How to Fix an RV Roof Leak - Part 2

Well, our RV roof leak saga continues lol.  Upon further investigation, Chad found what he thinks is the main culprit for the roof leak in the front of the RV.  It was the bathroom vent pipe pictured here...

He took the lid off and noticed that the pipe fit loosely in the hole.  So, he sealed it up good with white silicone. 

Today we had a nice rainy wintry mix.  So, we had a good opportunity to see how the fix worked.  Well, there was no water in the cabinets.  So, that is an improvement.  But, there is still a drip on the right side above the area where we keep our shoes.  So, we are well on our way to getting the problem completely fixed.

Somerville, MA near Boston

(Photo of Boston from wikipedia)

This week we found ourselves in Somerville, MA near Boston.  We went up there to work on a volunteer construction project doing spray foam insulation.  We were sad to leave the RV this time.  We were not able to find a place to park it because the project was in the city.  

We did make a few preparations in order to leave the RV unattended.  Lots of rain was in the forecast, so we left towels around in key locations where the roof has been leaking.  We also left the gas valve open to the RV's internal propane tank in case our small grill tank ran out of propane.  We left the thermostat on 40 degrees so that the pipes would not freeze.  We also added salt to the holding tanks.

We did also take some time this trip to do a couple fun things while we were there.  Chad took me to see our first movie since we have been married.  :-)  We went to see The Penguins of Madagascar.  We liked it - it is cute.

Our friends who were with us also discovered a great burger place!  We love burgers, and we usually like to try out any new places we find.  This one is called Boston Burger Company.  They have lots & lots of different burger combinations.

The fries there are amazing.  We ordered the garlic parmesan fries.

We came home last night to wet towels from the roof still leaking.  :-(  There was no dripping in the table area, though.  So, our roof coating fix must have helped some.  However, the inside of the cabinets on the right side of the RV was still wet.  So, we still have issues in the front and rear of the RV.  Since our roof coating didn't completely get rid of the leaks, it must be coming from somewhere else, perhaps the awning.....more investigation is required.  We are so thankful that we bought the dehumidifier!  It's doing a great job of removing all the extra moisture now in here.

 

How to Fix an RV Roof Leak - Part 1

Things are going well with our RV life.  We didn't get any rain inside the last time it rained, but it wasn't as bad as the previous storm.  Everything has dried out now and we did some research to see what we can do to stop our roof from leaking.  Chad checked everything over on the roof and couldn't find anywhere it looks like it could be leaking. But, we had to do something - cheap & fast.

We decided to try  Premier Wet & Dry Plastic Roof Cement.  It looks like black tar.  And, Chad and his dad used it to coat all of the roof perimeter, seams, and around any penetrations.  It's not pretty, but it was fast.  Time will tell if it actually works....

Coating around the perimeter

 
It's supposed to be another rainy week this week, so we will see how it all holds up.  We bought two cans which was just the right amount for our 30 ft. RV.  This product could also be used in our cold temperatures, so it was a good choice for us.  It's 28 degrees here right now.  In the Spring we will coat the entire roof with Premier Fibered Aluminum Coating which will insulate it and create a better seal.  That will hopefully be Part 2 of the roof leak fix.   You're supposed to wait a minumum of 30 days before you apply the aluminum coating.

Chad with his "gear" on to head up on the roof

Before he started coating the roof, Chad cut off the old TV antenna.  We don't even have a TV.  And, if we did decide to get one later, the antenna wouldn't be useful because they don't transmit signals like that anymore.

Cutting off the antenna

 

Apply with rubber gloves or a trowel

Henry Company GRCE Premier Wet or Dry Plastic 1 gallon Roof Cement

Dehumidifier

Back in September, we bought a mini dehumidifier.  But, we had to return it because it didn't really work well enough.  Since then, we have just been waiting to see if we really needed one or not.  But, when we got all the rain this week, it really started smelling musty in here.  So, we decided to go ahead and buy one.  I did a lot of research and all of the mini ones use Peltier Technology.  Chad is convinced it just doesn't work that well.  Plus, the reviews aren't that great either.  So, the smallest one we found of the conventional ones was a 30 pint model.  We found a spot for it where it won't be in our way.  And, after two hours of running it, there was already an inch of water in the bottom.  After three more hours, there was another inch of water in the bottom.

