Rusty Water Drip

[Seon]

Just bought a 2000 Itasca 27’ Spirit with 30,500 miles. During our maiden voyage today, wife noticed rusty water drips coming from under the overhead at the seam strip cover on the passenger side. Got home, climbed a ladder to check the roof but didn’t see any sign of rusty water on the roof especially at the AC unit where I would think it’s coming from.
Any thoughts as to where it’s originating?

[ksg5000]

If you have a leak in the overhead it's common for water to pool in the empty spaces below the bed (including the nose which can hold a significant amt of water). Water will try and leave that area via the screw holes of the trim piece - your brown water is likely from rusty screws and maybe disintegrating wood/insulation.

I would remove the trim piece and let the water drain. Your going to have to find the source of the leak as well as assess the damage that the water has done. A pressure test of the rig should identify the source of the leak(s) - accessing the damage will require some dismantling of the cabover. If your lucky (I was) your damage will be minimal and limited to replacing some luan and insulation - some have to do a major rebuild of the area.

Good luck.

[j-d]

tobydad wrote:
...Brown water drips usually indicates wood that is soaking wet or rotting...

Correct. Many refer to the brown water as "coffee."

If you can rig up a furnace blower, you can pressure test your coach. The idea is to pressurize the interior a little. Then spray soap solution around seams, joints, etc. from outside. Bubbles there will show you the Source of the Leak. Looking inside shows were the Leak found a place to drip off of.

Yes, your A/C could require a little snugging of the four fasteners that hold it to the roof. You can see them when you take the interior trim off the ceiling. SNUG!!! You'll bend the A/C or compress the roof if you over tighten.

[tobydad]

If you have a cab over bed, remove the mattress and check for soft spots in the wood under the mattress and around the windows (if there are any) and walls. Brown water drips usually indicates wood that is soaking wet or rotting. Water will find its way out wherever it can, so it is very difficult to find out where or how it is getting in.

[B-Plus]

Hard to find those kind of leaks because they travel and may not be anywhere close to the leaking area. Check out eternbond tape,a few years ago I removed all of the old putty around my top openings and eternbond everything. It’s a one time deal, once it’s done it’s good for life. Not all that expensive either. It’s white and blends right in.I swear by it. I get on the roof once a year and check things out and it’s as good as the day I did it , it has to be at least 6 or 7 years now.

[Farmboy666]

Were you moving when it was dripping or stopped ? When’s the last time it was in water, rain or washed? Was water coming from inside trim? If it’s rusty or brown it could be from some structural wood under the skin or some metal, screws, framing.

[DrewE]

Could be most anywhere, probably somewhere in the cabover unit. The underside of the cabover (which I think is what you're talking about for where the water is dripping from) is a low point so most any leak in that area will collect and eventually find its way out there...often after sitting around for awhile, getting yucky and causing damage.

Check the seams, clearance lights, any windows in the cabover, etc. for the source. I'd also suggest removing whatever trim and so forth is accessible from the inside of the cabover and seeing how wet stuff is there.