trueweb
08-21-2014, 03:47 AM
I recently purchased a used Raptor. The other night we had a good strength thunderstorm with all the ingredients; wind, rain, thunder, lightning and loss of power. It happened while I was in the middle of putting some tie downs in the garage so I had the windows open. All the doors including the tailgate were shut.
When I came out after the storm to resume work there was a fair amount of water on the floor. Enough to soak a kitchen towel. It all appeared to have run down from the vent to the floor, some got on the wall and behind the chrome plate.
Before drying anything I felt around with my hands to check for a source. There are 3 parts of the vent I'll try to describe; the surround, the black plastic guide the vent slides in (one top, one bottom) and the actual vent itself which has two horizontal handle support (top and bottom).
There was water on top of the two vent handle supports and the lower guide. This made me think the water did not come in from above that point. The water was also splattered on the wall below pretty high up which made it look like it was dripped off the handle or guide away from the wall.
My point is, it did not appear to be a leak behind the vent, but rather that water was being forced in the vent from the walls. Can/Does this happen?
Another reason for my theory is pressure. Since the windows were all open wind across the trailer could create a vacuum effect in the garage which would help rain get sucked in through the vent if it was sheeting down the walls of the RV.
Examining the caulk in the dark around the vent looked ok. I just want to know if anyone else has seen this issue before I go and start tearing things apart looking for a leak. It was my first real storm with the Raptor and I've only had it about 4 weeks while working on other items.
Thanks!!!
When I came out after the storm to resume work there was a fair amount of water on the floor. Enough to soak a kitchen towel. It all appeared to have run down from the vent to the floor, some got on the wall and behind the chrome plate.
Before drying anything I felt around with my hands to check for a source. There are 3 parts of the vent I'll try to describe; the surround, the black plastic guide the vent slides in (one top, one bottom) and the actual vent itself which has two horizontal handle support (top and bottom).
There was water on top of the two vent handle supports and the lower guide. This made me think the water did not come in from above that point. The water was also splattered on the wall below pretty high up which made it look like it was dripped off the handle or guide away from the wall.
My point is, it did not appear to be a leak behind the vent, but rather that water was being forced in the vent from the walls. Can/Does this happen?
Another reason for my theory is pressure. Since the windows were all open wind across the trailer could create a vacuum effect in the garage which would help rain get sucked in through the vent if it was sheeting down the walls of the RV.
Examining the caulk in the dark around the vent looked ok. I just want to know if anyone else has seen this issue before I go and start tearing things apart looking for a leak. It was my first real storm with the Raptor and I've only had it about 4 weeks while working on other items.
Thanks!!!