We put the dehumidifier in our entryway

This dehumidifier has a control pad where you can set the humidity level.  When we started up the dehumidifier, there was 50% humidity in the air.   After, running it for about 5 hours, the humidity in the air was down to 40%.  When we started, there was condensation on most of the windows, and water was literally dripping down the windshield in the front of the RV.  The next morning that condensation had stopped dripping.  And, the dehumidifier was half full.  When we returned home in the evening, it was half full again.  And, there was minimal condensation on the windshield.  We also opened up all the cabinets that had gotten wet inside from the roof leaking so they can air out and the dehumidifier can draw any remaining moisture out.  Just want to make sure we don't get any mold growing in here.

Comfort-Aire BHD-301-H Dehumidifier

Temporary roof leak "fix"

Birds in the trees while it's snowing

To continue from yesterday's post, upon investigation, all of the cabinets in the front area of the RV were wet in some way.  So, there's a lot of water coming in from somewhere. 
There's really nothing we could do about it today to permanently fix it.  So, we put a tarp over the roof as a temporary fix.  It is snowing now.  We do love the snow - so pretty.

More leaks

Today we had very heavy rain.  So, when we got home to the RV we checked out the leak over the bed.  It is still leaking just like before.  Chad can't find any indication on the roof of where the water is coming in either.

We also confirmed that there is a definite leak in the back of the RV, along the window ledge.  We thought perhaps it was condensation during the last rain.  But, it's just way too much water for that.  It is dripping down from the window.  We will check into it.  We have towels down for that now too.

Towels along the ledge in our bedroom

 We also found another roof leak above one of the cabinets, very close to the first roof leak we found.  However, this is dripping down in front of the cabinet, not inside it.  So, it is a different leak.

Water Dripping

Leak is above this cabinet

Water drips down on the seat cushion in the dining area

We also found water inside another cabinet.  I can't even tell where that water leaked from, but it's probably connected to the leak over the driver's area because it is a cabinet right next to that area.  We will have to go through and check all the cabinets.

So, at this point you may be wondering how we are doing with all of these inconveniences.  We love our RV life in spite of the little challenges.  We knew that everything would not be perfect buying an older RV.  But, it is definitely our home now - we feel "at home".  And, the benefits far outweigh the inconveniences.  Plus, all of this is an adventure for us.  We are having fun.

We are supposed to get more rain & snow tomorrow, so we will see how that goes...

Roof Leak is back

We got slammed with so much rain Friday evening and continued all day Saturday.  And, unfortunately, the roof leak is back above the driver's area.  This time it was worse than the last time, it was dripping in at least two distinct spots.  We used towels to absorb all the water.  So, today Chad used white silicone again to try to seal up the leak. Unfortunately, he couldn't find any indication on the RV roof of any area that could be leaking.  So, he put white silicone along the whole seam in that area of the roof.

In the picture you can see the water spots the leak created.  The blankets are there because we created a blanket fort with them to create a weather seal to keep the cold out that pours in off the windows in the front of the RV.  (More about that later.)

By the way, the first roof leak we found is definitely not leaking.  So, that's good news.

Snow melting revealed another roof leak in the RV

Yesterday, the weather warmed up and the snow on the RV's roof started melting.  Some of it broke off in big chunks and made some loud noises which startled me during the night.  By the way, the night before it snowed, there were animals, which we think were squirrels, running back and forth across the roof at around 4 a.m.  It sounded like they were trying to break in, but of course, they were not.  It was just weird.

Anyway, we noticed lots of dripping in the ceiling above where the driver sits.  You can see the spots from the water in this picture. 

Chad examined the roof in this area and found a tiny hole.  So, he put silicone on it.  Hopefully, it won't leak again, but we'll find out for sure the next time it snows lol. 

We still have snow on the ground, but not sure for how long.  Although....they are calling for possible snow showers tomorrow, so we will keep you all "posted" on that.  :-)

Roof leaks fixed....we hope

Today Chad went up on the roof & put Dap 08641 Clear Silicone Sealant 9.8-Ounce around a couple of spots on the roof where we think water is getting in.  (See previous post) We had a lot of rain this past Saturday & a lot of rain came in.  Hopefully, it's all fixed now.

Update - early this morning (10/7/14) we had rain. No rain came in through the cabinet. Success!

Our RV life is working out really well.

First roof leak found

Well, today we found our first roof leak.  Chad asked me if I'd found any leaks.  I hadn't seen any.  Then, a few minutes later, I was sitting at the computer & a drop of water hit my head.  Sure enough, there's a roof leak in the cabinet above me. 

Looks like someone has put silicone on this leak before, but it didn't fix the problem.

I'm not even certain where this wire runs to.  This side of the RV is the side that none of the lights work on (just in the front). We think a mouse probably chewed through the wires.