Forum Discussion

rtreptow7's avatar
rtreptow7
Explorer II
Apr 07, 2019

Missing vent cover all winter spring

So I went in my camper and noticed the led lights in the bathroom ceiling were very dim and flickering...barely working. A closer inspection finds the lens filled with water :( I climb up on the roof and noticed there is some sort of round vent cover that is missing right above the bathroom allowing direct access to the inside of the ceiling of my camper. Probably been exposed like this all winter and spring getting snowed and rained in. Not sure what the vent is for. it is right in the middle of the bathroom area of the fiver. Inside the fiver there is no vent directly under the one that is mounted on the roof, it's just the middle of the bathroom ceiling. There is also another vent like this in the middle of the living area roof, but again, nothing on the ceiling on the inside of camper. I wonder how much water is trapped in the insulation in my camper ceiling now and if we have to worry about mold. Have an apt April 19 to have it looked at. Got plastic taped over it for now to prevent more water from getting in as it is raining now and supposed to snow some more this week even. First photo is of vent with missing cover, and second is the other vent that has it's cover yet. Does anyone know the purpose of this vent? Anyone have a similar experience?






Note: Moderator edit to fix picture URL's
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Apr 08, 2019
    Yeah, I had the same issue when I tried to replace just the covers, you have to buy the whole thing. A little irritating, but whatcha gonna do?
  • garyp4951's avatar
    garyp4951
    Explorer III
    Apr 08, 2019
    I would pull the ceiling lights out ASAP, and get some heat going to dry out the attic area. If you get black mold in the attic, the ceiling will have to come out.
  • rtreptow7's avatar
    rtreptow7
    Explorer II
    Apr 08, 2019
    Thanks for all the responses. Just FYI, the camper is just 1 year old so I don't think it was brittle/weak from sun exposure yet. When I checked the other one, it was very loose and only 3 or 4 turns from coming off too. I tightened it down, but like the idea of using a bit of silicone on the threads to help hold it in place. I did order two whole new vents like the ones in the link above because I couldn't find a place to order just the covers. I'll have a spare cover on hand too then if it ever happens again. One more thing on the list of things to check regularly.
  • memtb's avatar
    memtb
    Explorer
    Apr 08, 2019
    I’m not sure of the size of your attic vent cover, but when we reroofed our camper two summers ago.....we went with galvanized steel vent covers. We should never have to worry about them again!

    And good luck getting the attic dried-out. As some one mentioned, trying to getting a positive flow through the attic may be your best option. If you have two or more vents....maybe you can attach the discharge hose from a large (high volum) Shop Vac into one of the vents, and push warm dry air throughout the attic! Good Luck with your repairs!
  • austinjenna's avatar
    austinjenna
    Explorer
    Apr 08, 2019
    I thought there were still a few of those vent covers that you can buy that were metal and not plastic although you might end up hearing the 'tinging' when it rains. M
  • BarneyS's avatar
    BarneyS
    Explorer III
    Apr 07, 2019
    The sun makes those vent covers very weak and brittle. The 2nd one should be replaced also. Good luck.

    P.S. Use this site for posting photos on the forums. It is very easy to use and works great. I used it to fix your pictures above.
    Barney
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Apr 07, 2019
    Maybe some kind of fan and hose to thread down into the hole to blow air down the hole and get some circulation. That could lead to mold and such when the weather gets warmer and it doesn't get dried out.
  • shepstone's avatar
    shepstone
    Explorer
    Apr 07, 2019
    It’s an Attic vent. And yes the insulation is going to need drying out.

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