How to assess water damage?

[eli68w]

I got my 1994 Fleetwood Terry Resort in January. It had no signs of leaks or water damage anywhere. I discovered a small leak when water started seeping in during a rain. It's rained maybe a dozen times here since then (and snowed twice) and other leaks have shown up. Water seeps in around the stove hood vent and it drops out of the air conditioning vent in the bathroom.

I am going to do my best to fix the leaks this weekend, but my question is: is the inside between the walls, where the insulation and all that is, going to be too far damaged for the trailer to be livable at this point?

I am a full time student and I'm in the military (so extremely busy and stressed) and I have zero background in any type of renovation so if I need to replace insulation or anything like that I will probably just have to sell my trailer and find somewhere else to live. I really hope just sealing the roof will be enough.

[eli68w]

Ok, great. I'm feeling a LOT better about this. Thank you for the advice.

[turbojimmy]

ksg5000 wrote:
Given your status I would focus on stopping the leaks and worry about the other stuff later.

This is what I did with my Allegro. It had been sitting abandoned for close to 6 years. Over time, leaks developed. The thing was a mess when I got it - water was coming in through every protrusion in the roof (all the vents, A/C units, plumbing stacks, roof rail, fridge vent - you name it). I sealed it with Liquid Roof. Once the leaks were sealed I cleaned it up inside and found that it dried out nicely. There wasn't really any lasting damage except for a soft spot in the roof in the front corner that I may address some day (Allegros have an aluminum skeleton so I'm not too worried about it).

I'm currently pulling up the 30-year-old carpet and am finding more leaky surprises - some old, some current.

[ksg5000]

Given your status I would focus on stopping the leaks and worry about the other stuff later. If you have an extra $100 or so have the rig pressure tested - finding where a rig is leaking is easier said than done and the pressure test will expose every potential source of the leak so you can "fix" them all at the same time.

[eli68w]

Okay thank you!!

[the_bear_II]

Inspect your roof carefully especially around the suspected leak areas. If the leaks have caused damage you will feel rotted wood beneath the roofing material. It will be really soft.

If you have rotted wood, the cheap way to go would be number 2 & 3 below. This will seal the leaks and provide protection for a few years. It will not help the value of your RV when it comes time to sell it.

The best fix would be to remove the roofing material to determine the extent of the damage. Repair the damage and then have the bedliner sprayed on the entire roof (number 1 below). Expensive solution. I would only do this if I planned to keep the RV for 10 years.

If little or no rotten wood- You have several options:
1- Recover the entire roof with a new membrane or spray on material like the bedliner for pick up trucks. Many RV'ers are going this route. Both are expensive

2- After washing the roof and letting it dry- Re-seal all seams with EternaBond tape and sealant. This is the least expensive option and may take care of all current and future leaks.

3- To further protect your roof after number 2 you can use a two step roof sealant. This provides basically a new roof membrane for many years of protection. Cheaper than number 1

[ScottG]

It's really hard to tell without seeing it.
If it's a rubber type of roof and the white coating is still intact then it probably just needs to have the caulking inspected and redone where ever it is suspect.