Some RVers love holing up in their RV during a bad storm. There’s something very comforting about being inside, nice and warm — maybe sipping a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate — looking out the window and feeling so happy to be out of the hostile elements.
Alas, for some RVers, there comes a time when a little pinhole in the roof allows water to creep into the RV, producing a drip, drip, drip into their living space. It can be a helpless feeling, and put a damper on their sense of comfort.
How about you? Have you ever experienced a leak that invaded your space?
If so, please leave a comment about your experience (or experiences).
Fortunately it was the skylight over the shower. Just had to let the roof dry and climb up with some caulking.
We had the same problem. Coachman Class C. 2015. This happened right after we brought it, #Warranty repair. Other than tires, no other problem.
A sudden storm on Assateague Island blew the canvas off one end of my Kodiak hybrid, drenching the inside of the camper and forcing us to flee to the safety of my truck. The camper is now in the shop for repairs.
Just recently I had a nefarious drip appear above my dashboard. I still haven’t tracked down the offending leak. I suspect it might be the clearance light. I’ll have to remove it and reseal the gasket.
That is what happened to my motorhome. Headliner filled with water after first coming through the TV antenna in the ceiling. Had to make a small slit and drain into a bucket.
That’s where my leak was coming from. I called an RV company to see if they could locate the leak but the tech said that 90% of those leaks are from the clearance lights. So I got up on the roof and one by one removed the lenses to find water inside and no sealant in the hole for the electric wires into the roof. I sealed everything with sealant, the screw holes holding down the base, the hole where the wires went through the roof and even where the lens snapped into the base. No more leaks even after many severe rainstorms here in Florida. Interestingly I still see moisture inside the caps and will eventually have to replace because of rust.
That is where our leak came from. Light on drivers side not properly sealed. Took 6 months, 2 dealers , finally taken care of by independent RV repair service.
Had a small leak around the windshield area in a 99 Fleetwood Discovery, some years ago. It was easily repaired with a little caulking.
Our 46yo GMC is usually quite dry inside, but once we were parked in a lot at the end of the Presque Isle pennisula in Erie waiting for the tall ships to come in. There was a cloud burst of biblical proportions. There were drips from the A/C mount and I could hear dripping from the reefer vent too. When I stepped out side after the worst had passed, I found I was standing in rim-deep water.
Driving I-80 across Nebraska, nasty cross-wind driven storm. Blew rain INTO the tiny window rain-vents at the bottom of the window tracks. Had towels wedged as best we could. Thought we were going to loose the windows… Finally got to a small town, pulled off freeway, parked the RV facing into the wind at a parking lot. Mr. Toads wild ride indeed!
After purchasing a new Forest River FR3 there was a leak over my side of the bed during heavy rains. There was a recall on the roof sealing, the dealer fixed it fairly expeditiously and we have had no problems since.
When we had our Wineguard Traveler antenna installed, the installer didn’t do a very good job of insuring all roof penetrations were sealed correctly. Since there was no leaks prior to the installation, it was a simple deduction on where the water was coming into the coach. A tube of Dicor self leveling sealant fixed the problem.
During a heavy rain storm, rain water came into our custom ordered Class A DP. The rain entered through a light fixture in the center of our living room slide ceiling. We took our rig back to the factory for warranty work. During that time for other various warranty repairs at the factory, at the companies expense, we were put up at a motel for 3 days so that the living area slide could be taken out of the motor home, completely rebuilt on a jig and then reinstalled with all new components including but not limited to cabinets, rugs, ceiling molding, electrical and seals. The problem was that the outside roof of the slide had been installed up side down (concave). It was supposed to be installed convex style where it is very slightly higher in the center to shed water better. That was back 4 years ago and we have not had rain water problems since.
Yes . I had a 1985 Coachman C with an aluminum sheet roof. Full of pinholes.ended up with a rubber roof. And my fiver had water coming in thru the wieguard antenna. Found out you have to lubricated seals once in a while.
