Leak in 2013 2910 BH

[rhminva]

I winterized my trailer this past weekend. Unfotunately, I hadn't used it since memorial day. Due to a couple deaths in the family, all of our camping plans were cancelled for the summer. Everything looked great until I opened the closet on the right side of the bed in the front. There was a sizeable amount of water sitting in the bottom of the closet. This is directly above the front storage compartment. I checked the storage compartment, and it was as dry as a bone. none of the equipment I had in there showed signs of being wet, no signs of any water at all. I looked at the walls inside the closet, no sign of water. I checked the rest of the trailer and also found water in the tub in the bathroom, about the same amount. This is a fairly new trailer, I'm the only owner and have never had water issues previously. I'm planning on calling the dealer, but thought I'd post here. The water looked like it had been sitting quite awhile.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this mysterious water!

[cw3jason]

How many times have you been up on the roof to touch up the lap sealant? You need to inspect it at least twice a year and touch up where needed. My guess is you have cracks or voids in your sealant and that let water in.

[lawdog130]

I bought my 2015 2810BH in Sept. 2015 and used it several times before putting it away for the winter. No problems. I moved it out of the back yard to the driveway this spring. Several days later we had 3-4 inches of rain over two days. When it was over I went out to the camper to start getting it ready for the season and found the mess in the pictures. I ended up going up on the roof and found 4 or 5 very small gaps in the seal between the front panel and the roof. I took a thin bristle from a broom and pushed it through the holes. Sure enough it went all they way in. I'm sure the holes were there since it was manufactured. It appears there were air bubbles in the adhesive that popped as it dried and contracted. The dealer repaired it and all is well now. I never would have imagined that much water could get in through those tiny holes. I would look closely at every inch of the bond from roof to camper and all your vents.

[ozzie65]

Hey rhminva :
I have the same year and model. I have already caulked areas 3 times since 2013. The first year I was up on the roof I found areas around the whole edge of the roof that had such tiny amounts of sealant on the drip edge I couldn't believe it stayed on through transport. The quality of these mass production units is poor. If I were you I would get a ladder and some anti sag lap sealant and self leveling and check over the whole roof, vents, and especially the sky light in the bath room. You will be amazed at what you will find. If it's questionable clean it and put a fresh layer of caulk on it. Better safe than sorry.

[esmoglo]

So it was my understanding you couldn’t walk on the roof of the passport? Guess you need to use a ladder and get around the roof? What type of sealant is recommended?

[cw3jason]

You cant have a party up there, but you can and have to get on the roof for maintenance. just stay on the trusses or use plywood to distribute your load. Dicor lap sealant works great!

[esmoglo]

No party's well I am out then, LOL thanks got it.

[erjs05]

Mine had a leak in the same spot and it was from the city water connection. It was loose and I had the regulator on the inlet then the hose after that. I think the weight made it leak into the camper. I tightened it and moved the regulator onto the water faucet end and leak was gone.

[rhminva]

So I did climb up on the roof and found a couple minor issues. Ended up pulling and reapplying sealant around the entire sunroof over the bathroom. Just touched up the sealant in the front corners. I had inspected the roof everytime I cleaned it / took it out. Never saw anything to cause concern until this year. Can anyone point me to a good thread on "touching up" sealants on the roof? Do you have to remove all of the previous caulking, or can you seal over the old stuff? Obviously don't have much experience on this, but don't really want to pay the deal $40 a linear foot to do the work. I'm checking it periodically through the winter and am planning on doing a thourough inspection and fixup when it's a littler warmer. Thanks!

[Festus2]

You might first want to determine what kind of rubber roof is on your unit - EPDM or TPO - as Dicor, a recommended rubber roof sealant, makes a slightly different product for each type. I would suggest using a Dicor product.

If you Google "RV Rubber Roof" or RV EPDM roof or RV TPO Rubber Roof, you will find numerous sites that explain how to tell the difference, which products to use and how to properly maintain your roof. There is plenty of helpful information out there - including YouTube videos for you to look at. Just Google it.

In any case, you don't need to remove existing sealant that is not loose but you do need to clean it thoroughly before applying new stuff over it.

[JRTJH]

Old sealant that is physically sound does not need to be removed. Any loose, damaged or "non-adherent" sealant should be removed, peeled back to "good sealant" and scrubbed clean. I wipe down all the areas with alcohol and allow that to dry before applying new sealant.

DICOR self leveling sealant will adhere to a "clean, dry surface, so there is no need to remove all the old sealant. Just apply with a "sufficient overlay" of the existing sealant on all surface edges and you'll be OK. By "sufficient overlay" I try to maintain at least 1/2" to 1" of "new sealant overlay" on top of the old sealant, and extend the new layer at least that far onto the TPO or EPDM roof membrane.

There's no need to "invest in your dealership's future security" at the rate of $40 a foot, a DIY job is just as effective and often times even more thorough than any dealership. After all, the RV is your investment, not theirs. You'll be fine, so long as you do a good inspection, remove all the loose sealant, clean the area and pay attention to how you apply the new coating.

Good Luck !!!

[1l243]

I bought my 2015 2810BH in Sept. 2015 and used it several times before putting it away for the winter. No problems. I moved it out of the back yard to the driveway this spring. Several days later we had 3-4 inches of rain over two days. When it was over I went out to the camper to start getting it ready for the season and found the mess in the pictures. I ended up going up on the roof and found 4 or 5 very small gaps in the seal between the front panel and the roof. I took a thin bristle from a broom and pushed it through the holes. Sure enough it went all they way in. I'm sure the holes were there since it was manufactured. It appears there were air bubbles in the adhesive that popped as it dried and contracted. The dealer repaired it and all is well now. I never would have imagined that much water could get in through those tiny holes. I would look closely at every inch of the bond from roof to camper and all your vents.

I am interested to see what that seal looks like after the dealer repaired it. good thing you caught it right away..

I don't have a leak but thinking of getting up there to add more sealant to that area...

[cw3jason]

you need to inspect the roof at least twice a year and add sealent where nescessary

[CaptnJohn]

you need to inspect the roof at least twice a year and add sealent where nescessary

And my wife says the boat is a money pit,,,,, (tx)

[lawdog130]

I am interested to see what that seal looks like after the dealer repaired it. good thing you caught it right away..

I don't have a leak but thinking of getting up there to add more sealant to that area...

It looks like the factory seal with extra sealant in the places where I saw the holes. Can't take a picture of it right now, there is a layer of ice on the roof.

I'm just glad it wasn't leaking like that all last winter.

[mfifield01]

Just to verify. The Passport's have a TPO roof, correct?

[esmoglo]

Just to verify. The Passport's have a TPO roof, correct?

Correct...photos are of my 2016 passport roof, other is of the bathroom vent fan I took off verifying the roofing material.