Water leak

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I am having a water leakage problem during a rain storm.
The front corner under the A/C, next to the door, is getting soaked
from water coming into the trailer. I have not yet been able to determine where the water is coming from that gets the carpet under the A/C so wet.

I have the A/C removed and the air exhaust hole is covered with plastic. The 'pan' at the front of the A/C has been resealed.
I considered the door as a possible source of water leakage, and replaced the silicone around the top and sides of the door.
I have removed the decorative trim in the front that fits over the joint between the upper and lower halves of the body, from the trailer door to around at the bathroom window and re-sealed it with silicone.

It rained last evening, and this morning the floor near the door is a little damp, but the carpet in the corner under where the A/C fits is soaked.

Any ideas??????

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Hi Don!

Sorry to hear about your problems. Sounds like you've done a lot of troubleshooting.

Have faith! You'll find the source.

What year is your Casita?

For carpet to get "soaked" in a rainstorm, I would think it would have to flow in rather than seep into the rig.

Have you checked the caulk around the standing vent pipe that goes up through the roof? I assume the pipe still has a vent cap on it ... and that the pipe isn't cracked. It would be hard to see, but you could feel up and down the pipe for any obvious crack.

Another possibility ... although I would find it hard to believe it could soap the carpet, but I've heard of the screw (that pierces the fiberglass shell) holding the closet rod sheering off. But I would think a leak like that would have to seep all the way down the side of the trailer, and wet a lot of carpet before soaking the floor.

I assume the trailer is leaking only in a rainstorm. You don't have the water pump or city water hooked up, do you?

Can you have a wife, significant other, neighbor hose down the outside of the Casita while you watch inside the trailer, with a bright light?

Specifically where is the closet floor wet? Is it wet over by the bathroom enclosure ... or towards the middle ... or towards exterior wall? Are the walls wet anywhere?

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hi don:wave you could get the carpet dry(fan or dehumidifer) and then hose down slelected places on the outside and check very closely the carpet as it starts to get damp,this should help to pinpoint leak.:sad

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is there a window close by, maybe the drain hole is plugged. simple, but could happen. :)

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Our trailer is a 1997 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17 foot.

There's no window close to the "wet" area, but the door is right
there. I had resealed the entire door prior to this last rain
storm that soaked the carpet again.

I didn't have city water hooked up, the pump was turned off, and the fresh water tank level has not changed in over 24 hrs. I even
have checked the 'black' water tank and it's level hasn't changed
in about 2 weeks.

I'll try the waterhose idea as soon as I get the carpet dry again.

I have lots of faith in sealing the 'leak', once I find where it's located :E .
Thanks for the replys so far....more are welcome!!

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Don L.:

My leak was from the fridge vent.

Water would run down the side of the trailer, seep behind the louvered vent , soaked into the wall carpet and migrated down to the floor.

Removed and resealed the louvered vent and all is well.

Good luck....

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I found major flowing leaks from ... get this ... the running lights.
Yep those wires coming thru the hole and outside had NO seals.
I pulled all the lights and closed up the holes with pieces of Butyl rubber tape. No more leaks.
That tape is used for setting RV windows ( spring project??)and costs about 4 bucks for 50 feet or so. Comes in white or black.

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Well, got the wife to "hose" down the outside of the trailer while I was inside with the flash light and a paper towel to find the leak...
Hmm...well this is a good one....the water running off the side of the trailer keeps going around the bottom corner and runs along the bottom of the trailer...then splashes up through the A/C vent holes that are cut in the floor at the factory....Here's the sad part...
seems that the floor is wood, laminated between fiberglass to 'seal'
the floor.....then they (factory) cuts the air vent holes in the floor...
then doesn't seal the wood that is exposed....so guess what gets wet and rots....you got it...the encapsulated wood in the floor! :o
Pete, thanks for the heads up on the running lights...I'll go seal the other three...got the one there at the door in the A/C compartment.
I didn't even think about the other three....More Marine Silicone sealer!! :)

...guess I need to start a new thread now I have a floor repair to perform. West Marine has a great book on laminated fiberglass repair! It's only $3 and tells you exactly what to do. (Guess my experience with the boat will pay off with the Casita and vice versa!)
Thanks for all the help!!

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Don L:

This morning I was thinking about your leak problem
and wondered:

1. Is this a problem specific to your 17' unit only?

Or

2. A problem related to front mounted ACs in 17' only?

Or

3. A problem for both 16' and 17' Casitas with front
mounted ACs?

What do you think?

Frankly, I've read a lot of posts on Casita's ACs and
not seen this problem mentioned before. In any case,
I think you should call Casita about this leak problem
so they can be aware of what's happening in the
field.

Please keep us informed about your progress in
solving this leak problem.

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>>water running off the side of the trailer keeps going around the bottom corner and runs along the bottom of the trailer...then splashes up through the A/C vent holes that are cut in the floor

Don ... I'm not doubting your word ... but I've owned two front mount, bottom vented, a/c'ed 16 foot trailers and never had water defy gravity in the manner is which you describe.

I've run down rain-slicked roads, with road water spraying every which way, at 70 mph (112 km) without a problem ...

Are you storing/parking your trailer level?

You said your carpet was soaked. The floor is pretty thick ... if I understand you right, enough water is running along the bottom of your trailer (why doesn't it drip off?) ... and then up into the vent? Water almost always runs downhill, not uphill.

Is part of the carpet somehow sticking though the vent and acting as a wick ... to pull water in?

Keep us posted on what you find!

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When I first got my molded fiberglass mini mansion (I wasn't fully aware of all their attributes) I was talking to someone about travel trailers and leaks. They told me they'd had a variety of travel trailers over the decades and they all leak. That's just part of it and you just get use to it. What I didn't know then (I have gotten so smart:cool) that I have since learned, is this: When molded fiberglass trailers leaks, it is easy to fix. Either clean out your window drain, or recaulk the areas. There is only so many places it could come from. Sometimes they can be a little elusive :o (kind of like automotive electrical problems) but the good news is that when you do find it, it is easily repaired! I know because I purchased an '89 that had a couple of mystery leaks. Once found, it was SO simple to fix. The largest one, which I assumed was coming from the shower or toilet, was actually the caulking around the vent on top. Kept flooding under the side dinette. It was a virtual Niagra Falls. Took less than five minutes to fix it.

I'll bet when it's discovered, it'll be one of those silly old 'head whackers.'

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Suz, you ain't just a-woofin' about non-Egg trailers leaking. In addition to all the same vents and other openings as Eggs, the non-Eggs have a lot of seams where roof meets wall (and in the roofs themselves) that work loose over time and leak.

It's relatively simple to find and fix the leaks at penetrations of fiberglass compared to a side joint that might run the length of the trailer, intersecting with a cross-trailer roof seam....

Pete and Rats

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Have some friends who purchased a new stick built 5th wheel ... and then seasonal camped for three years, before trading it in on a new stick-built travel trailer.

Since my friends no longer had a pick-up, the RV place came to pick up the 5th wheel they traded ... Bubba didn't quite get the hitch hitched ... and the 5th wheel fell with a thud onto the truck bed when he started to pull away

The vibration caused the front wall to accordian, and part of it ripped open ... and they later found that a hidden leak had rotted out all of the wooden studs along the front of the trailer ... in three years.

That's the bad part ... the good part is that the dealership didn't care ... and honored the deal. "It happens all the time," they were told. "We figure any three year old trailer is going to have problems."

Well, guess what, there are 30 year old (and older) fiberglass wonders still running the road ...

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Don, I was just wondering how you made out with you water leak? Did you figure it out yet???:colors