Roof Leak caused by weather conditions and maybe stupidy!

Smokecreek1

Smokecreek1

Smokecreek1
Joined
Mar 15, 2008
Messages
2,796
Location
NE Calif/NW Nev
Well guys, here is one for the books! As we all know the weather conditions this winter have been horrible, rain, snow, sudden heat waves, then temp drops to zero and below and back into the 40's or 50's, then sunny and clear. days at or below freezing with nights in the teens. Because of these weather conditions every week or ten days I have gone out and checked the camper for leaks and other problems. A few years ago i got a roof leak when I didn't properly seal one of my 100w solar panels to the roof and it leaked at one of the connections( fixed that, and no problems of late.)

Starting yesterday, it looked like the weather was going to give us up here on the east slope a 4-5 day break of nice weather (sunny and clear with temps in the 40-50's with lows above freezing). A good chance of snow again after that. Wow, a chance to really air out the camper and then head to Eagle Lake for a few days! So I headed out to the truck to check it out, pop the top and pack for a quick run north. Climbed in the back to do some cleaning before I popped the top. One of the pillows on the couch seemed stuck to it and (my God ), a patch of ice was keeping it there! Looked up and yep the liner above it was wet and I could feel/see damp spots/shadow heading toward the front panel. (First thought)Somehow that last storm (a couple of nice days [clear cold and sunny] followed by a sudden 6" of snow-and below freezing temps for two days again followed again by this latest heat spell must have weakened the seal and let in some snow melt??

It gets worse now, I could not pop the front panel because it was frozen stuck to both the roof and my sleeping bag and the comforter and the mattress and in turn to the the wooden bunk frame. The back panel went up though so that was a start. So I started to thaw out the camper and after an hour our so I got the front panel extended and pulled the sleeping bag off the bunk and into the washer. As I type this thread the bunk is still frozen and melting slowly., I can't use a out side heater to thaw things out faster because a large portion of the extension cord that I use to charge the camper is either frozen solid or under the snow; The truck is parked in my drive way and gets sun most of the day, so at least it is thawing. Could always use the Wave heater inside, I guess, but will hold off for now.

So guys, here I sit, (soon to make an adult libation) and wait for things to thaw so they can be dried out and cleaned. Not much water so far melting on to things so, this last day or two of semi-warm weather must have started the thawing process on its own. I can hardly wait to see what damage had been done and once the roof warms up I'll look for the leak. It almost looks like a slow or a small leak caused the water damage and dripping (I hope) not many wet spots except over the bunk and one spot that pooled on the couch. I have until Sunday before the next snow storm is due but I have a nice tarp to put up if I have not fixed things up by then(I hope).

Looks like no quick trip up north-any comments, suggestions, etc,. Don't know what I could have done other than doing a better job of sealing things up or checked it every day, but like we say here owning these things is a learning process and owning one for ten years is worth a lot of learning I guess!!! Better make that drink now and be happy this happened when the weather was nice here and I was not out in the boonies in several feet of snow! I got to stay positive and get ready for some serious cleaning! Wish me luck!

Smoke

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Sorry to hear of your troubles, Smoke. Does your Granby have the single panel roof or is it one of the older models with a seam?

I hope you follow up this post once you figure out the leak.

Wishing your good weather and good luck,

Bill
 
It's an '05 Bill, forgot to mention that I have had anywhere from 2-7" of ice/snow on my roof (until today that is)most of the time since these storms started last November --that probably helped the leak start too. just pealed of the comforter and loosened up the mattresses some, boy wonder what this would have been like if I had not checked it today-I mean it's only been less than a week since I checked it!

Smoke
 
That sucks. On my footwear, snow melt gets in almost everywhere that rain/water can't!

What's the procedure for troubleshooting this? If your roof is like mine with lots of screws and a few penetrations, how will you track it down? Would the best approach be to pull the inside roof liner, and run a hose over the top to see where it drips?
 
