Roof Leak

[JRMunn]

I have relocated my father's 2004 Sunnybrook Titan 5th wheel to California's Sierra foothills. We had the first substantial rain a couple of days ago (about 2"), and the roof leaked at the rear of the trailer. I think most of the water came down the driver's side corner where I found it in a wet carpet. After the initial dismay of having to deal with another problem, I took a closer look and have two questions for people that know more about trailers. There is an L-shaped piece of metal screwed into the end of the roof just past the edge of the roof rack that keeps water coming down the sloping roof from running over the back of the trailer. This is just above where water seems to be coming in, and I am wondering if it is a known source of leaks? Also, the interior ceiling and walls are covered with what seems to be a thin wood panel covered with a vernier of formica. Is it possible for water to run down this material without showing and then leaking out at the back of the trailer? Thanks for any suggestions about what needs fixing.

JRMunn

[jwireman89]

Use caution when sealing a rubber roof. Do not use anything with petroleum distillates. Eternabond tape or Dicor caulking.

[JRMunn]

Thank you again for all of the roof sealing suggestions. I am ordering the Eterna Bond tape to do a better job next summer. For now, I seem to have stopped the main leak in my father's trailer roof with one can of the Rustoleum Leak Seal sprayed along the end strip after using a stiff brush to clean the surface of existing caulking. After another 2 inch plus rain storm, there were no more drips, but the carpet was still slightly wet. A closer look at the plastic strip covering the contact between the rear cap and the trailer side walls found places where caulking had failed, which might let water in along the wall. I re-sealed this for the winter with new caulk, and now will wait for another storm to see if any more water gets in. In the mean-time, I have dried the carpet with a small heater that has a fan. I have my fingers crossed that this will take care of the water problems. If not, I will probably have to resort to a pressure test to find a less obvious source for water getting in.

JRMunn

[BarneyS]

oldbird1965 wrote:
What kind of paint did you use Barney? Snip...!

I used Liquid Roof
and posted about it here.
Barney

[oldbird1965]

What kind of paint did you use Barney? I have always painted the tape with elastomeric roof paint. I also paint around all things on the roof even if I didn't put the tape down. Its very flexible and has worked great for me. My wife is allergic to mold so I have to very careful!

[BarneyS]

Fireman286 wrote:
Do you have to recaulk the roof with using the Eternabond tape? This looks like a great idea.

Not if you seal all the roof penetrations along with all the seams. I'm talking about antenna, vent, etc. penetrations.

Some people put a bead of self leveling caulk along the edge of the Eternabond tape but I have never found that to be necessary. I have used the tape on my last two trailers and neither one of them have ever leaked at all.
Barney

[FF286]

Do you have to recaulk the roof with using the Eternabond tape? This looks like a great idea.

[BarneyS]

:B :B :B Actually, I was standing on my telescoping ladder leaned against the rear cap. It was not as high up as it looks. I think the angle of the sun makes it look that way.

I always use a telescoping ladder when going up the rear. The built in ladder is too straight up and down and hard to climb for me. In fact, I have just about given up climbing any ladders anymore. My sons and grandsons are assigned those duties now. 😉
Barney

[JRMunn]

Barney,

The area to the right of your shadow (you must be standing closer to the trailer edge than I want to be)looks very much like the rear of my trailer. It is hard to tell from this perspective, but my end strip might be taller. It does collect a lot of water. And the caulking was definitely lifting at its junction with the ladder post caulking, which looked like a likely spot for a leak. A layer of Eternabond tape sounds like it would be a good final solution for a leak anywhere on the roof. Thanks again for letting me know what works!

JRMunn

[BarneyS]

JR,
My trailer also has the roof rack and ladder at the rear. Back there, I only needed a single strip of 4 inch Eternabond tape to seal the junction of cap and roof instead of two overlapping strips. It came out looking just like the one I pictured on the front.

Here is a picture of it just before painting with the blue masking tape applied. The ladder is just behind me on the left side and out of the picture.
Barney

[JRMunn]

Barney,

Your roof-end strip looks a lot like mine, and I wish my setup was similarly simple. But I have both roof rack and ladder posts that complicate matters just above the strip, and even more screws. I have also already applied the Rustoleum leak seal and will probably need to remove it before using tape. Thank you for letting me know that I don't need to remove all the caulking over screws before applying tape. Because I have other projects underway right now, I am hoping that more permanent roof repair won't be needed until next summer - although I realize that if the roof keeps leaking, I really will need to find the problem and fix it now.

JRMunn

[BarneyS]

Since you are going up there anyway to make a temporary repair, why not do it right and get the job done permanently? I did my Sunnybrook roof seams and penetrations with Eternabond tape when my trailer was around one month old. That was over 13 years ago and it has never leaked one drop since. All you need do is clean very well on either side of the front and back caps where they meet the rubber roof. No need to remove the caulking - just clean it very well. Apply the tape, roll it down and you are done. It will last the life of the trailer and you will not have to worry about any more leaks. 🙂

You can see the tape under the coating I put on our roof last year. I painted right over the Eternabond tape. In this area, I used two overlapping strips of 4 inch tape. The best price I found was from the link above. I carry another roll in the trailer for emergency use. Have not had to use it but have given almost half away to others for their emergencies.
Barney

[JRMunn]

Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions. I hope I found the source of my leak at the driver's side end of the L-shaped metal strip (above the wet carpeting) that I now think must cover a transition from the "rubber roof" to the fiberglass rear cap of the trailer. This strip catches most of the water running down the back half of the trailer roof, before it runs over the back windows, and sends it off to the side, where a small dam is formed by a mound of caulking that extends from the metal piece to a roof rack post. Near the "dam" on the driver's side, I found where caulking along the metal strip has lifted off the roof. My short term solution was to clean the area on and above the metal strip with a stiff brush, blow it off with compressed air, and then spray a can of white Rustoleum Leak Seal along its edge - with extra attention and amount given to the area where I think the leak was coming from. This provides a penetrating, waterproof covering that I hope will stick for the rest of the winter. If the leak continues, I will move on to the suggested pressure test and also try a layer of sealing tape. If this patch does stop the leak over the winter, then I can pull the metal strip off next summer, when all will be dry, and fix it right - including use of sealing tape once the mounds of caulking are removed from the many screws. Thanks again.

JRMunn

[ckwizard777]

Front and rear seams always leak eventually.
Go get some 4" wide Eternabond tape and seal the front and rear seams with it.
You will never have a leak there again.

[ksg5000]

Pressure test is the best way to determine source of leaks - they cost about $100. Not familiar with L your referring to - might be someone placed it there to mitigate known water problem - if so lousy fix. Check the roof caulking everywhere the actual source of the leak may not be in the vicinity of the wet carpet (water maybe entering from different location and traveling along the interior of the ceiling cavity). Water leaks are PIA and if not fixed quick can result in expensive repairs - don't ignore.