Water leak into rear cross member over ramp door

Started by keeena, April 01, 2018, 03:23:02 AM

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keeena

Opening up the trailer after winter hibernation and I was greeted to a very tiny bit of water hanging from 2 spots on the rear cross member (the aluminum 2"x? tube over the rear ramp door opening). I noticed it was coming out some small holes about 3" up on the tube (meaning: not coming from behind/above the ceiling panel)...realized that the tube was probably full of water. Drilled 2 drain holes on the bottom of the cross member and at least a gallon of water came out. Haha.

Took a quick look at the roof. The factory seam seal generally looks fine, but will seal a couple spots and loading lights / license plate light / etc...as they look a bit poorly done Just curious if any of you have heard of this type of issue and had a specific item to look at.

Water could have been collecting since 2 winters ago for all I know (bought in April 2016, so this is my second winter). I did have it parked a bit nose-high this year.



pjcd

I had a leak in my roof a while back, I couldn't really see where it was coming from. It ended up being a small pin hole in the caulking where the roof met the front cap, hardly noticeable. Doesn't take much to let water find its way into a trailer. I used some EternaBond tape for repairs, its been on for two years now with no signs of it coming off.

Merlin

Quote from: keeena on April 01, 2018, 03:23:02 AM
Opening up the trailer after winter hibernation and I was greeted to a very tiny bit of water hanging from 2 spots on the rear cross member (the aluminum 2"x? tube over the rear ramp door opening). I noticed it was coming out some small holes about 3" up on the tube (meaning: not coming from behind/above the ceiling panel)...realized that the tube was probably full of water. Drilled 2 drain holes on the bottom of the cross member and at least a gallon of water came out. Haha.

Took a quick look at the roof. The factory seam seal generally looks fine, but will seal a couple spots and loading lights / license plate light / etc...as they look a bit poorly done Just curious if any of you have heard of this type of issue and had a specific item to look at.

Water could have been collecting since 2 winters ago for all I know (bought in April 2016, so this is my second winter). I did have it parked a bit nose-high this year.

Yes, for sure others have had leaks around exterior light fixtures. LL apparently used silicone to seal those during installation and that doesn't hold up well for the metal/plastic joints that are subjected to so much temp/movement stress. If the roof is ok, I'll bet you'll find one or more light fixtures leaking.
Michigan

keeena

Thanks guys. What would you guys recommend for sealing the lights? I have EternaBond 6" roof tape and Dicor self-leveling sealant, but not sure what I'd use for the lights.

@Merlin - I noticed that about the lights. The sealant was very easy to peel off and seems to be put on pretty poorly.

At least the trailer won't rot! :)

Merlin

Quote from: keeena on April 01, 2018, 08:04:21 PM
Thanks guys. What would you guys recommend for sealing the lights? I have EternaBond 6" roof tape and Dicor self-leveling sealant, but not sure what I'd use for the lights.

@Merlin - I noticed that about the lights. The sealant was very easy to peel off and seems to be put on pretty poorly.

At least the trailer won't rot! :)

I've trusted DavidM's recommendations on caulk for things like this. His post quote is below. Because you may need to remove the fixtures someday, I'd use 3M 4200. (Don't use EternaBond tape or self-leveling sealant for this: you'll have a mess.)

From DavidM:
"I am a boater and 3M 5200 is the gold standard of adhesive caulking. It is both a very good adhesive and a good filler caulk. It is so good that it is often difficult to pull off a cleat or something that has been installed with 5200 without tearing up the underlying fiberglas. But it is expensive and it won't fill a wide gap easily. If you want something for filling narrow cracks then 3M makes 4200 which has milder adhesive properties. The rule of thumb is: If you never want to take it off, use 5200. If you may want to remove it someday, use 4200."
Michigan