunderstorm with a huge heavy downpour for an hour or so. When it tapered off I immediately went to check and everything seemed fine then I noticed a super small leak in the roof near the rear, was a little behind the rear light fixture coming from a small tear in the roof. We're talking like maybe half an ounce of water total had dripped on the floor and Maybe that much more came out when I pushed up on the roof.

Anyway any insight into where to start looking ?? For some reason my initial suspect is the back left vent on roof for the washroom and tanks but that's just a guess. As far as I could tell there was no leakage in the washroom or closet but Was thinking maybe it ran down or something. My only other guess is possible pinhole in that spot??

I really have no idea!!! I am so new to this so any insight into what might be happening or if I got big problems ahead is appreciated. Thanks in advance!!

[RollinMike]

Get a hose out and have someone spray it down while you find the leak. Completely remove and rebed whatever is causing it with 3M 4200. Don't try to caulk it from the outside. If it is a vent you need to uninstall it to do it right. Buy, rent or borrow an oscillating tool for removal. Or you can be like the people who use Zep floor shine instead of wax on their $80,000 rv and use $1 household caulk on it without removing anything.

[WillyBigfoot]

Originally Posted by RollinMike

Get a hose out and have someone spray it down while you find the leak. Completely remove and rebed whatever is causing it with 3M 4200. Don't try to caulk it from the outside. If it is a vent you need to uninstall it to do it right. Buy, rent or borrow an oscillating tool for removal. Or you can be like the people who use Zep floor shine instead of wax on their $80,000 rv and use $1 household caulk on it without removing anything.

Thanks Mike! I will try that......

[WillyBigfoot]

Originally Posted by RollinMike

Get a hose out and have someone spray it down while you find the leak. Completely remove and rebed whatever is causing it with 3M 4200. Don't try to caulk it from the outside. If it is a vent you need to uninstall it to do it right. Buy, rent or borrow an oscillating tool for removal. Or you can be like the people who use Zep floor shine instead of wax on their $80,000 rv and use $1 household caulk on it without removing anything.

Okay i discovered a small pinhole. Aside from that I have some butyl tape and Dicor self levelling sealant which I plan to remove the roof vents and replace / reseal.

As far as the pinhole what’s the best way to fix it ? Should it be fixed from the outside or inside or both?

[WillyBigfoot]

As well is it possible to re gel coat everything to seal it and seal any other possible pinholes ?

[thrifty bill]

Personally I’d do a proper fiberglass repair. On the outside if it’s not too visible from the ground.

[WillyBigfoot]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

Personally I’d do a proper fiberglass repair. On the outside if it’s not too visible from the ground.

Thanks thrifty bill! My first inclination was on the outside as well. I've been reading lots about how to repair on the internet, there's lots of mixed info out there. If you have a good link to a good proper fibreglass repair free to share it!

Aside from proper fibreglass repair on pinholes, is it possible to complete those repairs and then do a reseal of the whole roof ? Like with that dicor roof sealant or something the like?

Basically I was thinking, and anyone please chime in with opinions, to seal whatever pinholes leaks I know of, get out camping to use the unit etc. Then as I discover any other issues and possible leaks etc fix them and then try and do a reseal or preventative maintenance type seal on the roof or whole camper later this year. Also is there ever an issue with leaks form the belly band where the shell meets? As well how to diagnose and seal that?

Thoughts and opinions?? Thanks in advance !!

[thrifty bill]

One thing I would NEVER do is coat the entire roof with Dicor. Sometime in the future you will be scraping it all off to do maintenance.

[WillyBigfoot]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

One thing I would NEVER do is coat the entire roof with Dicor. Sometime in the future you will be scraping it all off to do maintenance.

Ok thanks ! Ya for now I will hunt down any leaks and do small repairs

[WillyBigfoot]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

One thing I would NEVER do is coat the entire roof with Dicor. Sometime in the future you will be scraping it all off to do maintenance.

Thrifty on a side note is there a gel coating I should apply to my roof as general maintenance?? I guess in my previous post I meant seal small holes with dicor sealant and then coat with a product like "Dicor Fibreglass RV Roof Coating" as general maintenance.....