Nice Day

[Beach]

Rain finally left and the sun came out, so I opened the camper to air it out. I was disappointed to find water had leaked in the right front corner. Treated the mildew with some bleach and dried things out, fortunately no lasting damage. We have never had any water leaks before and the roof screws look sealed, so I am wondering if maybe the water blew in under the roof edge while driving in the rain. Has anyone ever experienced water intrusion in this manner. There is not much overlap where the roof comes down over the lower section when the roof is down.

 

[MarkBC]

You're saying the water and mildew were inside the camper?
Even if the water "blew in under the roof edge", it would still have to get through the softside vinyl.
Does your vinyl softside have a hole in it or is it detached from the roof?

I've found mildew inside my camper, over the bed area. In my case I'm almost sure that it was due to putting the camper away with the top down and not airing it out -- condensation left inside and trapped between the ceiling and the bed.
But I've never seen any amount of water -- just the mildew.

 

[Beach]

I'm thinking that the water entered at the front then trickled back to the window and ran through the Velcro closure..

 

[N'kwala]

Dunno. I've had mildew and damp in exactly the same place as you describe after heavy rain, Beach. I wondered about the seal as well.

I've been pretty careful about drying the camper out after I've used it and chasing condensation. I've now got a nylon stocking with a cup of silica gel tied in it tucked in that corner, and will check regularly.

 

[Kispiox]

I too wonder about this issue. My guess is that condensation collects in the roof above the headliner and foam. When you first put the forward edge of the pop top down it runs down to the leading edge and inside the fabric. This is just my guess but I have experienced the same. I'm thinking this is also the reason that condensation gathers on the batons in high humid cold conditions. When popped up it is probably generated above the headliner and insulation then seeks the low point of the batons around the edges of the insulation. Because it is behind the liner and insulation it takes longer to dry than the side fabric. Then when you put the forward edge down before it has dried that is when it runs down hill to the leading edge. if this is the case what grows behind the forward boards and headliner?

I'd be interested in other opinions? Hopefully I am wrong.

 

[norcalhawk]

I haven't noticed any oblivious leaks or water issues either, but just the condensation which seems to be a common occurrence when camping during cold nights. I to, try to air out the camper and wipe things down. But, I have noticed a little mildew in the corners and along the top where the vinyl wall meets the headliner.

Perhaps double check and tighten the roof screws. Not convinced that your vinyl is damaged since this happened while your roof was down and secured.

Does everyone agree that "bleach" is the safest solution to use when cleaning the mildew? Could bleach compromise the integrity of the vinyl and/or headliner...?

 

[Beach]

Bleach is safe if diluted, I use about 10-15% mix with water. The roof screws look ok, but since the camper is an 05, I am going to reseal roof screws with 3m 4200 and run a bead down the center joint. There was more wetness to the mattress than I believe condensation would cause, so I am thinking leak instead of condensation, although condensation could be contributing factor.

 

[NorCalSteve]

Beach, do you have Yakima rails on your roof? I don't remember mention of this in any of your posts. Also, I don't know when they switched to the new single sheet top so not sure if you have that or not. The old roof had more of a wrinkled surface. At least the only one I have looked at did.

A friend of mine has an older Hawk with the two piece roof and Yakima rails. He had a leak issue and had to reseal part of one of the rails to fix it.

Steve

 

[Beach]

No rails on my roof. I built my own rack system which mounts into the side edge of the roof, those tracks are bedded with marine polyurethane. I removed, caulked and refastened all the roof screws after work today. Found a few that had dirt under them which would be indicative of a bad seal. I will remove the solar panel and re bed those screws and caulk the wiring seal next.