Skylight saved the day

[watkins]

Was inspecting the new trailer after a week of hard rain. No visible leaks inside... climb up on roof.. oh what do i see? Inside of skylight has water all over it....

Better go inside and investigate.. pull down inside of skylight.. yep.. very damp. Wood all wet.. insulation is not, doesnt look like it had been.

Hmmm.. back up on roof we go... Skylight is sealed very well. No visible cracks on the lap sealant...

Well.. whats this little slit next to the solar connection box? Hard to tell... lets cut the sealant and check it out... oh is this box supposed to be full of water? Probably not. Oh and is this connector supposed to not be tightened down to create a seal? Guess not.

It's best to look at the photos and then re-read my story lol.

Anyways... going to leave skylight open with fans going. Hopefully that drys everything out. Good thing its going to be sunny and in 70's next few days.. will leave roof exposed as well for a bit. No telling where all the water would have intruded. I pulled bathroom fan next to the shower and it was bone dry. Checked a few vents nearby and same. Hopefully I got lucky and its just right here at the skylight.

Got to love brand new trailers!

[SargeW]

Good detective work! Welcome to the world of "do it yourself RV repair".

[watkins]

Originally Posted by SargeW

Good detective work! Welcome to the world of "do it yourself RV repair".

Oh that's why I was up there. I also have a Class A that I've had for the past decade.. thing is bullet proof now.. but when it was new...... many lessons learned

[jxnbbl]

a disaster avoided

[watkins]

Originally Posted by jxnbbl

a disaster avoided

Hopefully... just hoping it dries out ok.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by watkins

Hopefully... just hoping it dries out ok.

Just thinking outside the box for a bit, have you considered removing the inside skylight dome, removing the exhaust fan plastic molding (which will create an air passage from the shower to the exhaust fan) and then turning on the exhaust fan, taping a piece of cardboard (or plastic) over the exhaust fan at the ceiling level ??? That would allow the exhaust fan to pull air into the attic space at the skylight and then discharge it out the bathroom fan vent .....

If you only have the 6" (tiny fan) it may not draw much air through the space, but in some trailers with a Fantastic, Maxxair or even a Heng "add on fan", you could draw a significant amount of dry cabin air through the space, hopefully helping to dry the fiberglass insulation that's likely pretty moist.....

[watkins]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Just thinking outside the box for a bit, have you considered removing the inside skylight dome, removing the exhaust fan plastic molding (which will create an air passage from the shower to the exhaust fan) and then turning on the exhaust fan, taping a piece of cardboard (or plastic) over the exhaust fan at the ceiling level ??? That would allow the exhaust fan to pull air into the attic space at the skylight and then discharge it out the bathroom fan vent .....

If you only have the 6" (tiny fan) it may not draw much air through the space, but in some trailers with a Fantastic, Maxxair or even a Heng "add on fan", you could draw a significant amount of dry cabin air through the space, hopefully helping to dry the fiberglass insulation that's likely pretty moist.....

Great idea on the cardboard... I already have the dome down and the fan molding off.


Another question.. on the roof should I fill the hole that the solar wire is coming up and into that plastic junction box? Seems like a pretty weak point of failure.. crack in the plastic and you have an instant water leak. I was thinking of sealing the entire section so even without the plastic cover it is water tight.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by watkins

Great idea on the cardboard... I already have the dome down and the fan molding off.


Another question.. on the roof should I fill the hole that the solar wire is coming up and into that plastic junction box? Seems like a pretty weak point of failure.. crack in the plastic and you have an instant water leak. I was thinking of sealing the entire section so even without the plastic cover it is water tight.

Trying to fill the hole where the wires enter the roof would be a daunting task if you’re using any sealant. Tiffin motor homes used foam stuffed into hole with only the wires coming through.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by watkins

... should I fill the hole that the solar wire is coming up and into that plastic junction box? Seems like a pretty weak point of failure.. crack in the plastic and you have an instant water leak. I was thinking of sealing the entire section so even without the plastic cover it is water tight.

Once you get the electrical connections secured and working, then you really have no "frequent need to access the wires". So, what I would recommend is after you get everything working, then just reinstall the plastic cover and apply a good coat of DICOR self leveling sealant over the entire plastic cover and the surrounding TPO membrane. Granted, you "MIGHT" need access in the future, but if you do, it's not that difficult to dig out the screw holes, remove the plastic, do whatever you need, then reinstall and reseal with fresh DICOR sealant.

Thinking back, how many times have you accessed that cover since you've owned the trailer? I'd guess the answer is, "none" until I found this leak. Chances are, going forward, you'll likely answer the same, so I'd seal it up and forget the potential for cracked plastic and leaks.

[Bandit12]

Just a thought, our rig routinely has condensation in between the skylight domes. I've thoroughly checked the sealant on the exterior, I've come to the conclusion the condensation is there due to steam from the shower. I've pulled the inner dome down, wiped everything down, added some foam insulation strips to the perimeter of the trim and reinstalled it. Still getting some condensation in there but definitely less than before. I need to pull it back down and add thicker insulation, probably up to 1/2 inch thick camper truck bed seal.

[Gamma]

My bath skylight was also leaking but found a different issue. The sealant job looked questionable, not bad but not great either. I decided to pull up the old sealant and reseal. Once the old sealant was off I found some of the screws holding the skylight down were over torqued and cracked the mounting ring, also several screws were not installed. All replaced and no more leaks. The pandemic built units are a crapshoot. Had the crushed air plenum issue on this one also. Still love the unit, just unhappy with some of the workmanship found.