How do you look for leaks?

westend wrote:

AirForceAngler wrote:
Not all leaks will leave stains, either. Our first TT was a 2003 Coachmen. Within 3 years, it had 4 large rotten spots in the floor with no indications at all on the walls or ceiling. I knew about one the year before because of a soft spot by the door. I found the others after pulling up the carpet from the bedroom area. I was not a happy camper. I may try to to some kind of pressure test on our new Grey Wolf this summer using a shop vac or other pressure source. I saw somewhere on here where a guy did that and built his own pressure gauge using clear tubing and water (I forget what this was called).

The DIY pressure gauge is called a manometer. I made this one with a piece of plywood, 1/2" acrylic tubing and colored the water with food coloring. One tube end is placed to the inside of the trailer and the other is allowed to vent to the atmosphere. Commercial Sealtech systems draw an inch of water column pressure. With a 1/2 hp furnace blower, I was able to get to 1.5" ->2" of water column.

Westend,

That's the one I've seen on here! Thanks for posting and I was wondering what the target pressure was supposed to be, too. I think I'll be trying to do this with our new one when we get it home.

You're welcome. I wouldn't be too concerned about pressure involved. Most RV's have holes, ducts, vents, leaks, etc where you won't explode the walls trying to pressurize the interior.
The leak test convinced me that it is the only foolproof way to find water intrusion points. I discovered pinhole leaks that were in areas that I thought could never leak. I took great pains to seal every joint in my rig, some from both the interior and exterior, using good sealants. I also used Eternabond tape on the roof seams. I discovered two dozen leaks on the first test, mostly in the siding. I had no leakage where I applied Eternabond.
Good luck with your leak testing.

Thanks for the info. We bought a 26 ft. 2010 Dutchman Lite, unfortunately we hauled it home from the dealer in a December snow storm, parked it in the side yard and it has been snowed in ever since. :(

I have removed the snow load several times when it got over 6 inches deep and we plan on taking it to Florida in a couple of weeks even if I have to get the neighbor to plow a path to it. :B

I like the blower and manometer idea, I have the makings for both.

Yeah, snow removal, it's been quite a year, even in the Land of 10,000 Snowdrifts. We've been spared from the last two major storms but still have a good foot on the ground. At average temps of 0F->10f, there isn't a lot of melting going on. The good news is that my solar panel is still pushing a bit of charge, even when half covered with snow. That gives me some waiting time for another removal effort.

I may have to pull it down to Indiana and chain onto your rig :B

Westend X2 on the Eternabond. I went back a year later and retested and found a few more leaks where the caulk had cracked, but nothing on the Eternabond.

If you are worried about pressure (my furnace blower was two speed), crack the roof hatch a bit. The furnace blower is not made for a high static pressure. You probably have to be a little more careful, though, with a leaf blower.

Keep in mind that water shows up due to condensation. If the closets are closed all the time and packed, you will get some water inside. The windows will sweat. This is what I learned this year snowbirding in TX.

Racine,

Good advice I was surprised to see the same warning repeatedly in the owner’s manual. Showering, cooking etc.

It is not something that comes to mind when you think about RV camping.

Jerry9n wrote:
Westend X2 on the Eternabond. I went back a year later and retested and found a few more leaks where the caulk had cracked, but nothing on the Eternabond.

If you are worried about pressure (my furnace blower was two speed), crack the roof hatch a bit. The furnace blower is not made for a high static pressure. You probably have to be a little more careful, though, with a leaf blower.

Are you referring to the Eternabond tape or what product?

I have a serious furnace blower! It came from an industrial unit so I'll be careful! It's a good bit larger than the one pictured here earlier.

AirForceAngler wrote:

Jerry9n wrote:
Westend X2 on the Eternabond. I went back a year later and retested and found a few more leaks where the caulk had cracked, but nothing on the Eternabond.

If you are worried about pressure (my furnace blower was two speed), crack the roof hatch a bit. The furnace blower is not made for a high static pressure. You probably have to be a little more careful, though, with a leaf blower.

Are you referring to the Eternabond tape or what product?

I have a serious furnace blower! It came from an industrial unit so I'll be careful! It's a good bit larger than the one pictured here earlier.

I was referring to Eternabond tape as passing the 100% success test. I used two different types on my roof, Eternabond Roof Seal (vinyl backing) on all cross seams, around vent through holes, and around vents. I used Eternabond Webseal over the roof's aluminum edge trim. Webseal needs to be coated to prevent UV degradation but I painted the roof with one of those roof products so it was coated in the process.

Eternabond tapes are one of those products that trip the "Why haven't I always used this?" trigger.

Blower used:


Eternabond sealing in process:

The only downside of Eternabond is that a potential buyer might consider it a "hackjob". This is ironic because Eternabond is a lot better than caulk, but appearances sell.

Were I keeping my TT for the long haul, I'd be paying a few people a couple hundred each, and having a day where all the fixtures (skylights, vents) get replaced/upgraded, the roof primed, the tape laid down and pressed flat with a roller, then the tape's edges caulked. However, since I plan to sell my TT either this year or next, I just make sure all the joints are sealed tightly every 90 days.