Inferior roofing procedures by incompetent RV manufacturers looking at profits over quality…
Twice in two years, we have experienced a roof leak. Both times due to the crappy design by RV Manufacturers. Leaks stem from the 4 bolts that work lose while traveling that hold the A/C unit down. They use bolts that are too small and are screwed directly into the thin plywood decking. There are no pronged tee-nuts. There is simply a 1″ piece of hard foam between the A/C and roof materials that you could buy from your local Home Depot or Lowes. NO sealants. It does NOT provide sufficient protection from leaking. Adding roof curbs and splash guards is the correct answer along with heat sealing the roof materials will prevent water intrusion.
Next are the seals…Another leaker…
I bet there are many that have experienced this same problem. Some may not know where the leak is coming from though. This is a common problem area.
Roof antennas and satellites are also common problem areas.
A lot of times people won’t find this one fast enough and a lot of damage comes with this one…Front and rear caps. You usually won’t see that one until it is too late.
Roof ladders are another one.
Climb on the roof every quarter to check for caulking. If you don’t you will end up with the same repairs we are going thru now….$15,000 worth to be exact…
We had a couple minor leaks in our Winnebago Class A. One the small solar collector lead allowed a drip into a cabinet over the entry door. Currently, I have one irritating drip over the driver side of the dash from a displaced windshield gasket. No damage except to my custom made cotton white – vinyl lined drape liner which is now yellow streaked! Darn!
After enough rain accumulates, it finds it’s way into the kitchen/dining area through the non-ducted air conditioner unit. We have a 2001 Lazy Daze Midbath Class C. Can’t seem to find the exact leak location. Frustrating!
Before I put vent covers on I left them open during a couple of storms! That is the only time.
Years ago we had a popular brand pop-up tent camper.
The roof was a two piece aluminum sandwich.
The problem was it was manufactured with a roll of butyl caulk tape installed under an inverted ‘U’ shaped channel to seal the roof joint.
The dealer felt the ‘leak’ was at the seal where the roof met the body when the top was down.
While camping in a heavy rain storm water started running from the middle of the roof.
Removing the channel, cleaning off the butyl caulk tape, filling the channel with DICOR self leveling caulk, and quickly inverting the channel and screwed it into position.
In over 10 years of additional usage, it never leaked again.
Just leaked once in the bedroom behind the slidout trim. Very heavy rain and high wind. The wind was blowing the water that was coming off the slidout cover back onto the slidout. When I checked the next day you could see where the rubber seal didn’t lay flat. We have not experienced another leak
We have had a small leak develop around or thru the un-ducted AC in our 2005 Airstream Safari. It only seems to happen in torrential rain and then only intermittently. We’ve owned this trailer since new and have put 150,000 or more miles on her. Not surprising she’s developed a leak or two. I know I have.
I had a 1974 terry travel pack the previous owner who obviously had no business being up on the roof in the first place snapped the support beam right next to the antenna which they thought was a good idea to cut off the trailer but left the base then they proceeded to put roofing shingles on the roof with 2×4 around the outside of the shingles creating a spot for water to pool up real bad which then got into the roof right above the bed of all places. Let’s just say it rained just as much inside as it was outside. The only way to keep water out when it rained was to put a double lined circus tent of a tarp over the whole trailer. Luckily I recently traded up to a 1985 jamboree rally that does not leak at all thank god
We were visiting the RV Hall of Fame in Indiana and stayed the night in one of their RV parking spots. Couldn’t use levelers so the front of the coach was a wee bit lower than the rear. There was a heavy downpour and water started pouring in the front driver side window. I fashioned a siphon out of a microfiber cloth and was able to catch most of the water in a bucket. I capture 2 buckets before the rain let up. Then I went outside to check the drains from the window channels and found that they blocked with caulking. I used a pocket knife to clear the drain and then check every other window in the coach. The coach was a new 2014 Fleetwood Southwind and this was our first extended trip with it. I am grateful that we discovered this while we were in coach or we may have come back to waterlogged coach.
It rained everyday for about ten days after I picked up my new 2015 Dynamax DX3-37RB. With the bedroom slide deployed, water streamed in. Fortunately, with the slide closed, water did not enter. I was able to get to the factory where I learned that the seals on the bedroom slide had been installed BACWARDS. Just one of many problems I found. Obviously, NO Quality Control Check / Inspection had ben performed BEFORE the factory shipped my rig. I’ve since been back to the factory multiple times and, a QC check has NEVER been deemed necessary. 🙁
The bathroom roof vent was open about an inch and I forgot to close it when a downpour hit splattering raindrops up under the vent cover and into the RV. Caught it before it got too wet.
