Water Infiltration!

[Eric & Tam]

We have been loving Scamping since we brought our trailer home in July! But, here is a mystery we haven't solved and need help. Somehow rain water is getting inside the Scamp. I don't believe it came through the overhead vent because I specifically put containers underneath it to rule that out. We have runner rugs on the linoleum, and they are saturated in the middle of the floor, but not underneath the containers beneath the overhead vent. Hubby says it appears the heaviest saturation is on the frig side of the trailer, but previously it has been wet on the otherside as well.

One other note, I do know that the overhead vent has leaked, because I have seen it drip, hence the containers. But as I said, this time there wasn't a drop of water in the containers and they were wide enough to cover the floor there.

The ceiling is NOT wet or damp anywhere. The windows are sealed shut and none of the upholstry is damp, nor is the table. There isn't any water in the bathroom. There is no water in the fridge.

Q: Is it possible the water is somehow coming in through the airconditioner vent (it has the side AC) or the vent for the frig or furnace? How about the metal band around the middle of the Scamp? Maybe it is running along this and dripping into one of the vents and making its way into the trailer?

Is it condensation????? Seems too much water for that.

Stumped,
Eric & Tam

[Greg A]

Rivets leaking? Front and/or Rear Window at the crack in the seal? Refrig area drain tube missing? Vent running down between layers? Belly Band? Could be a lot of sources.
I'd probably have one of you put the hose on it while the other tracks down the leaks.
I went over mine completely in the redo and replaced all rivets with SS Screws/Nylon washers/SSnuts and then sealed everything with the 3M Marine stuff from Wally including the top of the belly band. We seem to be completely tight so far. In AZ we can't mess around, cause when the monsoon storms hit there is no forgiveness.

[Eric & Tam]

Rivets leaking? Front and/or Rear Window at the crack in the seal? Refrig area drain tube missing? Vent running down between layers? Belly Band? Could be a lot of sources.
I'd probably have one of you put the hose on it while the other tracks down the leaks.
I went over mine completely in the redo and replaced all rivets with SS Screws/Nylon washers/SSnuts and then sealed everything with the 3M Marine stuff from Wally including the top of the belly band. We seem to be completely tight so far. In AZ we can't mess around, cause when the monsoon storms hit there is no forgiveness.

I think we may have narrowed it down to the belly band where it meets the upper half of the outside vent cover for the frig. It may be pooling sufficiently there to run into the vent and then down the side and eventually onto the floor via the hole in the small cabinet bottom next to the bathroom wall. We'll take the vent cover off after it stops raining to see what we can see.

If indeed this is where the water is entering, any ideas on what we can do to stop the water?


Eric & Tam

[Per Walthinsen]

Water is sneaky. Sometimes the only way to find a leak is to cover up all the usual suspects with, say, heavy plastic taped on with something like aluminum HVAC tape until it does not leak any more. Then remove these things one by one until you find the leak. Could take years.

[John Perry]

I had a roof vent leak on my 90 13' Scamp. The rat fur was not wet anywhere. The water was running across the ceiling and down the wall between the fiberglass shell and the aluminum insulation and coming out on the floor.
The trailer was 14 years old, it was time to reseal everything which I did.
Good luk,
John

[Greg A]

Like I said in my post above, I didn't wait for the leak I just redid everything and sealed so I haven't had to chase a leak yet...

I do remember the main webmaster over on casita forum came up with a solution to water entering at the refrigerator vents. It was pretty cool and seemed easy. Not sure where it is located over there as it was a while back.

Can you take the 3M marine caulk and caulk the belly band sloping it away from the body so it runs off instead of pooling? That is how I caulked our band and we went through about three storms this last weekend and the water seemed to run off from those areas. Even if the band turns out not to be your leak it is something you probably want to get done anyway as they are notorious for troublesome leaks.

[Eric & Tam]

Like I said in my post above, I didn't wait for the leak I just redid everything and sealed so I haven't had to chase a leak yet...

I do remember the main webmaster over on casita forum came up with a solution to water entering at the refrigerator vents. It was pretty cool and seemed easy. Not sure where it is located over there as it was a while back.

Can you take the 3M marine caulk and caulk the belly band sloping it away from the body so it runs off instead of pooling? That is how I caulked our band and we went through about three storms this last weekend and the water seemed to run off from those areas. Even if the band turns out not to be your leak it is something you probably want to get done anyway as they are notorious for troublesome leaks.

Very good idea!

[Eric & Tam]

I had a roof vent leak on my 90 13' Scamp. The rat fur was not wet anywhere. The water was running across the ceiling and down the wall between the fiberglass shell and the aluminum insulation and coming out on the floor.
The trailer was 14 years old, it was time to reseal everything which I did.
Good luke,
John

How did you deduce that - especially if the rat fur wasn't wet?

[John Perry]

How did you deduce that - especially if the rat fur wasn't wet?

I did a visual inspection of the entire trailer and noticed that there was a small seperation on one corner of the the roof vent/hatch flashing and the roof. I put a dab of silicone, I know , on it as there were no other obvious leak potentials on the trailer.
I was very lucky as it was our short rainy season. I have had leaks in the past that drove me nuts.

Good luck,
John

[Steve Hilby]

Sometimes a hole can be pretty small and still cause grief. My old Dodge Omni had a leak in the back seat area that drov eme nuts. I finally found a tiny little uncaulked area at the aft end of the rain gutter (because it was in the gutter, every bit of rain that hit the left-hand half of the roof flowed over that hole), put in a tiny dab of silicone, and it stayed dry for 17 years.