Finding roof leaks?

[Odss91b]

Hey guys,
Just got back from our first camping trip using our 1989 33ft Winnebago. The first night we were out discovered that I have leaks on all four corners: just forward of the drivers door, same spot on the passenger side, and in both of the rear clothes cabinets. I stopped at an rv dealer and they said they could find the roof leak for $85. How hard is for someone who is not mechanically inclined "but once shown how to do something can do it" to do?

[Stripe]

Hang tight we'lll all get you through this bit.

Find ting the leaks, probably as simple as looking at the ends or the seams in the corners near the leaks.  Could be needs reseal with eternabond or something.  can you get us pics of the roof?

[Rickf1985]

I also have a 89 Chieftain and just went through this. You will find the leaks in the corners most likely are where the front and rear fiberglass cap meets the metal roof. I have a serious headache right now, been down in bed all day with it so I am not up to searching for my old post but click on my username and then search my posts and you will find one for roof repairs. I am just about to put up another post to ask how to remove the ceiling panels since I have a very bad leak that is coming from the bracket that somone put on for the awning. They drilled four holes and used two. The two they did not use are dead square where the water run across the awning rail, and right into the coach! They also tightened the bracket so tight that they broke the fiberglass. I need to fabricate a plate to cover the whole mess and back it up on the other side inside.

[Odss91b]

Ok I looked through your posts and found the roof leak thread. So basically the strip that goes on the back and front  need to be removed the eternabond tape placed under the strip the reapply the strip? If yes how do I remove the strip to do this. I hate sound ignorant... But I am trying to learn. Also should I use the 4" or 6" tape?

[Stripe]

So you're not too busy then.. 

This the link you're thinking of Rick?
http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,8753.msg43081.html#msg43081

Here is another you can look at..  Same concept..

http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,7677.0.html

And this one as well..

http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,7682.0.html

[Froggy1936]

Rick if you can see the holes either from the inside or outside Just get a tube of silicone caulk color as close as possible and fill the holes all the way thru  Frank 

[Rickf1985]

So you're not too busy then.. 

This the link you're thinking of Rick?
http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,8753.msg43081.html#msg43081

Here is another you can look at..  Same concept..

http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,7677.0.html

And this one as well..

http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,7682.0.html

That was a previous one, I thought I had one going where I showed the whole thing start to finish. I will try to find it and post it here. What I did was to remove all of the accumulated sealants that had been out over one another over the years right down to the bare roof, removed the transition strip and cleaned that and put it back on and then put the Eternabond over the whole thing. I used the 4 inch but you could use the 6 inch. I am a cheap sucker.Where I found the biggest problems was at the edges of the roof where it meets the sides. The roof, sides, and rear cap all come together at one spot and there is a lot of gap to fill. If anyone has used silicone then that will be an issue. NOTHING sticks to it, including itself! You have to peel and scrape off as much as you possibly can and then wipe it down with a thinner. I use Xylene but you have to be careful with the Xylene and only use a little at a time so you do not melt any plastic you come in contact with. It will sometimes remove the silicone but usually softens it to where it will scrape off easily. I use one of the caulks made for campers that has NO silicone. I can't remember what it is right off the bat but I will look through my pictures today and find it. It is not cheap but it work great. You get what you pay for, ever notice that silicone caulk is cheap?
Found that caulk I use, ProFlex RV Flexible Sealant

[Oz]

Just a suggestion on quick referencing topics.  If you post something (or have read a topic) which is of high interest, use the "bookmark" feature.  Easy way to find things...

[Rickf1985]

Thanks Mark, I will start doing that. Frank, I stay as far away from silicone as I possibly can! I did use the Proflex that I prefer though to do just that and it still leaked. I caulked a couple other spots tonight and will give it the water treatment tomorrow if the rain doesn't beat me to it.

Rick

[Rickf1985]

Just so you have a reference, I JUST found the leaks that were pouring out on the front passenger side. Turns out it is the roof to side joint that LOOKS good and tight. Key words here are looks, I even probed and pulled at the cailk and it still looked good. But that is where it is leaking, verified by hose and wet method.

Rick

[Odss91b]

Haven't posted here in a while, so I figured my leaks were coming from the roof seams. So after searching how to fix them, I decided that I would try the dicor self leveling caulking at the nearest Rv store. I cleaned all four corners scraping away all the old stuff off. Then applied the dicor product and went camping the next day. After the rain storm today, I noticed that three of the hour leaks are gone! Yippee! However the one on the drivers side back closet still leaks. So now my next step is to scrape and clean the roof seal over that area reseal it with the dicor product, then reapply the kool seal over top right or no?

[Rickf1985]

You want to make sure you have the leaks stopped if at all possible before coating. You don't want to depend on the coating as the fist line of defense on leaks. Did you see my post about the roof seam? I thought it was nice and tight until I pulled at a piece of it and it came out like a zipper. It was never ever adhered to the metal of the roof. This was because somewhere along the line somebody used silicone and now nothing will stick. I pent days cleaning and scraping and then I calked with Proflex. This is where I am SO glad I bought that battery powered caulk gun!!!! Proflex comes out of the gun stiff, It will make a man out of you for sure. I have big arms and I was hurting after ten feet. I poked and prodded at the caulk after it set up and it seems to be tight no so I coated it but I an planning on taping over it in the fall. Here in NJ we have fickle weather especially in the summer so when you get a couple good days to coat the roof you GO for it! If I were you I would very closely check that seam and also the fittings where the railing meets the roof, the end one should be right in the area you are talking about as is the tank vent and the bathroom roof vent. That is a busy area of the roof.

[05f250inmn]

What I do to find leaks is put negative air pressure in the rv and spray the exterior with soapy water and watch for the bubbles. What I used was my electric leaf blower, I removed the lid to the bathroom vent, cut a hole in a piece of plywood that was big enough to put the leaf blower into, I then ran a piece of ready rod through the plywood to tighten it to the roof vent.

[Rickf1985]

That is positive pressure and that is a good idea for doing it.