I was pretty convinced that my moldy books had gotten wet when I’d opened the windows during a rainstorm. (A bad habit, but something I very often would do.)
I checked the roof seams afterwards, but thought they looked good.
Well, last night it rained hard. And at 2:45 am, prompted by some half-dreamy thought, Oh, I should make sure that it is dry by the window, I was jolted wide awake by the shock of an icy cold puddle.
So, here is this morning’s inspection:
I have it duct taped right now. I bought some roof sealant and will re-seal that seam. What else do I need to do? (If you want to see where the water was from the interior, you can see it here.)
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So, today’s quick update:
My roof is leaking.
My chassis battery is draining (or dying).
My generator is barely starting (and throwing a diagnostic trouble code).
My knee is hurting.
It won’t stop raining.
And I am having the time of my f*cking life.
Seriously, I don’t think I could be happier.
22 Comments
Pick up DICOR sealant. Make sure the old loose sealant is removed form around the area. Use 409 to clean the area and liberally apply the DICOR sealant when the area is dry. Also check the rest of the roof for additional problem spots. Good luck
hello there, great sluething!
though i know a clean, dry, residue free surface is always key with any professional calking job, i do not have personal experience in working with rv roofs… i have read many a praise on this product however: http://www.eternabond.com/EternaCaulk-p/eternacaulk.htm
p.s. do you also have more scenic pics/vids of yellostone you’d like to post for those of us living vicariously
Can’t tell from image where leak is, but if it is a straight edge where roof meets wall, use Eternabond tape. Clean area first. Once that stuff is on there, it’s on there for good. Here’s the link:
http://www.eternabond.com/
You can check RV.net for reviews. Also, Tioga George uses it.
I’ve used it, and it’s terrific; never needs reapplication.
Good luck,
Richard
Ok for all sealing problems get Eternabond Tape. Get the 4″ by 50 foot roll. Ship it to Hubby and have him get it to you. Check on Rv.net and you will find it. I think a vendor is something like “Bigrock Supply”. I’ll do a search and get back to you.
Leaks are a real problem to all units and MUST be stopped, period. If you continue to have leaks, you will need to take it to an expert for repairs otherwise your RV will rot out from under you.
Yep, go to bigrocksupply.com 4″x50′roll will run $52 plus shipping.
It is the only solution, period, get it!
James
One other comment, Always, always post problems on Rv.net the real experts there will help you. Post this problem there and you will get the experts answer. Post a photo and description.
The construction of the exterior of your coach is different from my View but it appears you’ve located the likely suspect. My only leak so far was at the mounts of the side awning. Water came in, traveled down the inside of the wall and got the carpet wet by the door. Naturally, I thought it was the door seal for a long time. So you may want to check the caulk at those rubber seals of the awning mounts for the future. As for the chassis battery and other electrical issues, that’s my weak point. I’ll leave that to the electrical wizards out there. I did install a single solar panel which keeps both batteries topped off. Also, I replaced the ceiling lights for florescent. Much less draw of voltage, plus I use only one light at a time. I never use the TV. I am frugal on my electrical usage. My laptop is the biggest suck of battery power.
No one has asked what kind of roof you have. It looks like aluminum, but a video is not the best way to tell.
Get the type of caulking recommended by the manufacturer. Look in your owner’s book or on line. Not every caulk works best with every type of roof.
The good news is that when you get the right caulk, the job looks simple. Use a putty knife, screwdriver, or chisel to clean out most of the old caulk along the crack, apply the new, and that’s it. Wait till it stops raining. Overlap the obvious. In fact, I’d overlap that whole long seam, and the one on the other side as well.
Until then, isn’t duct tape great?
The generator problem may require expert help. Or it may just be a bad battery, which you can check yourself. You brought your hydrometer, right? Start with the simple solution.
Meanwhile, you have the right hands-on attitude. There’s something to be said for a world where you have only problems that can be fixed.
Bob
Great attitude Jennifer…..seems odd your chassis battery would be dying…..is your alternator functioning properly? Is it isolated from the house battery properly? This and the other issues are relatively simple problems to solve….isn’t that great?
Ain’t it great that you can say it is “throwing a code” today. A Few month’s ago how would you have described it?
You know how to deal with the battery, you don’t need help.
Continued Good Luck!
I reread the post, and I have a question. Is your chassis battery isolated from your alternator all the time? All the driving you have been doing should have recharged it, unless you have the battery switch in the wrong position. If the switching is electronic instead of manual, you may have a bad controller.
Hard to tell without knowing more. If the generator is “barely starting” that may be just a matter of the chassis battery being low, not a problem with the generator.
Have you been plugged into a shore line? If that doesn’t charge up the chassis battery, then something is wrong with your converter/charger. Once when that happened to me, it was simply a matter of the converter having gotten unplugged when the shore line dragged across it, back in the cabinet where it stored. The converter was simply plugged into a standard AC outlet on the floor. It doesn’t matter if your rig is plugged in if the converter is not.
Bob
Re: chassis battery, I’ve never had a problem until camping in Yellowstone, where we don’t have electrical hook ups.
So, I am running on the house battery overnight with low heat (and holding tank heaters) on.
The last few mornings, when heading out for the day, it felt like it wasn’t going to turn over. So it is only after sitting overnight, using a lot of the house battery power. The house batteries are down to 11.7 in the morning, but are fully charged after one hour of generator power.
