Another new Elkmont report

Re: roof leaks, my brother has a standard travel trailer (02 26' Starcraft), and has also reported roof leaks. Like brulaz tried in the first post, his solution is to raise the front of the camper some when rainy conditions are forecast for better drainage, so we have started doing this as well. From what I've seen of other camper discussions on rv.net, dealing with roof leaks is to some extent just a 'camper thing', unfortunately.

This is just to address the specific issue reported from the brulaz' last camping night with water pooling on the roof.

Originally Posted by allenj

From what I've seen of other camper discussions on rv.net, dealing with roof leaks is to some extent just a 'camper thing', unfortunately.

This has been my impression too. The main leak we had only started for sure on the third rainy night after >2000km of travel over some pretty rough concrete and freezing weather.

On our initial inspection of the trailer, there was no sign of leakage or water stains, although the roof showed clear signs of rain having puddled and dried up. AFAIK the trailer was sitting outside, exposed to the weather, from Dec 2009 to when we picked it up in Mar 2010.

Nonetheless, there has to be a better way. In addition to re-caulking the roof, I'm looking into the Eternabond products, especially for the sides where the roof meets the walls. As the roof is slightly lifted down the centre line, water runs off until it reaches a slight ridge at the sides. I'm thinking a strip of Eternabond down the length of the trailer on both sides might fix a host of future problems?

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by allenj

Re: roof leaks

From what I've seen of other camper discussions on rv.net, dealing with roof leaks is to some extent just a 'camper thing', unfortunately.

I disagree.......I think that it is a "poor standard of construction in the RV industry" thing.

Our TM 2720 is is 12-years old and has "ZERO" roof leaks. It has been my experience that the "leak problem" tends to occur to original owners and they work through getting them resolved (in most cases).

I have always bought campers that are at least 2-years-old for this very reason. My brother bought a new camper and fought leaks for the 1st year and hasn't had a leak since (6 years). My daughter bought a 3-year-old camper (32') and has had no leaks for the 3 years they've had it.

I feel that TT manufacturers have come to "accept" a certain amount of roof leaks because most owners will fix it themselves rather than hassle taking it back. IMHO..... this is not right but it is what it is and "fighting it" isn't going to give an RV owner a better experience.

If you buy a new RV, you should know how to do as Bruaz has done in order to have a more positive ownership experience IMHO.......is it right...."HELL NO".....do you want to cause yourself a lot of misery by "teaching the manufacturer a lesson"......probably not. It's not going to "Teach" them anything. They already know the score.

If you are incapable of doing your own repairs (as many are) a new camper may not be the best way to go. Logic would tell you the opposite but reality is often somewhat different than logic.

Our friends with the Airstream told us basically the same thing as harveyrv, except their solution was to choose a dealer you can trust to put things right.

It is encouraging to hear that these issues, the roof leaks especially, can be fixed one way or another.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by brulaz

Our friends with the Airstream told us basically the same thing as harveyrv, except their solution was to choose a dealer you can trust to put things right.

It is encouraging to hear that these issues, the roof leaks especially, can be fixed one way or another.

The real dichotomy here is that most people that buy "New" do so to avoid "buying someone else's problems". The cold hard facts are that buying a well cared for 2-4 year old camper will often be more like "Buying someone else's solutions" to new construction problems....... sad.....but true.

Had a chance to go over the roof today in the warm weather. Pulled out about 30ft of original caulk that had separated from the plastic strips (but was still tight on the aluminum), and replaced it with GE Silicon II caulk. The stuff I had done earlier (heating with a hair dryer) still looks tight, so hopefully that's the end of our leaks for now.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by brulaz

Had a chance to go over the roof today in the warm weather. Pulled out about 30ft of original caulk that had separated from the plastic strips (but was still tight on the aluminum), and replaced it with GE Silicon II caulk. The stuff I had done earlier (heating with a hair dryer) still looks tight, so hopefully that's the end of our leaks for now.

It depends on what the "plastic strips" are made of. If they are polyethylene (and I hope they aren't) nothing will stick to them.

You may want to check with TM to find the manufacturer of the strips. Then find out what kind of "plastic" they use and find a sealer that will adhere to that plastic. Most sealers will adhere to the paint that they use on the aluminum panels.

It's sort of disappointing that TM obviously didn't take the time to do that........ very unprofessional IMO.

Last night, in bed, it occurred to me that while on the roof of the Elkmont I was crawling on my hands and knees over a 1" aluminum laminated foam panel

Is this something I should be doing?
It seemed solid.
Has Trailmanor ever said anything?

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by brulaz

Last night, in bed, it occurred to me that while on the roof of the Elkmont I was crawling on my hands and knees over a 1" aluminum laminated foam panel

Is this something I should be doing?
It seemed solid.
Has Trailmanor ever said anything?

Ya........you might want to get yourself a sheet of 3/8" plywood, cut it in half (or even 1/4s) so that you can move them around as you go. At the very least, get some knee pads..........it all depends on how much you weigh. If you look at your roof, you may see dimples from your knees.

No dimples so far. I'll use knee pads next time though.
My late night fantasy was more about crashing through the roof. Guess this laminate is pretty strong.

Another irritating issue with the Elkmont. I mentioned earlier that the water pump was noisy. Finally got around to reading the Shurflo installation and operating manual and it says: "The pumps ports/strainer *should not* be connected to plastic or rigid pipe. The pump's normal vibration may transmit through rigid plumbing causing noise, and possibly loosen or crack components."

Well guess what? While on the tank side of the pump Trailmanor used a nice, soft plastic tubing with braid reinforcement, on the other side the pump is attached directly to the hard plastic plumbing used throughout the rest of the water system. I bet that's where the noise is coming from. All they needed to do was put about a foot of the soft stuff between the pump and city water input tee. What were they thinking? I guess they just weren't.