Roof/Window Leak - Help!

Hi All,

Hoping someone has some brilliant ideas - I'm about tapped out. Our TM has three windows which leak when it rains. Two just show drips on the walls under the windows, and not very much. The worst one, however is the one over the counter & stove. That one actually has water dripping from the top. When I removed the interior trim "ring" from the window, it appeared as though the water was wicking down through the foam wall core and would weep out of the curtain and window screw holes.

So I did five things:
1. Read all the old posts here on the subject.
2. Sealed around the outside of the window (just in case)
3. On the roof, sealed between all strip moldings and the roof surface (edges as well as center)
4. Removed the flexible trim strip from the edge moldings and sealed all unused screw holes as well as removed each screw and re-inserted with fresh sealer.
5. Verified that the exterior drain slots in the window frames are clear.

Then we had a couple of months with no rain. Last weekend rain was (finally) predicted, so I pulled the unit out of the garage & set up to test.

5.75" of rain later, the damn thing still leaked. (Although perhaps less than before?) Tonight I tried to replicate with garden hose, with no success.

I am stuck. I may just live with it as we can store it indoors and it's not a huge leak anyway. Still bugs me, though - I feel like I'm not doing my job.

Help?

Thanks,

Steve

I would be concerned about long term damage to the foam if it is getting wet.

Do you have a roof mounted air conditioner? What else, besides seems. could be leaking?

Steve,

Call the Trailmanor Factory and speak to Ed. He is VERY helpful and can probably offer you a solution. We have called him and he's been extremely helpful! Others here have reported the same experience. One thing true about TM is they do care about the customer after the sale has been completed.

Brigitte

In response, we have the side a/c unit, and there are no roof penetrations on the rear shell. Also, I did check with Ed some time ago & he suggested re-sealing the roof strips as I have done.

If I can't think of anything else, I will probably call him again. I think the window has probably been leaking for some time, as the prior owner had removed the damaged wall covering in that area. I don't know if it leaked from the time it was new or not. I have read postings here that indicate that some units have had defective sealing from day one.

Thanks for your suggestions... I would feel much better knowing I had solved the problem.

Steve

[Frenchy]

Have you tried sealing between the outside wall and the top trim? Not on the roof but the side wall. My 3023 leaked similar to what you describe. I called Jimmy (lately departed) at TM. He told me to do this and it fixed the leak. Seems the water wicks up between the wall and the top trim then runs down the inside wall. Lots of water was coming in. Fixed mine about five years ago and have not had aproblem since.

Hi Frenchy,

I understand what you're saying - it seems surprising to me, but may be worth a try. As I was staring at things last night, I did look at that seam/gap on the "underside of the side", but thought "no way, water doesn't go uphill..."

Maybe I need to re-think that one. Thanks for putting that idea back on the table.

Steve

[Frenchy]

Water does go uphill when the space is the right width. Try what I said. It worked for me.

We had a similar leak in a motor home we had before the TM. These windows are not secured to the shell, rather they provide a squeeze to the shell walls through the trim ring (inside) screwing to the windows frame (outside).

We had to completely remove the window (remove the trim ring from the inside and then patiently remove the window from the outside). Remove the sealer, which is basically like plumber's putty, from the frame and the TM shell. You need to purchase a roll of this new sealant (most camper parts stores sell it, like camping world). Carefully roll it on in a semi-small bead. insert the window back and install the trim ring from the inside and put in some screws. One important note when tightening the screws: tighten each just a little bit as you go around the window (again and again). If you try to tighten them all at once, you can strip the threads in the soft aluminum frame. The sealant will ooze out the outside - use a plastic picnic utensil to carefully remove the excess.

Not that this will fix it, but it might...

[Harry Womack]

Is the roof leak in the rear roof shell? My leak was in the large foam seal on the front of the rear shell. It leaked down under the edge trim and dripped on the vinyl cover behind the refrig. I lowered the rear shell and got inside and found voids in the sealant along the front of the shell. After cleaning and sealing I had no more leaks.

[RickNewcomb]

Just a note that the roof edge trim is quite a bit different on 1999 model compared to 2005.