Forum Discussion

dlos's avatar
dlos
Explorer
Nov 04, 2013

TV Antennae Leak

In May I replaced the worm gear and the elevating gear. This past Friday night we had a pretty hard rain, TT was at my house getting ready to go out. I noticed when I went in after the rain let up that there was a wet spot on the bed, arrrghhh.

I took the crank assembly apart inside and there was water pooled on the backside of the assembly. There is no visible sign of rusting on the screws, no signs of rot or even mildew anywhere on any wood, all good signs. Yesterday when we got home from our outing, I went up on the roof and sprayed silicone lubricant in all the recommended areas. IN a day or so I'll hit it with a water hose to see whether or not I can artificially recreate the problem.

I can replace the work gear again but that's not seeming to make a difference. I do not see any holes or places in the seal that would allow water. The boot is in place.

What am I missing?

Is there a replacement antennae or something I can install that doesn't have any moving parts and creates a more reliable seal? We do not watch TV in the camper so I don't care about reception at all, I am more concerned with leak proofing.
  • Nvr2loud's avatar
    Nvr2loud
    Explorer II
    Nov 04, 2013
    dlos wrote:
    In May I replaced the worm gear and the elevating gear. This past Friday night we had a pretty hard rain, TT was at my house getting ready to go out. I noticed when I went in after the rain let up that there was a wet spot on the bed, arrrghhh.

    I took the crank assembly apart inside and there was water pooled on the backside of the assembly. There is no visible sign of rusting on the screws, no signs of rot or even mildew anywhere on any wood, all good signs. Yesterday when we got home from our outing, I went up on the roof and sprayed silicone lubricant in all the recommended areas. IN a day or so I'll hit it with a water hose to see whether or not I can artificially recreate the problem.

    I can replace the work gear again but that's not seeming to make a difference. I do not see any holes or places in the seal that would allow water. The boot is in place.

    What am I missing?

    Is there a replacement antennae or something I can install that doesn't have any moving parts and creates a more reliable seal? We do not watch TV in the camper so I don't care about reception at all, I am more concerned with leak proofing.


    If you didn't have a leak prior to changing the parts, then perhaps you have not got the seal sitting correctly, maybe it got pinched during installation. Take it apart and reassemble carefully.

    The other possibility, maybe working on the unit caused you to slightly break the seal around the base plate or the base plate screws. Water might be getting under the base plate.
  • BarneyS's avatar
    BarneyS
    Explorer III
    Nov 04, 2013
    You could replace your existing crank up antenna with a Jack Antenna. It supposedly works well but does not crank up.
    It looks like it would be much less prone to leaks in my opinion.
    Barney
  • ksg5000's avatar
    ksg5000
    Explorer
    Nov 04, 2013
    Did you make sure the cap covering the coax cable is properly secured - known for popping off and source of leak. If everything is properly caulked and cap secure the other source for leaks is the super thin gasket associated with screw drive it's supposed to be periodically lubed - rather than replace gasket buy new assembly which is inexpensive and includes the gasket.
  • dlos's avatar
    dlos
    Explorer
    Nov 04, 2013
    It was leaking prior to the replacement of parts in May, that's what prompted the replacement. It has not been taken apart since then and the install was done carefully. To my knowledge, it did not leak after that replacement until just this weekend but that's hard to say since it's been in storage.

    The boot is secure, not off anyway as it is sealed into place and also zip tied to the cable. The only thing I have not done to that boot area is flood the opening where the cable enters the boot with sealant. May try that next.

    The screws appear to be fine. By base plate seal, do you mean the O ring on the gear drive?

    I think I'm going to look into and install the jack antennae, no moving parts, should be a better seal.
  • Lynnmor's avatar
    Lynnmor
    Explorer
    Nov 04, 2013
    On my KZ the washers were missing on the elevating shaft, the boot was crooked, the putty tape under the base was decomposing and the sealant didn't adhere at all to the base. Two screws were stripped.
    Water was standing under and corroding the base.