You are right Vick-that sucks! See this happened to me a few years ago-my fault-drilled to many new holes putting on the solar panels and did not caulk them in right! And it started to leak while I was out in the boonies, so in between thunder showers, I tried to pop one end the top and drain the water out and off, dry the area, then fill in the screw holes between down pores but that's and old story. They say that snow will hit the Sierras now on Saturday night, so I'll try and dry it out inside on Thursday, then start caulking every screw hole or seam I see. In the mean time just dry out everything in side I can and since I'm retired think about running to the valley. It's supposed to drop into the low 20's or teens again tonight-never ending and I have lived in this country most of my life!

I'm usually a year round camper, but this year has challenged that because it has been to cold, wet and nasty, to do my usual winter runs. No time to do anything between storms. Maybe if I was 30 or 50 I would go out like I used too, and just sit in the snow, maybe read walk and enjoy, but not now, I need to be warm. So unless anyone has a better idea, I'm going to just try and dry out things and go from there! This winter has been bad, but if I have to tarp the camper I will, but dang it sure has been real cold out here in the high desert and there is nothing I can do about it. Anyone have any other ideas on what to do next-before the next storm!

Smoke
 
I am in the process of hunting for a leak also. Just finished drying out the camper and found a missing screw on the front of the roof that next to the latch. Seems like a lot of water for the small hole. I am going to go over the rest of the roof inch by inch to make sure there is nothing else.
 
For campers stored with the top down outside in environments that get cold enough condensation may be the culprit not a leak.

In the older campers the aluminum tubes in the roof are hollow and in cold weather they can develop condensation. The moisture then runs to the lowest point and collects. This can lead to mold and other problems such as that described by Smokecreek.

In newer campers FWC fills the Aluminum tubes with insulation foam so this cannot happen. I do not know what year FWC started doing this but I think it was after 2008.

I think the only solutions are to keep some kind of dryer /heater going,store the camper with the top up or store it inside a garage or other structure where it will remain warm enough such that condensation cannot form. In my area I have found storing in my unheated garage with the top up works (see my post under Four Wheel Campers on storage open or closed).

I do not know if there is a way to put foam in the Aluminum tubes of older Campers without major disassembly.

Regards,
Craig
 
I had leaks so bad this winter I had to have the roof re-skinned, and we still don't really know where the leak was. The camper is 21 years old and this winter was the first leak in the 10 years I've had the camper. While the skin was off the guys filled the aluminum tubing with expanding foam. No leaks since :)

Smoke, Bob lost his girlfriend Domino about three weeks ago, she was 16 and a very sad day.
 
Boy I’m really sorry to hear about your leak. My first camper developed a leak and I discovered it just like you did getting ready for a quick spring trip. Mine came through the vent and soak the table so bad that I had to make a new table. I should mention that my first camper was a phoenix. Any way from that point forward at the end of the year I took the time to clean my camper by hand and inspect (now a Hawk). Then I put a screw driver on every screw confirm its tight and put a small amount of Henry’s clear roofing silicone product on the screw. To this day, I complete this process every year inside and out (inside screws do not get Henry’s) Even though I have heated stall in the shop dedicated to camper raft and all outdoor gear. As for this moment based on the discerption of your weather conditions I would recommend a blue tarp over the top all the way over all edges until weather is such that you can clean and seal the top. One note the corners where the roof meets the edge is usually the problem. My friend’s Grandby had a leak and that was where it was found.
 
They tried to play at Carizzo. I could tell she wanted to, the body just wouldn't let her. I'm glad you got to have the good years with her you did. I'm sure she's playing with Yuma now where the good dogs go .
 
To help deal with condensation and fight mold during winter non use, I plug in a Stor-Dry unit which consists of a low power heater and fan that works better than a light bulb and draws less than 100watts.
 
Sorry to hear about the leaks guys, big bummer.
Mine has been sitting in the driveway since 1st of dec. with the top down. Electric heater keeping it about 50 degrees. I have been sweating it [pun intended], wanting to open er up to inspect and pack. Finally got a break in the rain yesterday. Whew, all looks good.
 
DanoT,

Thanks for the suggestion about the Stor Dry Warm air circulator. I was previously unaware of the Stor Dry device. I have now read a number of positive reviews from Boat owners that use this device.

Both Amazon and Walmart sell them and they run about $65 and the product literature says they draw about 75 Watts.

Regards,

Craig
 
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