There was a recall on our Heartland Big Country 5th Wheel. We took it in to the RV dealer we bought it from for a different issue of water from the A/C leaking on the bed. We explained to the dealer that we had received a recall on our rig and had them to apply the recall while they repaired the leaking A/C. Well after the 5th time of driving a 4 hour round trip to fix this issue they finally replaced the a/c unit. Thinking our leak issues were corrected the front a/c in the living room began leaking out of the vents and down both walls soaking the TV and fireplace everytime it rained. Not wanting to deal the incompetence of our dealer we took it to a gentleman who repairs RV on the side. I gave him a copy of the recall and he stated that the recall had not been done. He completed the recall and it hasnt leaked since.
Yes! One night I heard dripping and the rug in the slide out was wet! In the morning did a little investigating and found out the rubber flap of the slide was in instead of out!
The gutter on the RoadTrek isn’t big enough to handle a downpour. Simple solution is to extend it with door sweep plastic meant to block drafts.
Someone relocated one of the air horns on our roof. Original screw hole was not plugged. First major trip with our two year old, new-to-us motorhome, with heavy rain on the third night and we discovered a problem. Made repairs, had roof inspected with no lasting damage. Still have this motorhome 5 years later.
Happy Travels
Our 2016 Dynamax had leaks that I “Couldn’t” find. Finally we made an appointment in Mississippi to Dependable RV and had it checked out. I mean they did a great job of finding leaks, prepping and repairing . NO more leaks. Very professional upfront advise and workmanship from a great crew of employees. Our rig is now warranted of no moisture problems for the life of the vehicle. Having 10 solar panels the time for repair was increased to a week. Yes we stayed in a hotel for a few days but it was worth the time. Costly? Yes … but my wife and I agree it was worth every penny…. no more worries of strange electrical problems or wet moldy interior areas inside.
Our 2017 Blue Ridge 2910SK developed a leak in the top of the street side slide during a horrendous thunderstorm in Kansas last June. The downpour was drenching and the wind was howling. The leak was so bad that it required a pan to capture the water streaming in. When the storm subsided, the leak stopped and we have not experienced any leakage since. I’m guessing that the combination of the amount of rain and the direction of the wind caused the leak. Or the top seal was not deployed correctly at that time.
Twice, our 2015 Thor Tuscany 45 has flooded so bad that I could barely keep up with a small shop vac. After tearing out the booths, desk & fireplace, I found water coming in from the outside tv compartment. The rain spouts were right over the edge of the compartment. Silicones it shut and no more water, but water damage on all wood. Aargh.
The base on my Fantastic fans had cracked that caused the leak. No caulk or glue would stop it. Replaced them and added the covers. I can now leave the vents open when parked and underway.
Humm I wonder if that is my problem. I have a leak at the corner of my fan .
On the way home from the dealer’s the water gushed in around the a/c units and the side drivers’ window (43′ Itasca Ellipse, brand new)
When we had a Hybrid water came in through the front roof seem and down through our speakers. The dealer put additional caulking all around this seem and no more leaks.
last winter with all the heavy rains we got in Sacramento, CA, we didn’t notice until spring that water has leaked into the RV at the top of the rear “egress” window and caused some mold to develop. After cleaning out the mold, we sealed the window and sprayed it with water the next day and all seems to be OK now.
We currently drive a 42 foot Class A diesel motorhome and tow a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. When we bought the Jeep it was touted to be the best tow vehicle ever with just a couple steps to prepare it for towing. On a long trip out west, the Jeep started vibrating and shaking so bad the motorhome would shake uncontrollably as well. We would have to slow down to a snails pace or stop completely before continuing. Upon starting up it would tow normally—if we were lucky. This has been a consistent problem over the last few years, although we have worked with Jeep many times to try to remedy the problem. (We have a Blue Ox tow package.) At one point we had to replace much of the Jeep’s front end where the shaking had damaged the Jeep. The Jeep dealership acknowledged that there was a problem at one point and prescribed a 7 step process with a switch, trickle charger plus the original steps involving connecting/disconnecting the electronic ignition. But even with all that, we still have the problem—and it is still scary stopping in the middle of an Interstate to get the shaking to stop. We are about to buy a new 45 foot RV and we are hoping the Jeep will behave better. But I’m afraid it won’t.