    I replaced the shaft and all small parts.
    I used silicone on the cable under a new boot.
    I used butyl tape under the base.
    I glass-beaded the base and used the correct 2-part Dicor.
    The stripped screws were replaced with larger screws.

    Look at my photos and remember that this trailer was stored indoors and was only wet five times before the photos were taken.

    Antenna Fix & More
  • dlos's avatar
    dlos
    Explorer
    Nov 04, 2013
    Lynnmor, exactly where are the washers that you refer to on the elevating shaft?

    I purhased this camper 2nd hand but in "new" condition. The ONLY thing wrong with is was that there were bubbles in the ceiling paper aft of the TV antennae crank. For a while we chalked this up to poor sealing of the paper at install. Since I have not been able to stop this leak, I'm starting to think that this antennae has been a problem since the trailer was built. Now that you say yours was missing parts, I'm really feeling that way.

    It sounds like I just need to pull the entire thing off and reinstall it completely to ensure it is done right.

    I went through ALL your pictures and got some great ideas for improvements. I also got a little scared by some of the problems you've had to address. What year is your camper? Mine is 2010, not that that makes any difference.

    We've been very happy with ours and have had no trouble, other than this antennae. I changed out the plastic******drawer slides to steel and a few other minor things.
  • Lynnmor's avatar
    Lynnmor
    Explorer
    Nov 05, 2013
    dlos wrote:
    Lynnmor, exactly where are the washers that you refer to on the elevating shaft?

    I purhased this camper 2nd hand but in "new" condition. The ONLY thing wrong with is was that there were bubbles in the ceiling paper aft of the TV antennae crank. For a while we chalked this up to poor sealing of the paper at install. Since I have not been able to stop this leak, I'm starting to think that this antennae has been a problem since the trailer was built. Now that you say yours was missing parts, I'm really feeling that way.

    It sounds like I just need to pull the entire thing off and reinstall it completely to ensure it is done right.

    I went through ALL your pictures and got some great ideas for improvements. I also got a little scared by some of the problems you've had to address. What year is your camper? Mine is 2010, not that that makes any difference.

    We've been very happy with ours and have had no trouble, other than this antennae. I changed out the plastic******drawer slides to steel and a few other minor things.


    The washers are on the elevating shaft.
    Manual
    I believe that most of the water was coming under the caulking, as it looked just fine but could be rolled back like a rug. It did not stick to the metal at all. I would really pull off the antenna and start over. Scrape off the old caulk with a dull plastic knife and clean the roof with mineral spirits.

    I had good metal drawer glides in mine. Keep in mind that the drawers might come open while moving with the better hardware.

    My KZ is a 2011 and as you can see it was/is a total nightmare. I have treated the unit with great care and store it indoors. The trailer and two dealers treated me with total disrepect. I believe that KZ would have done better with the warranty work, but their communications is too poor making the warranty useless. While the photos show much of the problems, additions and upgrades there are many more.
  • dlos's avatar
    dlos
    Explorer
    Nov 05, 2013
    Thanks for the link to the manual. As I replaced the elevating shaft, I am certain that the washers were/are present. However, that doesn't mean that when they went in, or since the install that something caused a failure or degradation of the washers. I will indeed reinstall the entire antennae and see what happens after that. The seal all around the base looks good, does not move or pull up and has stuck to the metal at least all alone the topside that I can see.

    Sorry to hear that your unit has been so problematic, at least you are capable and handy enough to deal with much of it yourself.

    It amazes me to hear so many stories about dealers in this industry not doing their job and taking care of customers post-sale. Makes me glad I did not purchase from a dealer. I have been fortunate to have found an independent RV service company (mobile as well) that is outstanding in every way. I've learned a lot since becoming an RV owner but still have much to learn, it's nice to feel comfortable calling on someone I can trust.

About Travel Trailer Group

44,029 PostsLatest Activity: Jan 13, 2025