Forum Discussion

taylor6400's avatar
taylor6400
Explorer
Sep 21, 2015

Question on gutter

I bought a keystone hideout 31rbds a year ago. No issues we have loved it. However we camped in a lot of rain this past weekend and realized something. This has a rear door into the bathroom and right above that the gutter seems to have a bit of a low area or something as with heavy rain it pours over the gutter right above the door. It then gets in between the door and frame and some water drips into the bathroom when you open the door. The caulking is good so it's not getting behind the door just running in between the door and frame. I put a level on it and tried to see if its low there or sloped up in the back and everything looks fine. IS it just a capacity issue? Anything I can put oh the gutter do direct that overflow to either side of the door? I don't care that some spills out but don't want it happening right at the door. Thoughts or suggestions?
  • DutchmenSport's avatar
    DutchmenSport
    Explorer
    Sep 21, 2015
    First, make sure your gutters are clean. Small items can drop into them causing a blockage. Check that first.

    Second, it might just be a capacity issue. Those gutters are pretty small.

    Third, check the actual downspout. Sometimes clogs occur at that point. Water has no where else to go but over the top.

    Forth, it's just a know fact that when gutters leak, they ALWAYS leak right above the spot where you come in and out! (always!) :B
  • LarryJM's avatar
    LarryJM
    Explorer II
    Sep 21, 2015
    taylor6400 wrote:
    I bought a keystone hideout 31rbds a year ago. No issues we have loved it. However we camped in a lot of rain this past weekend and realized something. This has a rear door into the bathroom and right above that the gutter seems to have a bit of a low area or something as with heavy rain it pours over the gutter right above the door. It then gets in between the door and frame and some water drips into the bathroom when you open the door. The caulking is good so it's not getting behind the door just running in between the door and frame. I put a level on it and tried to see if its low there or sloped up in the back and everything looks fine. IS it just a capacity issue? Anything I can put oh the gutter do direct that overflow to either side of the door? I don't care that some spills out but don't want it happening right at the door. Thoughts or suggestions?


    Install RainKap and not only will your current problem be solved, but 95% of any Black Streaks will be history and the chances of any vertical caulked areas ever leaking will be GREATLY REDUCED or ELIMINATED.

    Pic during an actual rain storm...

    Notice lack of water on the side of the trailer under the RainKap as compared to the area just in front of the end of the RainKap



    Another pic of it in action:B



    One big advantage is unlike conventional gutters you can't over load a RainKap system and in fact the harder it rains the better it works.

    Larry
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    Sep 21, 2015
    Rain gutter over my 5vr entry door would dump in middle vs the ens........so I just bent it up in middle

    That RainKap System looked interesting but only pricing I could find was for 48' at $155 and UP.



    WOW!
  • LarryJM's avatar
    LarryJM
    Explorer II
    Sep 21, 2015
    Old-Biscuit wrote:
    Rain gutter over my 5vr entry door would dump in middle vs the ens........so I just bent it up in middle

    That RainKap System looked interesting but only pricing I could find was for 48' at $155 and UP.



    WOW!


    That price sounds about right and while not cheap by any means, it's a one time cost and should last the life of the RV. IMO the two advantages I mentioned are well worth it's cost and IMO it was worth every penny. Mine has been on almost 8 years and going strong. I've even mounted it in areas where there aren't any metal insert molding like along the back of the trailer and under the ends of the awning to eliminate all black streaks there while the awning is rolled up.

    I have an album that you can access via the link in my signature.

    Larry
  • taylor6400's avatar
    taylor6400
    Explorer
    Sep 22, 2015
    They are clean and clear. I really am not looking to replace them. But wii check into that problem. There looks to be a track of some kind on the oem gutters. I was hoping there was an extension of some kind that slid in there. Maybe I can just use 3m tape and plastic
  • 93Cobra2771's avatar
    93Cobra2771
    Explorer
    Sep 22, 2015
    I considered the rain cap, but it doesn't address water intrusion behind the trim that it attaches to. You still have to rely on screws run through butyl tape to not leak. I ran 4" eternabond from the top of the roof into the gutter itself, covering the entire piece. No chance of water intrusion.

    To the OP, you likely have a low spot in the gutter. Other than try to bend it up just a bit. Might be a good idea to get on the roof with a water hose and see if you can see what's actually going on.

    Mine actually had a seam in the gutter that wasn't sealed very well. And of course, it was dripping right above the door and giving the exact same issue you are having.
  • gaymeadowsman's avatar
    gaymeadowsman
    Explorer
    Sep 22, 2015
    The gutter on our Surveyor was sectioned right above our slide with about a 1/32nd of an inch gap in it with no filler of any kind. We didn't have a slide topper and there was a nice little "drum beat" after a shower or when the A/C drained to the Slide side. I guess they didn't think to use short gutters on shorter trailers.
  • LarryJM's avatar
    LarryJM
    Explorer II
    Sep 22, 2015
    93Cobra2771 wrote:
    I considered the rain cap, but it doesn't address water intrusion behind the trim that it attaches to. You still have to rely on screws run through butyl tape to not leak. I ran 4" eternabond from the top of the roof into the gutter itself, covering the entire piece. No chance of water intrusion.

    It all depends on the particular configuration, but most of the time the metal insert molding is at or near the roof and what I did was ran a 2 or 3" strip of Eternabond from the roof onto the RainKap just as you did with your gutter. That sealed not only the top area of the metal insert molding, but eliminated the need for the caulk shown in downtheroad's post and also seals all the screws holding the metal insert molding to the side of the trailer. This makes for a very clean install and hidden from view from below. The below picture illustrates this and is one of the sections I installed at the front of the awning to prevent black streaks from the awning supports, to protect the awning support screws and seal both the metal insert moldings along the side of the trailer and the insert molding that run from the front cap up onto the roof. Just behind that section of RainKap you can see the strip of Eternabond I installed from the roof over the metal insert molding that holds the awning to the side of the trailer.



    To the OP, you likely have a low spot in the gutter. Other than try to bend it up just a bit. Might be a good idea to get on the roof with a water hose and see if you can see what's actually going on.

    Mine actually had a seam in the gutter that wasn't sealed very well. And of course, it was dripping right above the door and giving the exact same issue you are having.
  • 93Cobra2771's avatar
    93Cobra2771
    Explorer
    Sep 22, 2015
    Well done with the eternabond over the rain cap. Hadn't even considered using it over the raincap.

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