I have a 2003 Keystone Cougar TT that has developed a couple of nasty leaks over the past 2-3 years. We bought it used in 2012 in fantastic condition. The worst leak is in a storage area, along a wall, under the refrigerator. Coincidently, I replaced the vent cover this Spring which was so bad, it basically fell apart. So I attributed the problem to the leaky vent cover. BUT, the leaking continues even with a new cover. I can put my fingers right through the OSB sheeting.... The second leak is directly under where the awning bolts into the camper and is also along the floor. I've had that apart and re-sealed, but still leaking...Third leak is along the wall back in the bathroom.I walk the roof each Spring and Fall, sealing suspicious looking areas. Other than that, I can't see any obvious signs of leaking on the roof, or around the windows. This is very disheartening and I don't know where to begin.Questions:- Do the gutters ever leak? They *seem* fine, but the spouts let the water run down the sides of the camper, over the windows, etc. Seems like a poor design.- Do windows need to be taken out and re-sealed? Or maybe old sealant cut out and replaced? What is the common practice there?- The rubber roof seem like it's in "okay" shape, but is "chalky". I'm wondering if a roof that age lets water through it?- There's a bead of sealant that is along the roof and trim that seems to be coming loose. Could that be the culprit? (see image).I'm pretty handy with fixing stuff, but am wondering at this point if I should just take it somewhere and have it re-sealed and/or re-coated.Thanks

Sounds to me like you have a serious mold and intrusion issue. I think I'd do a blower door test (Sealtite) and find out where all it is leaking first. It very well may be beyond fixing and be a landfill candidate.

Windows can and do leak! Had a bad leak in our previous trailer that would saturate the carpet. Roof was fine. Finally narrowed it down to one window. They can be pulled out and resealed with new butyl tape. For a temp fix, you can buy a tube of clear gutter repair glue/sealant at the hardware store which does a fantastic job of sealing the outside edges of the window frame.

I would clear out as much of that old caulking shown in the picture and run a fresh bead of Dicor No-Sag. I'd also look into getting some gutter extensions to prevent the rain from running down the sides of the trailer. I had a small puddle come out from behind the paneling and tracked it down to a tiny pin-hole sized opening in the caulk above the gutters. There was a small air bubble in the caulk when it was applied and after it dried and stretched just a tiny bit it opened up enough to let water get behind the siding, down the wall and out at the base of the door.

I had two issues with my campers marker lights. One was that the light had been installed "upside-down." That is the weep hole was on top. So when water seeped in between the base of the light and the lense, it tended to build up and not drain as it should. Check for this by snapping off the lense and look for a little notch in the base that should be located on the bottom.The second issue apparently was caused by an installer who drilled the wire access hole for the light slightly off center. When he attached the light it left a very small half Moon hole exposed at the bottom of the light. The hole was such a small sliver that it easily went unnoticed. The fix was to turn the light around and caulk the small half moon hole.

if your handy ?set up a pressure test and the leaks will show up think you can U tube how to pressure test/

Leak advice needed | Good Sam Community

17 Replies

Streetwise
Explorer
Sep 11, 2018
RedRocket204 wrote:
All good advice so far.

You sure your refrigerator is not the source of the leak in that area? At least something to verify.

The gutters, pull out that rubber/plastic trim material and look for rusted screws holding the gutter on. That can definitely be a source of water intrusion. Water gets between that plastic trim piece and the gutter and will stay wet, rusting screws and letting water in. Remove each screw, shot of sealant and replace with new screw. That, along with the other recommendations about new sealant to fill that gap between the roof material and gutter.

Yeah, the refrigerator isn't even on and it's still wet underneath. So with re-sealing around the gap between the roof material and gutter, plus around the windows, is a standard Dicor no sag lap sealant what's recommended?
RedRocket204
Explorer
Sep 11, 2018
All good advice so far.

You sure your refrigerator is not the source of the leak in that area? At least something to verify.

The gutters, pull out that rubber/plastic trim material and look for rusted screws holding the gutter on. That can definitely be a source of water intrusion. Water gets between that plastic trim piece and the gutter and will stay wet, rusting screws and letting water in. Remove each screw, shot of sealant and replace with new screw. That, along with the other recommendations about new sealant to fill that gap between the roof material and gutter.
midnightsadie
Explorer II
Sep 11, 2018
if your handy ?set up a pressure test and the leaks will show up think you can U tube how to pressure test/
ADK_Camper
Explorer
Sep 11, 2018
I had two issues with my campers marker lights. One was that the light had been installed "upside-down." That is the weep hole was on top. So when water seeped in between the base of the light and the lense, it tended to build up and not drain as it should. Check for this by snapping off the lense and look for a little notch in the base that should be located on the bottom.

The second issue apparently was caused by an installer who drilled the wire access hole for the light slightly off center. When he attached the light it left a very small half Moon hole exposed at the bottom of the light. The hole was such a small sliver that it easily went unnoticed.

The fix was to turn the light around and caulk the small half moon hole.
ttavasc
Explorer II
Sep 11, 2018
I would clear out as much of that old caulking shown in the picture and run a fresh bead of Dicor No-Sag. I'd also look into getting some gutter extensions to prevent the rain from running down the sides of the trailer. I had a small puddle come out from behind the paneling and tracked it down to a tiny pin-hole sized opening in the caulk above the gutters. There was a small air bubble in the caulk when it was applied and after it dried and stretched just a tiny bit it opened up enough to let water get behind the siding, down the wall and out at the base of the door.
HuckleberryHunt
Explorer
Sep 11, 2018
Windows can and do leak! Had a bad leak in our previous trailer that would saturate the carpet. Roof was fine. Finally narrowed it down to one window. They can be pulled out and resealed with new butyl tape. For a temp fix, you can buy a tube of clear gutter repair glue/sealant at the hardware store which does a fantastic job of sealing the outside edges of the window frame.
SidecarFlip
Explorer III
Sep 11, 2018
Sounds to me like you have a serious mold and intrusion issue. I think I'd do a blower door test (Sealtite) and find out where all it is leaking first. It very well may be beyond fixing and be a landfill candidate.

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Leak advice needed

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