Help; Roof Leaks

[AK Nomad]

My 04 Grandby roof leaks at the front passenger side corner. After sitting in the driveway during a rainy week there was a large puddle of water collected in the overhead bed area. It leaks in the closed and raised positions. The interior finish, makes it difficult to identify where the leak is coming from. I suppose it could be entering an aluminum frame member and running along to an opening at the corner??? I must begin to tear it apart, but before I do, anyone else have experience with a leaky roof on these FWC's? Any particular things I should look for? Seems I remember reading of a particular manufacturing issue a few years back, but can't remember. I've looked over the roof top closely and find nothing obvious. The silicone seals at the screw-heads and seams look good. I will begin by removing and resealing the roof rack, I suppose. Thanks in advance for your experiences.

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

Check the tightness of the screws holding the sheet metal to the roof framing. That's where mine leaked in the past.

 

[trailrider71]

roof leak

AK
in my experience most roof leaks involve the roof racks.check to see if any of the corners are loose on the rack.they tend to pull loose if the rig has been wheeled.i usually pull the roof rack,scrape off old sealer,reinstall with new silicone and use the next larger screw size where needed.
if the camper is leaking in a corner it does not usually mean much as the water does travel to the low point and then leaks into the camper.
sean
www.go-anywhere.us your midwest source for FWCampers

 

[Puffins]

Did you drive or was it stationary the whole time?

Mine was leaking at the left front. I resealed the seams and tightened all the screws on the roof. Somewhere in there it did the trick

 

[5 Speed]

Mine was leaking too from my Thule rack rail. I wonder why, sometimes had a case up there plus 2 - 6.5 Gallon tanks of gas I removed all the bolts, cleaned and re-siliconed all the screws. What I didn't realize is that the leak can travel along the roof support and come out up front at the edge of the bed. I was really careful to get all the old stuff off and shot some even down the thread and have been dry ever since. A few hours at the most and you will become one with your camper again.

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

...incidentally, there is a difference in silicone 'sealers'. It is highly recommended to get a marine sealant opposed to tub and tile caulk.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Hey AK Nomad


If you can call Chicali in our service department, he might be able
to give you some tips & tricks of what to look for and what to reseal.


CHICALI (800) 242-1442


He will be back in the office tomorrow (Thurs. & Friday this week) and regular business hours from next week on.





.

 

[AK Nomad]

Done!

Several weeks back I picked up a tube of 3M Marine Sealant (white with UV stabilizer), a pack of new screws, and a pack of new washers. I removed the roof racks and all screws. I cleaned the area around each screw hole with alcohol and cleaned the bottom side of the roof racks real well. I installed all new screws/washers with the sealant and reinstalled the racks. I've travelled around in the rain and snow for a few wks now, and so far NO LEAKS! The thing to note here is that though the leak is noticed in the front corner, water might be intruding somewhere else and running along the frame member to get to that front corner where it becomes evident. This makes it very difficult to trace the leak. I started checking/inspecting some screws and found that the original sealant no longer had a good bond with the roof (it would come off very easily). I also noticed when removing the racks that a couple of those attachment points had very little sealant originally, and could have been the cause of my leak. While I was at it, I went around the entire camper looking for spots where the original sealant was failing and did repair. Something I will do annually from here on.

 

[the fisherman]

Was It 5200

If you used 3m 5200, don't plan on taking it apart again, because it probably won't. That stuff will stop leaks for sure, but it's also one of the best adhesives I know about, you might want to use something else where you think you might want to take it apart in the future.

 

[robbie]

I was told by the fellow I just bought our "fleet" from to only use a product called Dicor. Expands 9 x. said much better than silicone. will not pull apart either.
He worked previously for a RV company and said Dicor is the best, for leaks..

robbie

 

[AK Nomad]

I used the Fast Cure 4000 UV. It has about half the strength as the 5200.

Robbie - Thanks for the info, Dicor Lap Sealant sounds like it would work well also.

 

[AK Nomad]

still leaking

Well, this spring, the roof was still leaking. During spring thaw, I would find puddles under the overhead bed, and wet mattresses. One one of our first trips this year, we had a few rain showers, and there would be a constant drip....drip....drip from both front corners. I kept a towel handy and constantly mopped up the water that was getting in.

I'm almost certain the top surface is not leaking after the work I did last season. That sealant is holding up marvelous. So, after speaking with Chicali again, I attacked the screws on the side of the roof that hold the metal trim/ drip edge on. I considered removing everything, but someone said on this forum that the way the pop-up material is folded and connected to the top, it is highly unlikely that water would penetrate the seam between the top sheeting and the side trim. So I figured, that it must be my side screws. I pulled every screw - one at a time - including the hold down brackets and vents. I found two broken screws (both on hold down brackets), and drilled them out and replaced them with new ones. I placed a dab of 3M Marine fast cure 4000 UV adhesive/sealant under each screw head, and bracket, etc. Two or three screws were suspect (not tight, and possibly might draw water into the roof frame. There was no sealant or washer originally.

We had some good showers this weekend, and I could hardly wait to run out there and pop the top after each shower and inspect for leaks. One of those showers was a real hard downpour. It's was and still is DRY AS A BONE!!!! I hope I got it now. My advise to others who are chasing leaks, use a quality sealant, clean surfaces well, and remember the water can travel through the frame.

 

[BSS]

All very good points. Thanks for the update Nomad!

 

[AK Nomad]

good for now

Used the camper this week in a downpour that lasted all night long. Not a single leak. I never would've thought those side screws could draw so much water like they did. Lesson learned.