leak getting valance wet

We recently purchased a used 2009 Trail Manor (the 2720) and have found that the valance and curtains are getting wet when it rains. I suspected that the the seal on top of the camper was leaking and therefore removed the old silicone and appllied new silocone. However, this did not stop the leak. Does anyone have the details of how the trailers are assembled. I need to understand how it is put together in order to locate the source of the leak. Any help would be appreciated.

Check the outside marker lights . Water will take some strange routes between where it gets in and where it shows inside. Also make sure you clean surfaces before you recaulk

I don't know about the newer ones but my 2001 3326 started leaking at the big window street side and nothing I tried worked (I took out the window and reseated it) so somewhere on here is the thread about the center seam that is covered with a strip of rubber running front to rear "ON THE ROOF" coming loose and the two sheets over lapping panels spreading apart.

I found mine with a scraper lifting the rubber trim up, mine was the whole section between the two vents. This allowed water to run all the way over and down the inside.

I dried it out and glued it back together with PL premium construction adhesive. I then redid the rest of the seam and trim for the rest of the roof.


Rumbleweed has a good point, that was how the water entering the rear of mine so now I always check those on walk around's.


Good Luck
Bob

I had the same problem - wet rear valance during strong storms. I recaulked the top and the marker and tail lights. Problem still occurs though not as much as it did before.

I've no idea how the TM is constructed - can't help there. But I have learned that leaks travel through curious passages. Almost impossible to predict where they start - only where they end!

Keith

[trailbiker]

We purchased a use 2720SL this summer. I notice a leak in the front right corner of our trailer during really heavy rain. It seems the the the water somehow getting in around the cap of the the awning and running down the seam inside the trailer where the side wall meet the roof. We noticed it because the curtain was getting wet. I caulked around the cap at the front of the awning and eliminated most of the leak. It seem the awning forms a channel along the roof and the water collects in the channel and run down along the roof. I was told that I might need to take out the mounting screws, coat them with gasket sealer a reinstall. This is the first trailer I have owned and i am new to this forum. I would like to know if others have experience this.

Even though my salesperson as well as TM have always said you can unroll the awning without supporting it before you extend the legs, I am not convinced that is a good idea. The awning and the supporting arms and rail have a significant weight and when fully extended you are creating a pretty good twisting force on the awning mount. I will agree that is is probably not sufficient to pull the awning off the TM, but I believe it can be significant enough to move caulked pieces so as to create potential leaks. If there are two of us, I always grab the end of the awning as soon as it rolls out about 1/3 of the way and support it until the legs are extended. If you are alone, You can extent the legs to the ground and walk it out as you extend the awning. Takes a few minutes more, but IMHO prevents leaks.

The top corner moulding that runs the length of the front shell on the awning side is a trouble spot. On ours we noticed that it was slightly bent in the middle which caused the caulking to break. There are two weeping holes to drain water out if it but a substantial leak will overwhelm these especially if plugged. A wad of silicon where the moulding meets the front descending corner cap is supposed to keep water out of this area but again a substantial leak will flood over this.

Our symptoms were water leaking down from the overhead cabinet near the front corner plus multiple leaks around the closest side window.

We removed the awning and cleaned up and re-caulked the screws. We then re-caulked the roof and made sure we filled the gap caused by the slightly bent moulding. We used 3m 4200 sealant which seems to be holding up well.

The awning does seem to put a lot of strain on this area because of the TM kludged mount. Too bad TM didn't spend a few bucks more to use proper hangers recommended by Fiamma.

Peter

[tgpmd1]

Originally Posted by trailbiker

We purchased a use 2720SL this summer. I notice a leak in the front right corner of our trailer during really heavy rain. It seems the the the water somehow getting in around the cap of the the awning and running down the seam inside the trailer where the side wall meet the roof. We noticed it because the curtain was getting wet. I caulked around the cap at the front of the awning and eliminated most of the leak. It seem the awning forms a channel along the roof and the water collects in the channel and run down along the roof. I was told that I might need to take out the mounting screws, coat them with gasket sealer a reinstall. This is the first trailer I have owned and i am new to this forum. I would like to know if others have experience this.

I too have had this problem. It showed up at the end of a three week trip out west at the end of July and I thought I had fixed the problem.

The leak is above the window just to the left of the front door looking from the inside (just under the awning). Took off and dried the wet curtains and deco cover. Removed old caulk above along the entire top and front seam and put everything thing back to together and just discovered today it leaks again.

I came up with a plan to make it work for this trip since we are getting ready to leave on a trip. Raised the front crank and jacks. Lowered the rear jacks. Now it's no longer level. This allowed the water that appears to be trapped in the awning area to drain. Removed the (now starting to mold slightly) curtains and am drying out the seams, screw holes and wall. It's been raining all day, but since I did this about 12 hours ago, have not had a leak since. I may need to investigate the outside awning attachment. I'm also considering storing at an unlevel position this winter since we don't have a garage.

I am new to this forum, so I am not sure if I am replying in the correct fashion. However, I wanted to say thanks to everyone that responded to the thread "leak getting valance wet". After some time "simulating" rain on the roof with a large water jug, I narrowed in on 2 of the outside marker lights. Rumbleweed was right on the money. I also began looking at more of the silicone seals on the camper. I have found many areas where the silicone is barely adhering to the camper. I recall reading another thread where it was mentioned that a formulation change in the Silicone resulted in this sort of problem for Trail Manor (many leaks). I am note sure when this occured, but I have found that the DuPont Choice Silver Series Window and Door Silicone is bonding very well to the surfaces (plastic, aluminum) on the trailer.

Thanks again to all who took time to help out.

Glad you found it. A good way to find caulk that is loose on seams is to use a blow dryer on cool. Hold dryer at 45 degree angle to one surface (roof) and perpendicular to the seam. Watch the caulk carefully, loose caulk will flutter when the air gets under it. Always remove caulk about an inch into good caulk before you recaulk.