J., let’s be sure we are using terms in the same way. The chassis battery and the “house” battery are the same thing. The battery that starts the engine is the engine battery.
If I understand you correctly, you are having trouble with your engine battery? Or does “it” in your comment refer to the generator?
If the engine, then you need to check your charging system to see if your generator is also charging your engine battery. Or maybe the switch is on “both” and you are running down both overnight with your heater. Some units have a manual switch where this would be possible. If electronic, you need to drag out your manual and see how it is hooked up. This problem may be just the wrong setting.
It is not unusual for the house batteries to be low every morning if you are using any sort of heat. The fan on your forced air furnace is probably driven by a 5 amp motor. 5 amps x 24 hours is 120 amp-hours, if it runs constantly. If you are also using lights, TV, radio, etc., you can easily use up half the capacity of one battery every day. Then there are the “holding tank heaters”. What are those? Any sort of inductive heat strips will just eat up your batteries. (If the tanks are heated by the forced air furnace, then this does not apply.)
It could easily be that you need to use your generator twice a day if you are using heat strips powered by a battery. Depends on how many batteries you have, and how large they are.
Anything that has to do with “heat” is a battery killer. O, and lay off the hair dryer.
Bob
You know the difference between the house battery and the chassis battery even if some don’t.
You can pull down one battery overnight without even trying. If you are using the furnace overnight it will easily drain a battery. Additionally, there is a lot of miscellaneous drains on it.
Watch your power usage, make sure they are fully charged, and you’ll be fine.
Make sure to keep the house and chassis batteries separate (switched to house) so the chassis (starting) battery dosen’t get too low and you can’t get started.
James, I was just trying to isolate the problem.
In fact, these terms are used in confusing and contradictory ways on different sites. Some refer to the “engine” and “chassis” batteries in the same way we refer to the engine (motor) and chassis (coach) of a car. Some refer to the “chassis” (engine) and “coach” (house)batteries. Especially when the running gear comes from a different manufacturer than the coach. You seem to be more comfortable with that.
Using different terms sows confusion. I was just trying to find out exactly what the problem was. It doesn’t matter what school you adhere to, as long as both parties are on the same page, and thus have a clear picture.
I prefer the terms “engine” and “house”. Nobody can confuse those.
Bob
I understand that Eternabond is THE THING for RV leaks, go to http://www.Eternabond.com
Jennifer, most advice here on the caulking seems good for your situation. Just make sure you scrape off the old caulk (you don’t have to get every last fragment out, just as much of the weathered caulk as possible), then reapply going at least a foot past the leak in both directions. If you’ve got the time and think you can do it, just do as much of the entire seam as possible… it’ll probably leak in the future somewhere else if you don’t.
if you’re using heat, that’s the biggest source of battery drain. I never run our heat on batteries for more than an hour, and I have six of them!
Check the weather regularly, if its not going to get down to 30 at night, don’t bother heating the tanks. Also, turn off your hot water heater until you need it… if you have a 12 volt hot water heater, its going to be a huge draw. if you’re still draining without running heat, put a good ohmmeter on the battery that’s draining (use aligator clips to keep it attached) then pull all your 20 amp fuses. Put them back one at a time and measure the voltage drop caused by each. The one that’s pulling the most juice is probably your culprit. Figure out what its powering and go test stuff. If you need a second pair of eyes, email, I’m not that far away right now. I might even have to go back to West Yellowstone to pick up a late package….grrr!
By the way… when you’re just trying to fix the leak, any outdoor weatherproof caulk will do. Using the eternabond stuff might be great, but I’d rather have the caulk done in one day with mediocre stuff than go through another week of rain waiting for shipping. I use plain ole weatherproof silicon or indoor/outdoor adhesive caulk for most of our stuff and I’ve never had to redo any of it yet. Just make sure whatever you get is specified for outdoor use and is waterproof. If you can find one that’s mold and mildew resistant as well, even better! You should be able to find a hardware store in West Yellowstone or Cody.
Also, I think the campground at Fishers Bridge, on the east side of the park has electricity now.
Hi Jennifer, This is from the View-Navion site: “My dealer, Lichtsinn Motors, sold me a couple of tubes of Nuflex 311 self leveling joint sealant. This is what they use for all roof repairs. It appears to be identical to the factory sealant.” Lots of comments on what to use so I leave it to you. If I can help you with any buying/shipping just let me know. So glad you enjoyed RMNP – my favorite. Stay safe – stay dry!
Jennifer,
Here is a link to you tube on how to repair a leaking rubber roof with Eternalbond tape. I used it on my fifth-wheel and it worked great. Just clean your roof and it will go on over the old claulk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYwxEX3SBK4
That eternabond stuff seems to be popular. I’ve never used it, but evidently you can use it on all sorts of roofs. What won’t work is ordinary silicone caulk on a rubber roof. The silicone eats up the EPDM. That’s why I suggested she consult her manual.
But on fiberglass and aluminum silicone works fine. It is sort of a mess to put on if you are not skilled with a caulk gun, though. The eternabond tape seems to go on easiest of all.
Bob
THE WATER lEVEL IN MY HOUSE BATTERIES WAS LOW IT CAUSED THE SAME PROBLEM THISE BATTERIES ALSO START THE GENERATOR