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yankeeslover's avatar
yankeeslover
Explorer
Apr 13, 2015

Roof Question.. should I freak out?

2 year old camper..upstate NY. I took my camper home this past weekend from outside storage... of course its been cold as heck up this way all spring. Friday and Saturday night i worked in the camper while i had the furnace on heating it up(first time since oct any heat in camper).
Yesterday and today were both finally almost 70 degrees up this way. inside of camper is around 45-55 degrees right now..OK. so i was out walking on my roof an hour ago. just checking the dicor like i usually do and i noticed that when i walk by the fantastic fan the roof creaks(not overly concerned as im sure this is just the plywood creaking). but just to check and make sure no leak i decided to take off the speaker inside the camper that is right next to the fan so that i can check around. I started to freak out when i noticed the top of the speaker seemed damp..same with the insulation that was touching the speaker... I instantly figured i have a leak somewhere..
I just took off the other three speakers for sh__ts and giggles and to my surprise noticed that all 4 speakers seemed alittle damp on the top and the insulation touching it was the same. two of the speakers are on the opposite end of the camper.. I now wonder if this could be a simple case of condensation. like is said its finally warm up this way and the sun is baking on the roof while inside the coach it is only around 45-50 degrees... NOONE is in the camper though.. is this possible that this could just be condensation or does this sound like a huge leak in the roof that is effecting the whole roof(I wouldnt think so)... what else can i check to confirm its not a leak? nothing else is out of the ordinary..thanks...

17 Replies

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  • DutchmenSport's avatar
    DutchmenSport
    Explorer
    Apr 13, 2015
    I have a tendency to think you need to dig a little deeper with this situation. Condensation is caused by minuscule water droplets and vapor in the atmosphere collecting on a surface. Somehow the water droplets or vapor had to get inside the wall and roof somehow? If everything is sealed from outside, and everything sealed inside, then there would be no way for any vapor to get inside the wall to condensate. (does that make sense).

    But it is also possible, you have an opening around your speakers that let's air into the wall. If air can penetrate the wall, then humidity can too. I am of the opinion, the "moisture" is entering around the speaker holes. When re-installing the speakers, make sure you have a good seal, not just around the speaker to the wall, but a seal inside the hole blocking anything possible from entering any farther than the actual hole.

    Speakers do cause heat. It's possible they were just warm enough to draw the air and humidity in and condensate on the back of them. Over time, the moisture gets to be more and more, until it's actually wet to the touch. Do your best to completely seal those holes, inside as well as where the speaker touches the outside wall.
  • Huntindog's avatar
    Huntindog
    Explorer
    Apr 13, 2015
    There is no such thing as "JUST" condensation.
    It is water, and will cause damage no matter how it gets there. Condensation is the primary cause of delmamination. My TT owners manual has a special warning page about this, and there have been many threads here on it as well.
    You need to either ventilate, or run a dehumidifier wheneve there is a risk of condensation. Noticing it after the fact is too late. An early warning sign is windows starting to fog.

    At any rate, the damage is cumulative. A one time incident may not cause problems, but keep doing it and you will eventually have a ruined TT.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Apr 13, 2015
    It's just condensation. You are the perfect candidate for a pressurized leak test. The pressure test eliminates worries about leaks. You do a lot of worrying so an annual test with a blower would help you in that regard.
  • yankeeslover's avatar
    yankeeslover
    Explorer
    Apr 13, 2015
    thanks for the replys.. I just spent some time out there. moving around insulation and looking at the bottom of the plywood from the inside, and it looks dry..no signs of leaks so far... it rained all last week so i would imagine I would see something... im gonna assume that it was just condensation that collected on each speaker.... I hope..LOL..thanks
  • NanciL's avatar
    NanciL
    Explorer II
    Apr 13, 2015
    I had the same thing a few years ago, and all the insulation was completely damp and in some places very wet.
    It was right after the trailer was very cold and we had the heat on.

    I know mine was condensation. I don't even check any more.

    Jack L
  • midnightsadie's avatar
    midnightsadie
    Explorer II
    Apr 13, 2015
    buy a gun that measures condensation, levels , me I don,t walk on the roof sure way to cause a leak. just my opinion.
  • ksg5000's avatar
    ksg5000
    Explorer
    Apr 13, 2015
    Hard to say .. but combo of squeak and moisture on speakers would give me enough concern to spend a $100 and have the rig pressure tested. These test will determine whether the rig is air tight and where the leak maybe coming from - takes the mystery out of the issue and might allow you to fix something that could get expensive if not addressed.

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