Has anyone else had a similar problem with their Jeep when towing? If yes, how did you remedy it?
Does anyone also have recommendations for a good tow vehicle if in fact we have to give up on our Jeep as our tow vehicle?
Yes’m, It’s the Jeep Death Rattle. If I went over 45mph It would shake so bad I was really frightened. I had a steering stabilizer installed but don’t know if that is the answer. I sold the vehicle shortly after that. Although I really loved my Cherokee, they are notorious for this issue. Either get a dolly or a different tow.
Yes!! We had a 2004 MH and towed a 2012 Chevrolet. Went on our maiden trip out West and endured this horrific experience several times. In Utah, I bought a new Blue OX, thinking my existing one was faulty. Months later while still occasionally having this problem, I purchased new tires for the Chevy Equinox, and even had a separate shop insure that the previous shop’s alignment was correct. Then 300 miles later and just a few miles from home, this potentially deadly phenomenon actually caused our Equinox to tear the welds of the receiver hitch off the MH. The car careened into the opposite lane, before traveling down a ditch, hitting a culvert and nearly turning over in a residential driveway! I never towed a vehicle again and soon afterward was able to sell the MH. Please be careful. The highways are very dangerous with so many vehicles.
Check the air conditioning unit!
We had a 2004 Sandpiper 5th wheel. Soon after the warranty period ended we returned to the campsite just after a heavy rain. We discovered soaking wet carpet in the back corner. After about 3 years of chasing that leak, resealing the roof & window, etc. we finally took it to a repair facility to have the resulting delamination repaired. They reported to us that we’d come within 1/2 inch of uncovering where the rubber roof didn’t quite meet the side. It was apparently cut too short at the factory.
Dripped? Operative word. Ran would be a better one. I had a 1985 coachman C with an aluminum roof. It was so full of pinholes.From acid rain I figured. All the tar and eterna bond never stopped ir. Finally my son in law and i changed to a rubber roof. Surprisingly i spent around $250 ony. I had read where rubber roofs cost thousands .2 of us did it in less than 5 hours. Still on the road.
Happened in a rental popup. We had been married a few months and was on the Eastern Shore at Easter. Sound asleep and she woke me up saying “Stop dripping cold water on me!” “I’m not” I replied. “Go back to sleep.” Next thing I know she’s at it again. Got awake enough to look around, found a leak that was dripping right on her ear! Got it stopped and woke up in the morning with about 1/2″ of ice everywhere. Learned how nice that battery and furnace was! No power in the campground until the next morning!
Make sure that you have tightened up the screws holding down your air conditioners. This can be an easy access to rain.
We had a 2004 Coachman Aurora custom painted in Indiana- beautiful full body paint job! But, they removed all the sealing materials and did not replace sufficiently. Water poured in. Ruined books, maps and stained the carpet ceiling. Resealed and got stains out. Brand new 2017 leaked through front TV enough to fill bucket. Under warranty- no where to take it! Manufacturer sent a case of white roof sealant and we stopped the leak at front cap.
In Feb 2016, sat thru a huge rainstorm in Beau Bridge, LA in our 27’ Class C. Very frightening. Rain came in thru fridge vent and blew two electrical outlets but easy for electrician to fix
In my lifetime I have owned many homes and cars. None have ever leaked. By the above poll, it appears there is something severely wrong with the RV industry that they cannot build an RV that doesn’t leak. My homes have all had roof mods but never leaked and a new roof every ten years or more without any issue. All of my cars have never produced a leak. More regulation? Better design and/or engineering?
I have a brand-new Host Mammoth camper 2022. This year during a continuous down pour (2 days) while the camper was on the truck there was a water trickle around one of the slides. My husband says it was because I had the camper on the truck, and it was not level. Other light rainstorms did not have this result.
a trickle out of the shower sky light area happened during a good downpour. I used Beech Lane sealant tape around the perimeter of the skylight up top and that has held strong for 2 years through many, many rains. It may not look great upon inspection but reality is, these things twist and tweak during the drive times and they are going to separate seals from time to time. Caught early I think its a non-issue.